The Way We Live Now

'The Way We Live Now' is perhaps the most famous of all Anthony Trollope's novels, and widely considered his masterpiece. A 19th century classic, it follows the tale of the mysterious Augustus Melmotte – a foreign financier who sets himself up in London with his wife and daughter Marie, and soon gains something of a reputation. Trollope wrote the novel on his return to the UK following an extended trip abroad, and was greatly influenced by his shock at the dishonesty and immorality of the financial scandals of the early 1870s that he returned to. The novel has been much adapted for TV and radio, most recently in 2001 as a BBC mini-series starring David Suchet, Matthew Macfadyen and Cillian Murphy. -