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A review by markp
The Way We Live Now by Anthony Trollope
5.0
I first gave this book four stars, mostly based on a handful of little things that annoyed me about the book: Trollope's love of certain hackneyed phrases ("heart of hearts" above all), his tendency to described characters as "poor" (as in "Poor Roger!"), and his rush at the end to wrap up all of his storylines. But the fact is that I genuinely enjoyed reading this book, all 900 plus pages, so I guess I have to forget my stylistic quibbles.
The "now" in "The Way We Live Now" might as well be referring to the present day. Stock market manipulations, shady real estate deals, venal politicians, sensationalist media...it's at times like seeing middle- and upper-class America foreshadowed by the Victorians. Aside from the topicality of much in the book, I enjoyed it because Trollope is for the most part quite adept at juggling multiple storylines and keeping them all interesting. I also greatly appreciate his ability to render so many of the characters in some depth. With few exceptions, they never fit into easy categories of "good" and "villainous." Characters may be morally corrupted, but we understand what drives them. Likewise, the good characters are shown to have very human flaws of their own. Trollope may use the book to scold Victorian Britain, but it is more than just a pithy satire or a self-righteous rant.
The "now" in "The Way We Live Now" might as well be referring to the present day. Stock market manipulations, shady real estate deals, venal politicians, sensationalist media...it's at times like seeing middle- and upper-class America foreshadowed by the Victorians. Aside from the topicality of much in the book, I enjoyed it because Trollope is for the most part quite adept at juggling multiple storylines and keeping them all interesting. I also greatly appreciate his ability to render so many of the characters in some depth. With few exceptions, they never fit into easy categories of "good" and "villainous." Characters may be morally corrupted, but we understand what drives them. Likewise, the good characters are shown to have very human flaws of their own. Trollope may use the book to scold Victorian Britain, but it is more than just a pithy satire or a self-righteous rant.