Victorians! discussion

Please post relevant background information here. You must use the Hide Spoiler feature, or a warning of some kind, if you include spoilers to the overall plot or significant developments in the story.

I am fairly new to the group and joined specifically because of this novel. I didn't know the group breaks a book down like this, which I think is excellent. However, I've read the whole book without noting these kinds of breaks. I'll have to go look at my notes and underlines (kindle) and see if I can comment intelligently. LOL I did enjoy this book, my first Trollope, and am looking forward to reading more of him.

Thank you Elizabeth for joining in. Yes, with such a long book, we break down the discussion to organize and to cover the book in more manageable way and then we discuss throughout the designated discussion time period (month or whatever). I hope your notations and marks will help you in going back into the sections. That is exactly the way I read. Without leaving myself notes, I couldn't begin to discuss a lengthy novel like this one. My mind can't retain it all!

Within the discussion sections (see within the different threads), I listed those chapter titles, which may or may not help slightly to remember where the plot points were. Please give us any suggestions of anything else that may help in discussion.

I have found Librivox and wanted others to know about this site.

If reading a large classic is too much you can listen to it for free.

https://catalog.librivox.org/

Hope this encourages more to join in the monthly choices.

Thanks Shirley, the Librivox recordings are helpful. I have switched between reading and listening before just to take a break too. Thank you for providing the link.

SarahC wrote: "Thanks Shirley, the Librivox recordings are helpful. I have switched between reading and listening before just to take a break too. Thank you for providing the link."

You are so very welcome. I know this has made my life so much easier.

The Way We Live Now is a scathing satirical novel published in London in 1875 by Anthony Trollope, after a popular serialisation. In 1872 novelist Anthony Trollope returned to England from abroad and was appalled by the greed loose in the land. His scolding rebuke was his longest and arguably best novel, regarded by many of Trollope's contemporaries as his finest work.
Containing over a hundred chapters The Way We Live Now is particularly rich in sub-plot. It was inspired by the financial scandals of the early 1870s, and lashes at the pervading dishonesty of the age, commercial, political, moral, and intellectual. It is one of the last significant Victorian novels to have been published in monthly parts. wiki

Thanks, Shirley, I am sure I will take advantage of this as well.

http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/masterpiece/w...

Some web links on The Way We Live Now associated with the PBS Masterpiece Productions site. An amusing(?) list of more modern financial scoundrels is included.

I am listening to the version narrated by Timothy West which I downloaded from Audible. West is a new narrator for me and is excellent. He is wonderful at distinguishing the different characters and does the women just right. It's speeding right along. I find myself knitting for longer stretches with this wonderful book to keep me going.

Bea, you are a knitter and a listener -- cool. I think I will do more of that as fall arrives. I am a crocheter and a beginning knitter. Thanks for the tip on versions/narrator.

I'm currently reading several, including Dead Souls in my own group, but since this is in my to-read shelf I'm thinking about starting soon so I can read with the group.

I see some familiar faces here, Lily and Elizabeth :)

I am having trouble getting this posted (I thought I had yesterday!? and just got bumped again today):

http://www.victorianweb.org/authors/t...

Anyway, it is the Victorian Web (Brown University sponsored) site for The Way We Live Now. I have found so far that many of the links relate to general background and the author rather than specifically to this particular novel.

I finished this book the other day, and I can tell you all that I was just fascinated by it and could hardly put it down. I liked that everyone gets what's coming to him or her, and the details of each character's part of the plot is resolved brilliantly at the end. This is my first Trollope novel and I liked it so much that I'm sure I'll be reading many more. He's a wonderful writer. Thanks!

Ellen wrote: "This is my first Trollope novel and I liked it so much that I'm sure I'll be reading many more. He's a wonderful writer. Thanks! "

That's great that you found Trollope! I agree, he's a wonderful writer. Not with the depth, perhaps, of Dickens or George Eliot, but a fine storyteller with highly enjoyable plots and characters.

Everyman wrote: "Ellen wrote: "This is my first Trollope novel and I liked it so much that I'm sure I'll be reading many more. He's a wonderful writer. Thanks! "

That's great that you found Trollope! I agree, he'..."

Thanks, Everyman. I have been aware of Trollope for ages, but never really thought that he was as excellent a writer as he is. If I'd not joined the Victorians group I'd probably not ever picked up one of his books. Interestingly, I had been reading George Gissing's "The Odd Women" for another group read, and noticed how the two authors approached the idea of the limitations on women's lives and opportunities during the Victorian period. Have you read any Gissing? Quite a good reader, at least from what I can see from "The Odd Women". I'm planning on reading more of his books, too. "The Barchester Chronicles" is next in terms of Trollope reads. Thanks!

