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144th out of 383 books
—
2,094 voters
The Way We Live Now
Trollope's 1875 tale of a great financier's fraudulent machinations in the railway business, and his daughter's ill-use at the hands of a grasping lover is a classic in the literature of money and a ripping good read as well.
Paperback, (Wordsworth Classics), 776 pages
Published
December 5th 1999
by Wordsworth Classics
(first published 1875)
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A great novel, perhaps Trollope's best. But it's not the one I usually recommend to those who have never read Trollope and want to try him. For one thing, it's very long. For another, it's pretty dark. There are a lot of characters in this novel, and almost every one of them views money as the summum bonum. That, after all, is the way we live now.
At the center of the novel is Augustus Melmotte, an ill-mannered foreigner of undetermined background, with whom in better times, Trollope believes, no...more
At the center of the novel is Augustus Melmotte, an ill-mannered foreigner of undetermined background, with whom in better times, Trollope believes, no...more
An incredibly long yet remarkably engaging look at the disastrous result of a credit economy gone corrupt with some marriage plots thrown in for good measure (what, after all, is a Victorian novel without a marriage plot?).
Oct 15, 2008
Heather
rated it
5 of 5 stars
Recommends it for:
patient readers
Shelves:
desert-island-books
I first read this book back in... hmm... 1998? 1999? Loved it, and was inspired to pull it off the shelf for a re-read in light of the unfolding financial collapse/bail-out. Everything I read about Wall Street firms reminds me of the 4 guys gambling in their private club, the "Beargarden" -- crazy web of credits and worthless IOUs, all the players betting money they don't have, each one making his bets based on what the others owe him, and no prospect of them ever being sufficiently sober and "i...more
A fascinating perspective on the moral bankruptcy of English society in the late 1800s...with unsettling echoes that carry forward into the present day. Highly recommended -- the Trollope to read, even if you read nothing else by Trollope.
Trollope is wordy, but I didn't mind it because the wordy style is entertaining and clever. This is a satire and I began it not expecting to give a hang about any of the characters the whole way through. But by the end I did care for a few of them, and was suprised to have even been won over by one or two I never would have expected to like even 3/4 of the way through. My favorite theme of his was the choices people make between the honest thing to do and the dishonest, in a variety of contexts....more
This is one of the author's greatest work. Among its greatnesss is the irony of the title--it is truly, with a few adjustments for modern technology, the way we live NOW. We have much more in common with the Victorian's than we ever think about--they too were bombarded by the media, attracted by the lure of easy money in an unpredictable stock market, thrilled by the possibilities of travel that had opened to them even as they were ambivalent about foreigners coming into their country and earnin...more
I'm just re-reading this and wow, what a fabulous book. A great big rollicking read, and the BBS version of this with David Suchet (famous as Inspector Poirot on PBS's "Mystery") is amazing as the financial swindler, Melmotte. In fact, the BBS version is one of those rare adaptation that I don't sit through muttering about how they "ruined" the book!
Excellent story about a financial scandal and the high society of London in late 19 century. Great character sketches, although I did not care very much for the main love story between Paul and Hetta.
Compulsive gamblers, wayward heiresses, drunks!!! No, it's not a Paris Hilton bacchanal at The Palms, silly! It's Anthony Trollope. He's hot!
i've read two times and it gets better every time; some of the greatest female heroes around
One of Trollope's very best. Felix is an excellent reprobate. Marie Melmotte turns out to be far more spirited and interesting than expected. Roger seems to be Trollope's favorite, and it's the first time (in the dozen or so Trollope novels I've read so far) that he's given a man the unrelenting tenacity of love that he usually attributes to and greatly admires in women.
The sparks of male violence are excellent. The awkward tension of the out-of-favor duel feels especially appropriate in this n...more
The sparks of male violence are excellent. The awkward tension of the out-of-favor duel feels especially appropriate in this n...more
Phew ! Done. Where to begin?
Overall, the novel was a delicious journey into the desperate, the ego-centric, and the corrupt.
I loved the seeming "Rondo" form of the novel—at first "spinning out" then to "close back in" in the latter part of the book.
