The Way We Live Now
Anthony Trollope · 1815–1882 · England
Why it matters
A fraudulent financier's rise and fall exposes a London society corrupted by speculation and social climbing. Trollope's late, angry masterpiece reads like it was written about any financial bubble since.
At a glance
satirepolitical novel
Difficulty 5/10medium pace800 pagesA very long, densely populated social canvas with many subplots.
Deep dive
A financier nobody can quite verify becomes the most powerful man in London purely because everyone needs him to be real, and Trollope watches the whole city choose the lie.
Where to go next
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Emily Brontë · 1847Wuthering HeightsLvl 6Medium pace
Jane Austen · 1813Pride and PrejudiceLvl 3Medium pace