About Can You Forgive Her? Can You Forgive Her? is a work of literary fiction by British author Anthony Trollope, first published in the UK. My dear, the truth must be spoken. I declare I don't think I ever saw a young woman so improvident as you are. When are you to begin to think about getting married if you don't do it now?" "I shall never begin to think about it, till I buy my wedding clothes. The story follows the lives and emotional landscapes of three women, Alice Vavasor, her cousin Glencora Palliser, and her aunt, Arabella Greenow. Early in the novel, Alice wonders, "What should a lady do with her life?" This theme resurfaces throughout the novel, weaving together three parallel threads, as the other two female protagonists also face various romantic dilemmas and marital challenges. Can You Forgive Her? is the first of the six classic Palliser novels , which, collectively, present the most thorough and complex portrayal of British society at the time of its greatest influence and power. Phineas Finn , the second book in the series, was published in 1869, and Lady Glencora and her husband Plantagenet Palliser appear in subsequent volumes.