Mrs. Hurtle MUST be a unique creation. That was simply wonderful to see a separated American woman in Victorian England on her own; yet, Trollope draws her with sympathy.
With so many mirrors, foils, and parallels created with a number of characters, a...more
Overall, the novel was a delicious journey into the desperate, the ego-centric, and the corrupt.
I loved the seeming "Rondo" form of the novel—at first "spinning out" then to "close back in" in the latter part of the book.
Mrs. Hurtle MUST be a unique creation. That was simply wonderful to see a separated American woman in Victorian England on her own; yet, Trollope draws her with sympathy.
With so many mirrors, foils, and parallels created with a number of characters, a...more
A very nice free audio book reading is available here:
http://www.archive.org/details/waywel...
I can't say what English aristocracy was really like in the late 19th century, but The Way We Live Now paints an enjoyable picture of titled aristos striving to marry the gauche lesser people who've sullied themselves by getting their hands on some cash (or have they?). Kanye West (creator of the song "Gold Digger") might really get a kick out of this book.
The Way We Live Now is like a soap opera (a soa...more
http://www.archive.org/details/waywel...
I can't say what English aristocracy was really like in the late 19th century, but The Way We Live Now paints an enjoyable picture of titled aristos striving to marry the gauche lesser people who've sullied themselves by getting their hands on some cash (or have they?). Kanye West (creator of the song "Gold Digger") might really get a kick out of this book.
The Way We Live Now is like a soap opera (a soa...more
May 28, 2008
Brenda
rated it
5 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Recommends it for:
Anyone who loves great writing
Amazing book - one of my new favourites. Trollope is a master at characterization. This particular work of his depicts the sordid beginnings of the railroad, or rather, the beginnings of railroad speculation. The main villain of the piece, Melmotte lives a life of luxury, splendor and adoration despite the whisperings of his nefarious dealings in order to accumulate his wealth. Money and fame are everything in mid-19th century Britain.
The book is spookily prophetic as to the way WE live right N...more
The book is spookily prophetic as to the way WE live right N...more
One of my favorite novels. Although Trollope was clearly a man of his time, with his belief in the manly man and the womanly woman, this novel is true the way the North Star is true. I wish he (and Dickens) were alive today to capture this same greed and villainy and hope. (The book also has some pretty funny descriptions of certain kinds of writers and publishers, an extra enjoyment for those in the business like me.)
Trollope is such an underrated writer, and I've never been able to figure tha...more
Trollope is such an underrated writer, and I've never been able to figure tha...more
The more I read by Trollope the more I love him. I know I have said this before, but the writers of his day were master story tellers. The writers of our day write experiences, Trollope and his ilk wrote stories.
The only criticism I have of the two-volumes that contain "The Way We Live Now' is this; there are only two volumes. I remember years ago reading Tolstoy's "War and Peace." I'd urge people not to be deterred at all by its length, because, the only complaint I had about the book was it c...more
The only criticism I have of the two-volumes that contain "The Way We Live Now' is this; there are only two volumes. I remember years ago reading Tolstoy's "War and Peace." I'd urge people not to be deterred at all by its length, because, the only complaint I had about the book was it c...more
This is a classic novel in the classical sense of the word. Here we are 130+ years later reading it as if it came out last week. Trollope is one of the best writers of the 19th century and had more wit, cynicism, irony and plot twists per page than pretty much any writer since. He satirizes the greed and hypocrisy of upper-class Victorian society like no other. He has at least a dozen protagonists in the book, three-quarters of whom are also dreadful antagonists. And Trollop has a way of making...more
"Very many men started up with huge claims, asserting that they had been robbed, and in the confusion it was hard to ascertain who had been robbed, or who had simply been unsuccessful in their attempts to rob others" - Chapter XCII.
Loved this novel. Definitely one of Trollope's best, with its expansive canvas and characters in all ages, stages, and situations, scrambling to get ahead at someone else's expense. The financial swindle at its heart gets played out in large and small variations--whom...more
Loved this novel. Definitely one of Trollope's best, with its expansive canvas and characters in all ages, stages, and situations, scrambling to get ahead at someone else's expense. The financial swindle at its heart gets played out in large and small variations--whom...more
This book reads like a soap opera. Tons of characters. Plot switching at the drop of a hat. Nobody to really like. The fact that it's written like bad TV does not change the fact that it's great wicked satire. Love it.