Ellen wrote: "Interestingly, I had been reading George Gissing's "The Odd Women" for another group read, and noticed how the two authors approached the idea of the limitations on women's lives and opportunities during the Victorian period. Have you read any Gissing? "

The only Gissing I've read is New Grub Street, and if it counts, his revision of Forster's Life of Dickens.

Everyman wrote: "Ellen wrote: "Interestingly, I had been reading George Gissing's "The Odd Women" for another group read, and noticed how the two authors approached the idea of the limitations on women's lives and ..."

Everyman, I'd suggest you read "The Odd Women", too, because it was such a good book. What did you you think of "New Grub Street"? I've been thinking of reading that one, too. But I think the first Gissing book I'm going to tackle is "In the Year of the Jubilee", a later book that doesn't fall within the period that the Victorians group supports, so I'll not be nominating it. It's about the year Victoria celebrates her jubilee. Thanks!

I finished this book the end of July and those of you still reading have a real treat in store for you. When I picked it up originally, I didn't know anything about it, and I had no expectations. Unfortunately, I'm unable to segment it enough in my mind to partake in the discussion without fear of giving spoilers, but I will continue to read in earnest.

Thanks you for more reading suggestions Ellen. And Everyman, thanks to you and our other friend Jeannette (here on GoodReads) I have been thinking about Jane Eyre all day!

Elizabeth (Alaska) I hope you realize more Trollope comments, please feel free too. In the other threads, if you aren't sure of where the comments belongs, just warn us and place your comment in a "hide spoiler" and anyone who wants to dare to look at it can do so. You can certainly make comments in the ending thread of the discussion without spoiling anything. And of course, make more comments in this general background thread too.

The more the merrier. Thanks, everyone.

OK, here's my "general" comment: I was thoroughly impressed by this book, and really had a difficult time putting it down to go to sleep at night. What really hooked me in was Trollope's ability to link it all together, all the characters and their relationships with one another, and how he was able to seamlessly portray the lives of these people with all their warts exposed. Reading it along with Gissing's "The Odd Women" created a really interesting perspective for me, because Trollope also portrayed the lives of unmarried women very nicely. Great book, indeed. Now I only need to figure out which Trollope series is next on the list. I'm leaning toward the Barchester series because I have one of the books in my stash. ;o)

Ellen wrote: "OK, here's my "general" comment: I was thoroughly impressed by this book, and really had a difficult time putting it down to go to sleep at night. What really hooked me in was Trollope's ability to..."

Such a good summary - much the way I felt! I plan on reading the Barchester series, but I want to wait until December because I'm involved with Galsworthy's 9-volume Forsyte Chronicles until then. Would you be interested in a buddy read then? In the meantime, I have just sent a friend request.

Elizabeth (Alaska) wrote: "Ellen wrote: "OK, here's my "general" comment: I was thoroughly impressed by this book, and really had a difficult time putting it down to go to sleep at night. What really hooked me in was Trollop..."

Thanks, Elizabeth, for both your comment here and your friend request. I'll most definitely be accepting it. And you're working your way through all of the Forsyte Chronicles, all nine volumes?! That's quite a challenge, indeed. I have wanted to read the series for ages, but keep forgetting about it. I think that's why my list of to-read books on Goodreads is so huge - because I use it to keep track of books I wish to read. I have a memory like a steel colander, so anything I can use to keep track of things is great for me. Anyway, maybe in the fall we can do a buddy read of the Barchester Chronicles; that'd be a lot of fun! Thanks again so very much!

@Elizabeth - I'd be happy to hear your thoughts on the book's ending in the thread covering chapters 85-100

One of my friends found this in a book she was reading and I thought it was interesting.

I think it's a Victorian cliche- wealthy heiresses marrying into a British title. Here's what the price tag was for some of these marriages:

When Jay Gould's daughter married an earl- her "dowry" was 5.5 million dollars
When Alva and William Vanderbit's daughter, Consuelo, married the 9th Duke of Marlboro in 1895 the Duke demanded, and got, 50,000 shares of Beech Creek Railway, the rehabilitation and maintenance of Blenheim Place, and the construction of Sutherland House in London. Eventually, the Vanderbilts would shell out over 10 million dollars.
Thanks, Shay!

Those were quite some business deals. I suppose it was a natural step in a way for American tycoons who wanted to elevate themselves and their daughters (I've seen them referred to as the "American princesses.") And the negotiated some pretty big deals over it -- they needed such vast amounts to keep those estates up.

I'm currently reading it. I had avoided Trollope in the past because I thought his books were about esoteric Anglican clergy politics. I didn't know how satirical they were. This is probably the 5th book by him that I've read.