The Way We Live Now by Anthony Trollope
See, the tricksy part of Anthony Trollope is that you think he is writing a big old Victorian novel. And big it certainly is! Close to 1,000 pages, 100 chapters, it is the longest book I’ve read in a very long time. But I couldn’t quit it. Because, although some people would like to tell you that Trollope is writing about “them” and “the past” – he’s not. He’s also writing about us and the way we live now. So at opposite ends of the spectrum – Hemingway and Trollope – the fact remains that the great writers tell stories that show us ourselves in some way. That point out over the years that things may look a little different, but at the heart of it, we’re the same sinful folk we always have been. To think yourself and your time superior to a character like Melmotte is to blind yourself to the reality all around you.
I’m not going into a long explanation of the book. Go over to Sparknotes or Goodreads and read synopsis after synopsis of this wonderful book. But don’t ever fool yourself that it’s NOT The Way We Live Now.
Mama T's Musings 