In the edition I have, there is some excellent commentary on where Trollope was coming from as well as some historical context.
The book opens with a hilarious depiction of the publishing world. Lady Carbury is a hoot and believe me there are all too many writers like her around. T...more
In the edition I have, there is some excellent commentary on where Trollope was coming from as well as some historical context.
The book opens with a hilarious depiction of the publishing world. Lady Carbury is a hoot and believe me there are all too many writers like her around. T...more
this is the trollope to read if you've never read trollope or have only one trollope to read -- but if that's you, I would suggest reading them all, filling the rest of your life with one of his thousand books, written while he was working his way up in a full-time job in the UK postal system; you'll learn all ye need to know on earth, with plenty of laughs thrown in.
THE WAY WE LIVE NOW is about a Ponzi scheme, before there was a Ponzi, and about the willingness of the most privileged and sophis...more
THE WAY WE LIVE NOW is about a Ponzi scheme, before there was a Ponzi, and about the willingness of the most privileged and sophis...more
This is a very very big book with a few very very little stories. The quality of the writing, however, is as good as exists in the English language. Therefore 5 stars for the writing and 1 star for the story gives you an average of 3 stars for the work as a whole.
The main characters of interest are two of the vilest scoundrels to be found in the fiction of any language that I know of. The interest of the story is to find out what happens to them.
The remainder of the characters are the usual that...more
The main characters of interest are two of the vilest scoundrels to be found in the fiction of any language that I know of. The interest of the story is to find out what happens to them.
The remainder of the characters are the usual that...more
Augustus Melmotte, about whose past little was known, established himself in London, bought a large house on Grosvenor Square and soon gained a reputation as "a great financier." With him were his wife and a daughter, Marie, whom he launched on the matrimonial market at a grandiose ball for which, in hope of favors to come, he secured the patronage of several duchesses and other titled personages.
A San Francisco stockjobber induced Melmotte to organize a London company for the promotion of a fic...more
A San Francisco stockjobber induced Melmotte to organize a London company for the promotion of a fic...more
Last summer, I read a NEWSWEEK article which recommended a variety of books. THE WAY WE LIVE NOW was the NUMBER ONE recommendation. Having seen a portion of the story in a Masterpiece Theatre film on PBS, I was more than intrigued.
Still, my finite mind could not wrap around the reason this, of all books, would be touted as THE book the modern human being could not miss.
And then, I read it.
OH...MY...GOODNESS.
Entertaining: it was.
Effective Prose: certainly.
But, what fascinated me the most (...more
Still, my finite mind could not wrap around the reason this, of all books, would be touted as THE book the modern human being could not miss.
And then, I read it.
OH...MY...GOODNESS.
Entertaining: it was.
Effective Prose: certainly.
But, what fascinated me the most (...more
As with others here, this was a book club selection spurred
by Newsweek's nod of "The Way We Live Now" as top 50 nomination.
While people point to the Madoff-Melmotte connection, I like
the idea that some distant Trollope heir somehow got the ear
and/or illicit photos of a Newsweek staffer, and voila, more
readership.
The novel remains eminently readable, 130+ after its serialized
debut...but then won't TV soap opera "Dallas" by rather readily
perceived in a century so? I hope to be around to be proved...more
by Newsweek's nod of "The Way We Live Now" as top 50 nomination.
While people point to the Madoff-Melmotte connection, I like
the idea that some distant Trollope heir somehow got the ear
and/or illicit photos of a Newsweek staffer, and voila, more
readership.
The novel remains eminently readable, 130+ after its serialized
debut...but then won't TV soap opera "Dallas" by rather readily
perceived in a century so? I hope to be around to be proved...more
Read this one for book club. ....Perhaps Trollope self-identifies with his initial main character, Lady Carbury, who writes for a living rather than for art. The 100-odd chapters were published bit-by-bit, as a serial. Maybe this was profitable (maybe more so because it meant not hiring an editor?). In the very long space between a slow start and a rushed finish, important characters got sidelined and plot twists evaporated.
