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The Way We Live Now (Wordsworth Classics)
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Manufacturer: Wordsworth Editions
Author: Anthony Trollope
Publisher: Wordsworth Editions
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Our Price: $5.99
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In stock soon. Order now to get in line. First come, first served.
Manufacturer: Wordsworth Editions
Author: Anthony Trollope
Publisher: Wordsworth Editions
Average Customer Rating:
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The Way We Live Now (Wordsworth Classics) Description
Binding: Paperback
Dewey Decimal Number: 813
EAN: 9781853262555
ISBN: 1853262552
Label: Wordsworth Editions
Manufacturer: Wordsworth Editions
Book Pages: 800
Publication Date: 2004-02-05
Publisher: Wordsworth Editions
Studio: Wordsworth Editions
Dewey Decimal Number: 813
EAN: 9781853262555
ISBN: 1853262552
Label: Wordsworth Editions
Manufacturer: Wordsworth Editions
Book Pages: 800
Publication Date: 2004-02-05
Publisher: Wordsworth Editions
Studio: Wordsworth Editions
Editorial Review of The Way We Live Now (Wordsworth Classics)
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 (for whom she steals funds in order to elope) is a classic in the literature of money and a ripping good read as well.
Customer Reviews of The Way We Live Now (Wordsworth Classics)
Customer Rating: 
Review Summary: Good...
Review: No need to buy this book, it is interesting enough to read it off your computer screen. I think that says a lot. Very contemporary and thus has survived passage of time, contains a lot of anti-Semite statements which when compared to a Dickens or a Thackeray seemed excessive.
Customer Rating:
Review Summary: Are you sure this was not written about Wall Street today?
Review: "The Trillion Dollar Meltdown" by Charles Morris mentions this book and I; a bit of an adventuresome sort thought I would read it.
I found the book charming to a fault; I was completely enamoured with the characters; and enjoyed the book immensely.
During the entire book tho, I could not help but remind myself that had it not been for the classical style of the writing itself, one would think this book had been written about America's financial industry at present.
Definately a great read, and highly recommended that one place it on the Summer Reading schedule.
My only complaint is the number of bl&tant typographical errors, which at times made reading a tad difficult and humourous.
Customer Rating:
Review Summary: Great read
Review: I read Anthony Trollope's novel after I had seen the BBC mini-series of the same name. Although I had read a lot of Dickens, Thackeray and Elliot I had never read any of Trollope's novels. I am glad that I watched the BBC adaptation because this novel is as delightful to read as those of the famous novelists mentioned above.
The story starts with the introduction of Lady Carbury and her good-for-nothing son Sir Felix Carbury but soon many other characters are introduced. Among this the great financier and swindler Auguste Melmotte is the most interesting. As in the Dickens novels, the villains are the most fascinating characters here. There are some side stories like that of Hetta Carbury-Paul Montague and Ruby Rubbles-John Crumb. But to tell the truth, these stories are not as enjoyable to read as the others except that they introduce us to some great characters like Mrs. Hurtle and Roger Carbury. Mrs. Hurtle is very interesting because her ideas of how a woman should take control of her own destiny are very modern. Roger Carbury is in fact the only character who behaves honorably and sensibly throughout the novel with the addition of maybe Hetta Carbury but she is of too little consequence to deserve any interest.
Another character to note is Marie Melmotte, Melmotte's daugher who becomes the object of many a titled personality's attentions not because she is beautiful and her family is respectable but because her father is very rich. She evolves through the novel and comes out as one of the strongest characters.
Involvement of Dolly Longstaffe and Lord Nidderdale are also very enjoyable because although they are very mercenary in their attitude there is a comic element to their existence.
Anthony Trollope's depiction of the society in the Victorian times is very interesting. In the earlier novels that I have read, like Jane Austen's novels of the Edwardian era, although people are governed by monetary concerns, they always take care to stay within some principles like never condescending to marry someone in trade. Here we see that land owners are willing to associate with City people. There is a changing attitude against Jewish people too. I don't agree with the opinions of some reviewers who think the novel is anti-Semitic. Although Melmotte is thought to be a Jew and Georgiana Longstaffe's engagement to Mr Brehgert is considered scandalous by her family, Trollope takes care to express his views about people's hypocrisy when he says the Christians who are outraged at such connections never visit the church themselves. Also, in spite of carrying out transactions with Melmotte, Mr Brehgert comes out as quite a decent and honest man. Another interesting point concerning religion is made through Roger Carbury's friendship of a Catholic priest. Although this side story sounds a bit contrived, it is interesting to note that one of the most respectable characters in the story is quite open-minded about having dinners with a priest though in time he gets annoyed with his over his over-zealousness in trying to convert himself.
All in all a very enjoyable satire and though it may look a a bit long to today's reader, I read in almost in a breath except for a few chapters where I wanted them to finish so that I could get to the adventures of more interesting characters.
Customer Rating:
Review Summary: "You need a special kind of man who understands the way we live now to lead you into that new world of peace and prosperity."
