England, Mrs Greenow marries Bellfield, Glencora gives birth to a son, and Alice finally marries John. Alice’s happiness is temporarily alloyed by sense of defeat at having her wedding turned into a formal social event where she endures the reproachful lectures of high-ranking relatives she had sought to avoid. Trollope suggests that she is fortunate not to have suffered more by trying to defy social convention. Reception The satirical periodical Punch mocked the work, referring to it as Can You Stand Her? due to its writers' irritation at Alice's ineptitude in deciding between her two suitors. In his memoir about writing, Stephen King pokes fun at the book's length, joking that for modern audiences a more appropriate title might be Can You Possibly Finish It? The lead singer of the Pet Shop Boys, Neil Tennant, wrote the song "Can You Forgive Her?" in 1992 after reading Trollope's novel whilst on holiday. References External links Novels by Anthony Trollope 1864 British novels 1865 British novels Novels first published in serial form Chapman & Hall books