The Way We Live Now

By: Anthony Trollope

Narrated by: Timothy West

Exclusively from Audible

In this world of bribes, vendettas, and swindling, in which heiresses are gambled and won, Trollope's characters embody all the vices: Lady Carbury is 'false from head to foot'; her son Felix has 'the instincts of a horse, not approaching the higher sympathies of a dog'; and Melmotte - the colossal figure who dominates the book - is a 'horrid, big, rich scoundrel...a bloated swindler...a vile city ruffian'. But as vile as he is, he is considered one of Trollope's greatest creations.

Trollope's highly regarded satire is about the dishonest and villainous financier, Augustus Melmotte, who captivates and buys his way into the corrupt aristocratic society of London, throwing it into turmoil.

Described by The Guardian as 'the darkest of Trollope's 47 novels' it is also the longest with gloriously rich subplots. Inspired by the financial scandals of the 1870s, the novel is a dramatization of how greed and dishonesty permeated life during that era.

The Way We Live Now has become recognised as Trollope's masterpiece and was featured at Number 22 in The Guardian's 100 best novels.

Narrator Biography

Timothy West is prolific in film, television, theatre, and audiobooks. He has narrated a number of Anthony Trollope's classic audiobooks, including the six Chronicles of Barsetshire and The Pallisers series. He has also narrated volumes of Simon Schama's A History of Britain and John Mortimer's Rumpole on Trial.

Timothy West's theatrical credits include King Lear, The Vote, Uncle Vanya, A Number, Quarter, and Coriolanus and his films include Ever After, Joan Of Arc, Endgame, Iris, and The Day of the Jackal. On television, Timothy has appeared in Broken Biscuits (BBC), Great Canal Journeys (across 3 Series), and the regular role of Stan Carter on EastEnders (BBC).

Public Domain (P)2014 Audible, Inc.

Critic reviews

"A tale of financial skulduggery reminiscent of recent city scandals." ( Daily Telegraph)

The Best

It is said that this is the best of the author's books and I very much agree. It is also one of the best audiobook performances I have heard and even though Trollope's longest book,100 chapters,
it kept me into it all the way. After I started listening I remembered watching the film on PBS and imediately went to BBC and bought it.

Love it and highly recommend!

Any additional comments?

Loved the back-story of greed, avarice, malice, and several other well-described sins. Engrossing and interesting from start to finish. Great narration.

A "Must Read" for fans of the Classics

If you were to make a film of this book, what would the tag line be?

I had seen the Masterpiece Theater version of this classic story prior to reading the book and the producers of that BBC productions could not have selected better actors to play the particular characters of this 1875 classic. Both the film and the Mr. West's reading are wonderful.

A Timothy West Masterpiecr

Yes this is among Trollope's great works -- as relevant today as ever. But the interpretation that Timothy West brings to characters as diverse as Felix Carberry, Marie Memotte, John Crumb, or Dolly Longstaffe make listening to this a lifetime experience.

Excellent narration

Book was good but the narration by Timothy West was great
Definitely worth a listen

Best book ever!

This was my introduction to Trollope, and was absolutely delightful in every way, including the incredible narration with every character having his or her completely different voice! I cannot wait to read my next Trollope book!

A great listen.

loved it. The reader's performance is brilliant.
A long winding take that resonates still today.

Outstanding!

Fantastic story (the lessons as relevant today as they were then). By far the most outstanding performance by the narrator - best audio book performance I have ever heard.
Also, look out for the BBC miniseries of this work. It is addictive!

What a delight!

It’s amazing how little has changed in the world. The title, The Way We Live Now, remains correct. The Ponzi scheme, the search for fairytale love but settling for a practical relationship , bending truth, succumbing to vice…all as much 2024 as it was when Trollope put pen to paper.

I greatly appreciate the humor of this novel. The characters are, well, characters, amusing and frustrating. I also love Trollope’s rich vocabulary, As long as this book is, it never drags. As many characters as are introduced, they are never forgettable. Each word, each person has a purpose.

Timothy West gives an actual performance in The Way We Live Now. Not for a moment is he simply reading a manuscript. He offers the fortunate listeners a performance worthy of any stage. West makes it easy for our mind’s eye to see without a single screen.

I love Trollope. I can’t recommend this book highly enough. It is engaging and fun from first to last.

Good book

I really enjoyed this story. It was a good story and nice and long.