I was certainly more sympathetic to Mrs. Masters than Lady Augustus. She was more "cruel to be kind" rather than portraying traits of a mean, wicked stepmother.
The nineteenth century is one of my favorite eras. I love reading books about American and British history during this time period. So many changes were occurring with social & political reforms, the Victorian era, the American Civil War, Industrialization, scientific innovations, the expansion of the American West, etc. At one point Lord Rufford points out to Arabella that there are many things that she could do that her mother and grandmother couldn't do but women didn't have absolute freedom yet and she was still bound by certain convenances to keep her reputation pure.
From what I read online, there are some critics who would have deleted the American Senator from the book. I enjoyed his role, especially the letters back to America which revealed his inner thoughts. I found this article on the web that discusses Trollope's views on Americans based on his complete works.
http://www.victorianweb.org/authors/...farewell1.html
Bookpossum, I liked your comments about culture. It is very difficult when experiencing another culture not to view it through the lense of your own culture's attitudes. I interact daily with British colleagues and travel to England several times a year. We also have several British ex-pats on our team who are now American citizens, and they add yet another layer of viewpoints. I interact daily with other non-European cultures too. I enjoy this fortunate opportunity to experience other cultures. Whenever I travel internationally with someone new, I always tell them to set their expectations that it is not America and to accept that they do things differently and to embrace it and the trip will be much more enjoyable. It is really hard for some people to do so. Similarly I find it interesting when foreigners visit us to hear their impressions both good and bad of how we do things. Understanding politics is especially difficult. The 2008 US Presidential Election and vice versa the 2010 UK General Election & resulting Coalition drama were especially challenging but really great discussions!