Review: Often considered Trollope's greatest novel, this satire of British life, written in 1875, leaves no aspect of society unexamined. Through his large cast of characters, who represent many levels of society, Trollope examines the hypocrisies of class, at the same time that he often develops sympathy for these characters who are sometimes caught in crises not of their own making. Filling the novel with realistic details and providing vivid pictures of the various settings in which the characters find themselves, Trollope also creates a series of exceptionally vibrant characters who give life to this long and sometimes cynical portrait of those who move the country.
Lady Carbury, her innocent daughter Henrietta (Hetta), and her attractive but irresponsible son Felix are the family around which much of the action rotates. They are always in need of money and Lady Carbury writes pap novels to support the family (and Felix's drinking and gambling). In contrast to the Carburys, and just as important to the plot, are the Melmottes. Augustus Melmotte, who has come from Vienna under a cloud of financial suspicions, has acquired a huge estate for himself, his foreign wife, and his marriageable daughter. Boorish, but determined to become a leader of society, Melmotte provides moments of humor for the reader, though he is scorned by an aristocracy which is nevertheless beholden to him for his investments.
When Melmotte becomes the major investor in a plan to build a railway from California to Mexico, Paul Montague, a handsome engineer who has been working in America, arrives in town. A ward of Roger Carbury, cousin of Felix and Hetta, he soon finds himself in love with Hetta--and in competition with Roger for her hand. Felix courts the Melmottes' daughter for her fortune, and she falls in love with him while he dallies with a local domestic worker. Investors dash to buy shares in the Mexican railway, with their investments ending in the sticky hands of Melmotte, who has bigger plans.
Often addressing the reader directly, Trollope fills the novel with action and subplots which illustrate a wide variety of themes, often depicting his characters satirically to illustrate the social, political, and financial ills of the day. Ahead of his time for his depiction of the lively, intelligent woman whose role is defined (and limited) by her social and financial position, Trollope creates a number of resourceful women--and a number who are willing to do almost anything to marry a wealthy man. As is customary in Victorian novels, the good are rewarded here, and the evil are punished, but Trollope's characters, unlike those by Dickens, for example, usually control their own destinies. Broad in scope, thoughtful in construction, complete in its depiction of 1870s' England, filled with wonderful characters, and absolutely engrossing to read, The Way We Live Now is one of the great novels of the nineteenth century. n Mary Whipple
Customer Rating:
Review Summary: not a whole lot has changed over the past century or so
Review: This is a tour de force by Trollope. Having finished the Barchester series, I decided to take on another while on a trip to San Francisco (featured somewhat in the novel). I think I enjoyed this most of all. It compares best with Thackery's Vanity Fair--there is no hero. Nearly all of its characters are fully fleshed out. Sir Felix finds ways to sink lower than the reader thinks he can sink. Melmotte is a superior version of Kenneth Lay. And Mrs. Hurtle is incomparable, as well as an unadulterated delight. She personifies one of the main themes: the English are spent, and the real life is to be found in America, even for its recognized faults.
The novel is long, but this reader was never bored. The plot was a fine thicket which built to a cresendo followed by a cleanly knotted and leisurly and satisfying finish. David Brooks gives a good introduction in the Modern Library edition, which also contains excellent endnotes. Highly recommended.
Review Summary: Good...
Review: No need to buy this book, it is interesting enough to read it off your computer screen. I think that says a lot. Very contemporary and thus has survived passage of time, contains a lot of anti-Semite statements which when compared to a Dickens or a Thackeray seemed excessive.
Customer Rating:
Review Summary: Are you sure this was not written about Wall Street today?
Review: "The Trillion Dollar Meltdown" by Charles Morris mentions this book and I; a bit of an adventuresome sort thought I would read it.
I found the book charming to a fault; I was completely enamoured with the characters; and enjoyed the book immensely.
During the entire book tho, I could not help but remind myself that had it not been for the classical style of the writing itself, one would think this book had been written about America's financial industry at present.
Definately a great read, and highly recommended that one place it on the Summer Reading schedule.
My only complaint is the number of bl&tant typographical errors, which at times made reading a tad difficult and humourous.
Customer Rating:
Review Summary: Great read
Review: I read Anthony Trollope's novel after I had seen the BBC mini-series of the same name. Although I had read a lot of Dickens, Thackeray and Elliot I had never read any of Trollope's novels. I am glad that I watched the BBC adaptation because this novel is as delightful to read as those of the famous novelists mentioned above.
The story starts with the introduction of Lady Carbury and her good-for-nothing son Sir Felix Carbury but soon many other characters are introduced. Among this the great financier and swindler Auguste Melmotte is the most interesting. As in the Dickens novels, the villains are the most fascinating characters here. There are some side stories like that of Hetta Carbury-Paul Montague and Ruby Rubbles-John Crumb. But to tell the truth, these stories are not as enjoyable to read as the others except that they introduce us to some great characters like Mrs. Hurtle and Roger Carbury. Mrs. Hurtle is very interesting because her ideas of how a woman should take control of her own destiny are very modern. Roger Carbury is in fact the only character who behaves honorably and sensibly throughout the novel with the addition of maybe Hetta Carbury but she is of too little consequence to deserve any interest.