I think Trollope was better than this book (although Amazon tells me it...more
I think Trollope was better than this book (although Amazon tells me it...more
It's so eerie how much this book describes the way WE live TODAY, that is in 2009. There is the same cast of characters we endure in our present. Of course the details are very different but it's the similarities that fascinate me. There are swindlers and shady bankers just like today. There are young men gambling and drinking to excess (still a lot of that going on). There is the older generation decrying the rudeness and lack of respect for tradition by the young. So many similarities.
The char...more
The char...more
I read this as a result of reading the recent Newsweek list of the 100 books everyone must read. Here's Newsweek's introduction to the list:
We know it's insane. We know people will ask why on earth we think that an 1875 British satirical novel is the book you need to read right now—or, for that matter, why it even made the cut. The fact is, no one needs another best-of list telling you how great The Great Gatsby is. What we do need, in a world with precious little time to read (and think), is to...more
While not my favorite Trollope, this was a lovely read, and quite apposite to our own financial crisis. The account of the railway bubble and the cynical financiers behind it is as relevant today as it was then.
I love the range of Trollope's characters: the audacious swindler with his feckless, compliant board of directors, the penniless scapegrace nobleman who can hardly bestir himself to pursue the swindler's gradually awakening daughter, the female author (homage to Trollope's own mother), t...more
I love the range of Trollope's characters: the audacious swindler with his feckless, compliant board of directors, the penniless scapegrace nobleman who can hardly bestir himself to pursue the swindler's gradually awakening daughter, the female author (homage to Trollope's own mother), t...more
At the heart of this novel is mysterious, charismatic Melmotte, the 'Great Financier'. His origins are unknown, his dealings felt (and, in time, known) to be shady to the point of illegality. The other central character is Felix Carbury, an unpleasant, idle young man who attempts to marry Melmotte's daughter, Marie, for her money. Melmotte, though, wants his only child to marry someone with a title.
Felix, his mother's treasure, loves no one. Marie loves him. No one loves Melmotte - he is conside...more
Felix, his mother's treasure, loves no one. Marie loves him. No one loves Melmotte - he is conside...more
Dec 29, 2010
Dwight
added it
http://bookcents.blogspot.com/2010/12...
The Way We Live Now provides Trollope’s satiric look on the modernizing world of his day and the inability of many individuals to retain a moral compass amid the changes. Throughout the novel, Trollope provides criticism of and sympathy for his characters. Despite many dark portraits and sections, Trollope also provides a lot of humor.
One central theme looks at pervasive dishonesty, located in financial, political, and moral aspects of everyday life. Mr....more
The Way We Live Now provides Trollope’s satiric look on the modernizing world of his day and the inability of many individuals to retain a moral compass amid the changes. Throughout the novel, Trollope provides criticism of and sympathy for his characters. Despite many dark portraits and sections, Trollope also provides a lot of humor.
One central theme looks at pervasive dishonesty, located in financial, political, and moral aspects of everyday life. Mr....more
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| The Perks of Bein...: "The Way We Live Now" by Anthony Trollope (Leslie & Jenny) | 13 | 16 | 13 hours, 10 min ago | |
| Audio-Bibliophiles: The Way We Live Now Book Discussion | 6 | 20 | Oct 12, 2012 05:50am |
Anthony Trollope became one of the most successful, prolific and respected English novelists of the Victorian era. Some of Trollope's best-loved works, known as the Chronicles of Barsetshire, revolve around the imaginary county of Barsetshire; he also wrote penetrating novels on political, social, and gender issues and conflicts of his day.
Trollope has always been a popular novelist. Noted fans ha...more
More about Anthony Trollope...
Trollope has always been a popular novelist. Noted fans ha...more
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“There was but one thing for him;- to persevere till he got her, or till he had finally lost her. And should the latter be his fate, as he began to fear that it would be, then, he would live, but live only, like a crippled man.”
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