The Way We Live NowThe Way We Live Now
Score Classic
What it's about
Anthony Trollope's great satire of Victorian London follows the rise of a mysterious financier and the society that rushes to invest in his schemes, alongside aristocrats chasing fortunes, debt-ridden young men and marriages made for money. It's a portrait of greed and dishonesty that still feels modern.
Why it's worth reading
It's on the Guardian's list of the 100 best novels in English. Many readers consider it Trollope's masterpiece.
You'll love it if you liked
Middlemarch
Vanity Fair
Bleak HouseGood to know
It's very long, originally published in monthly parts. Its themes of fraud and speculation feel timely.
By the numbers
- Readers48 out of 100 · counts 42%
- Critics51 out of 100 · counts 34% (its stronger lane)
- Bestseller6 out of 100 · counts 14%
- Buzz0 out of 100 · counts 10%
Critics and Bestseller are two ways to earn a place: a book's stronger one counts more. Buzz rewards recent bestseller weeks and prizes, so older books start at zero. The parts combine into the Must-Read Score, shown on a scale where the best book we found scores 99 and the last book to make the ranking scores 50.
Where it ranks
- #184 of the 309 literary novels we rank
- #446 of the 762 classics we rank
- #1532 of the 2,816 books we rank
Why it made the list
Reads as
Epic
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Quick answers
Is The Way We Live Now worth reading?
Yes. It's on the Guardian's list of the 100 best novels in English. It ranks #1,532 of the 2,816 books in our ranking, with a Must-Read Score of 67.9 (the best book we found scores 99).
What is The Way We Live Now about?
Anthony Trollope's great satire of Victorian London follows the rise of a mysterious financier and the society that rushes to invest in his schemes, alongside aristocrats chasing fortunes, debt-ridden young men and marriages made for money. It's a portrait of greed and dishonesty that still feels modern.
How long does it take to read The Way We Live Now?
About 25 hours (988 pages), or about 7 weeks at 30 minutes a day.
What should I read after The Way We Live Now?
If you liked it, try Middlemarch by George Eliot, Vanity Fair by William Makepeace Thackeray or Bleak House by Charles Dickens.