"The Way We Live Now" is a novel by Anthony Trollope,
published in 1875 in two volumes, and considered his longest.
The story revolves in a wide satirical picture of contemporary manners. At the centre is the heroic character Augustus Melmotte, a financier who is fabulously wealthy but with obscure origins. Through the corrupt American Hamilton Fisker, Melmotte becomes involved in promoting a big time but fictitious American railway company.
The railway company business rises fast and becomes prominent in London establishments. Eager aristocrats seek to become partners and members of the board and start "courting" Melmotte, as well as giving him favours. He is chosen to entertain the Emperor of China in his Grosvenor Square house and soon enough he is elected to Parliament as a conservative MP. But the bubble bursts with the discovery of fraud, embezzlement and
corruption. Melmotte's titled friends begin to desert him. After he gets drunk in the House of Commons, he goes home and commits suicide.
A related plot involves the efforts of Lady Carbury to arrange marriage between her dissolute son Sir Felix and Marie, the only child of Melmotte. Marie, who loves Felix, fell ill and collapses when he drunkenly gambles away the money she has obtained for their elopement. The only character who speaks out about the rampant corruptions is Roger Carbury, Lady Carbury's cousin, a middle-aged country squire who is in love with her daughter, Hetta.
The other related plot concerns Roger and his friend Paul Montague, a business partner of Hamilton Fisker and the lover of American Winifred Hurtle. Mrs Hurtle comes to England to win back Paul's affections. Unfortunately, she fails in her love quest since Paul has fallen in love with Hetta.
One good thought in this satirical story is that the marriage of Paul and Hetta provides a happy ending, but the loneliness and disappointment of Mrs Hurtle and Roger Carbury sustain the somber mood of the story all the way to the end.