A review by kailey_luminouslibro
The Way We Live Now by Anthony Trollope

emotional hopeful reflective slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

Corruption and vice are rampant among the upper classes in 1870s London, and the lower classes aren't much better. Lady Carbury schemes to get her son married to the wealthiest heiress in London, Miss Melmotte. It doesn't seem to matter that her son, Sir Felix, is a selfish rascal with no heart. Mr. Melmotte flaunts his wealth and uses it to manipulate his way into politics, throwing lavish parties and befriending dukes. The only two who have some higher morals are Roger Carbury (Lady Carbury's cousin) and Hetta Carbury (Lady Carbury's daughter). They two believe in honesty and chivalry while the rest of society has degenerated into power-hungry, money-mad libertines.

I really love Trollope's writing style. He begins with a boring commonplace scene of everyday life, and gradually builds the tension until you are hanging on every word. He makes the most mundane things into something monumental! Every little gesture of the characters has meaning.
He does tend to draw things out though. This book is certainly long-winded, but there is a satisfaction in all the details as well.

The narration jumps back and forth in time quite a lot, telling what this character was doing from Wednesday morning until Thursday evening, and then jumping back again to Wednesday morning to follow a different character through the same day. I liked that the scenes were arranged topically in this way. It made it easy to follow all the different storylines.

Trollope was a genius in his characterizations. He had a special insight into human nature that really shines in his realistic characters. None of the baddies are all bad; even the worst ones have one or two decent qualities. And none of the good guys are all good; they have their foibles and faults too. It made it so interesting to gradually discover the hidden depths in each character, because there really IS so much there to dive into.

There is one instance of two characters, a man and woman, who are quarrelling; and later his friend tells him, "If you had been unkind she could have forgiven that; but as you were good-natured and she was cross, she can't forgive that." (vol. 1, pg. 432) Isn't that so true of human nature?! If you lost your temper, but the other person took the high road, it's very difficult to swallow your pride and admit you were in the wrong. But if you had both lost your tempers, it would be easier to forgive each other.

There is another place (vol. 1, pg. 442) where Trollope talks about people who act like a doormat, always giving way to others. He says that sometimes it is not that the person is shy or afraid of someone else with a more dominant personality. Sometimes the person is just so soft-hearted that they can't bear to cause anyone else discomfort or pain. They give up their own comfort or their own desires, because they have "an incapability of seeing or even thinking of the troubles of others with equanimity..." Such a great insight into this particular character's personality!

The plot mostly focuses on people swindling each other, grabbing for money or political power, lying about everything, or scheming to get married to someone. Out of all the marriages and engagements in the book (of which there are many), only four people actually wish to get married for love. Everyone else is grasping for money or status and using marriage as the means.

I can't say that I have a favorite character. By the end of the story, I was frustrated with everyone for making dumb choices. Even the good guys are not so smart in all their decisions, and I got annoyed with them at times. But I was never bored! I really cared about each of them and was fascinated with the intricacies of their relationships with each other.

The scope of the plot is colossal. There are so many different groups of people who are all connected by their acquaintances and family, and each action they take ends up affecting everyone through these networks of connections. And at the center of that web of lies is Mr. Melmotte, a colossal character himself.

I enjoyed this classic so much! I adore Trollope's writing and this is definitely one of his best works.