Friends of the Takoma Park Maryland Library: Big Book Club, Fall 2026 Introductory Lecture for The Way We Live Now
About
Every spring and fall, the Big Book Club discusses a great work of literature from the world written throughout history. After selecting a book, a scholar or expert on the author or the work presents a lecture, and the discussion continues during subsequent meetings. This fall, the Big Book Club will read The Way We Live Now , by Anthony Trollope. First published in monthly installments beginning in 1874, Trollope’s novel satirizes 1870s English politics and the pursuit of wealth. In The Way We Live Now , the protagonist, Augustus Melmotte, a financier of unknown origin, sweeps into London with the intent to solicit investors for a Mexican railroad. While this is the main plotline in the novel, Trollope adds several other subplots that increase the reader’s understanding of late Victorian English society. The fall discussion will kick off with a lecture by Nathan Hensley on September 30 , followed by subsequent discussions on October 14, October 28, and November 10. Lectures and discussions will take place in the Program Room of the library, and begin at 7:30. To receive announcements about the Big Book Club, send an email to ft
