If you have a great historical interest in the 1830's-1840's England, specifically on politics, then this book is probably a vast tome of information. I am interested in the pre to early Victorian period, but not the minute details of politics. As a result, a significant portion of this book went over my head as I didn't know a lot of the political terms and persons involved, and I didn't have the interest to look up and retain any information that might help.

The actual story the book tells is of Conningsby, an orphan boy who we follow through his days at Etons, Cambridge and his growing interest in politics and how his mind is influenced through the various people he meets.

Honestly as a story its pretty lackluster. Conninsby is one of those heros who is stated to be a charming, handsome, intelligent and charismatic character. He is meant to be well received by the reader and throughout the book he tends to endear himself to all who meet him. The main issue with that is that he doesn't ever really do anything during the novel to make you care about him. He lives a normal (for the privileged few) life, gets well educated and gets to travel and meet great minds. He is meant to be representative of this new coming generation that will get England back on track but he never actually does anything to put his words to the proof. Everyone already likes him, and the happy ending that is reached has nothing to do with anything he actually did himself. It was done by others on his behalf.

Also his political views have definitely not dated well so you can't really rally around him for them. Obviously not the fault of the author that 200 years later it doesn't hold up, but it is kind of funny reading the book when the noble characters talk of how society will change if they are no longer the leaders. Reading this at a time when a lot of what they worried about has come to pass is pretty amusing.

The blurb which states he has to fight to prove himself to regain his fortune is greatly overstating a very short period in the book where he has gone against his very strict grandfather very near the end of the book. He doesn't fight anything and everything he has lost is essentially given back to him with him suffering nothing but a minor and brief set back in his fortunes.

Just not feeling it.