Another character to note is Marie Melmotte, Melmotte's daugher who becomes the object of many a titled personality's attentions not because she is beautiful and her family is respectable but because her father is very rich. She evolves through the novel and comes out as one of the strongest characters.
Involvement of Dolly Longstaffe and Lord Nidderdale are also very enjoyable because although they are very mercenary in their attitude there is a comic element to their existence.
Anthony Trollope's depiction of the society in the Victorian times is very interesting. In the earlier novels that I have read, like Jane Austen's novels of the Edwardian era, although people are governed by monetary concerns, they always take care to stay within some principles like never condescending to marry someone in trade. Here we see that land owners are willing to associate with City people. There is a changing attitude against Jewish people too. I don't agree with the opinions of some reviewers who think the novel is anti-Semitic. Although Melmotte is thought to be a Jew and Georgiana Longstaffe's engagement to Mr Brehgert is considered scandalous by her family, Trollope takes care to express his views about people's hypocrisy when he says the Christians who are outraged at such connections never visit the church themselves. Also, in spite of carrying out transactions with Melmotte, Mr Brehgert comes out as quite a decent and honest man. Another interesting point concerning religion is made through Roger Carbury's friendship of a Catholic priest. Although this side story sounds a bit contrived, it is interesting to note that one of the most respectable characters in the story is quite open-minded about having dinners with a priest though in time he gets annoyed with his over his over-zealousness in trying to convert himself.
All in all a very enjoyable satire and though it may look a a bit long to today's reader, I read in almost in a breath except for a few chapters where I wanted them to finish so that I could get to the adventures of more interesting characters.
Customer Rating:
Review Summary: "You need a special kind of man who understands the way we live now to lead you into that new world of peace and prosperity."
Review: Often considered Trollope's greatest novel, this satire of British life, written in 1875, leaves no aspect of society unexamined. Through his large cast of characters, who represent many levels of society, Trollope examines the hypocrisies of class, at the same time that he often develops sympathy for these characters who are sometimes caught in crises not of their own making. Filling the novel with realistic details and providing vivid pictures of the various settings in which the characters find themselves, Trollope also creates a series of exceptionally vibrant characters who give life to this long and sometimes cynical portrait of those who move the country.
Lady Carbury, her innocent daughter Henrietta (Hetta), and her attractive but irresponsible son Felix are the family around which much of the action rotates. They are always in need of money and Lady Carbury writes pap novels to support the family (and Felix's drinking and gambling). In contrast to the Carburys, and just as important to the plot, are the Melmottes. Augustus Melmotte, who has come from Vienna under a cloud of financial suspicions, has acquired a huge estate for himself, his foreign wife, and his marriageable daughter. Boorish, but determined to become a leader of society, Melmotte provides moments of humor for the reader, though he is scorned by an aristocracy which is nevertheless beholden to him for his investments.
When Melmotte becomes the major investor in a plan to build a railway from California to Mexico, Paul Montague, a handsome engineer who has been working in America, arrives in town. A ward of Roger Carbury, cousin of Felix and Hetta, he soon finds himself in love with Hetta--and in competition with Roger for her hand. Felix courts the Melmottes' daughter for her fortune, and she falls in love with him while he dallies with a local domestic worker. Investors dash to buy shares in the Mexican railway, with their investments ending in the sticky hands of Melmotte, who has bigger plans.
Often addressing the reader directly, Trollope fills the novel with action and subplots which illustrate a wide variety of themes, often depicting his characters satirically to illustrate the social, political, and financial ills of the day. Ahead of his time for his depiction of the lively, intelligent woman whose role is defined (and limited) by her social and financial position, Trollope creates a number of resourceful women--and a number who are willing to do almost anything to marry a wealthy man. As is customary in Victorian novels, the good are rewarded here, and the evil are punished, but Trollope's characters, unlike those by Dickens, for example, usually control their own destinies. Broad in scope, thoughtful in construction, complete in its depiction of 1870s' England, filled with wonderful characters, and absolutely engrossing to read, The Way We Live Now is one of the great novels of the nineteenth century. n Mary Whipple
Customer Rating:
Review Summary: not a whole lot has changed over the past century or so
Review: This is a tour de force by Trollope. Having finished the Barchester series, I decided to take on another while on a trip to San Francisco (featured somewhat in the novel). I think I enjoyed this most of all. It compares best with Thackery's Vanity Fair--there is no hero. Nearly all of its characters are fully fleshed out. Sir Felix finds ways to sink lower than the reader thinks he can sink. Melmotte is a superior version of Kenneth Lay. And Mrs. Hurtle is incomparable, as well as an unadulterated delight. She personifies one of the main themes: the English are spent, and the real life is to be found in America, even for its recognized faults.
The novel is long, but this reader was never bored. The plot was a fine thicket which built to a cresendo followed by a cleanly knotted and leisurly and satisfying finish. David Brooks gives a good introduction in the Modern Library edition, which also contains excellent endnotes. Highly recommended.