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The Way We Live Now

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The Way We Live Now

By: Anthony Trollope
Narrated by: David Shaw-Parker
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The Way We Live Now is a complex and compulsive tale that traces the career of Augustus Melmotte, a strange and mysterious financier who bursts into London society like a guided missile. In setting up a dubious scheme based on speculative money and stock market gambles, Melmotte manages to lure in several members of the English aristocracy, for whom money is the summum bonum. The world is at his feet - until the corruption catches up with him.

Considered one of Trollope's greatest works, The Way We Live Now leaves the listener questioning whether much has changed in the last century or whether this, after all, is the way we live now.

PLEASE NOTE: When you purchase this title, the accompanying reference material will be available in your Library section along with the audio.

Public Domain (P)2016 Naxos AudioBooks Classics Fiction Genre Fiction Literary Fiction
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A slow start but this novel rewards perseverance. A must for anyone interested in Victorian politics and society.
the narrator is outstanding

Slow start but stick with it- a classic

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This story of financial chicanery is as relevant today as it was 150 years ago. It is superbly narrated with energy and a wry tone by David Shaw Parker. The story focuses on the great financier Augustus Melmotte whose dishonesty is carried out with such pomp that many are seduced by it, even though they know something is not quite right. That is perhaps the lesson for the modern age – that many people will go along with a scheme that they are not sure is honest simply because it will raise their profile and they might make a buck from it.

A parallel storyline follows the lives of the Carberry family with Sir Felix Carberry a deliciously spoilt and unlikeable character.

The novel is overlong, but Mr Shaw Parker’s characterisations are particularly enjoyable and carry the listener through the duller chapters. I have listened to the readings by both Timothy West and David Shaw Parker. Both are excellent, and I can’t say one is better than the other. I did, however, like Mr Shaw Parker’s dramatisation of the characters and their actions.

The Timothy West version is free to Audible members and a good starting point for those new to Trollope but, if you are already a Trollope fan, the David Shaw Parker readings of Trollope are certainly worth the credits. I will be spending more of my credits on his narration of my favourite Trollope novels and regret that he hasn’t covered classics by some of the other great authors. I think he’d be fantastic with Dickens, Wilkie Collins and several other authors of the age.

Financial Malpractice goes large superbly narrated

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Well read. Good story but a bit repetitive, probably because published originally in monthly parts. You could skim a bit if reading but it might be best for listening if lightly pruned.

Enjoyable and long.

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Loved the parallels with today's capitalism. The narrator was a joy to listen to. One of Trollope's best.

A joyous marathon

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Mr. David Shaw-Parker's marvellous performance makes Trollope's masterpiece truly unforgettable. The story is told with absolute mastery, with ever so many different accents and voices that every character appears as having a life of its own.

Marvellous

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