Ever feel you're stuck in the world that was?

No. But I think the basic story expectation is the same nevertheless. People expect to see the characters living within the "normal" world before the story begins. Most would balk if you cheat them of that, but they'd also balk if you do it badly -- meaning bore them with a clumsy delivery and a lot of information that doesn't matter & is in no way related to the plot. I think some would stick it out even if they were bored, but if what they read to begin with doesn't prove to have some later purpose in the story {connected to theme or climax or characterization specific to both} they're not going to trust you enough in the future to slog through another clumsy beginning.

I believe {& honestly I have no credentials to say this, but I have intuition!} that the old style of writing {lots of description, pages and pages and pages about the construction of the house, I'm talking sprawling Victorian novels} would make many readers these days pretty restless. But tie the details in the opening to theme & you have something. Thrill readers with interesting characters who say something worth the reader's time, and you have something. What makes a modern reader restless isn't that he or she cannot stick with a good set-up. They picked up the book; they must enjoy reading & would feel cheated by a quick leap to the plot before they get to know the characters. But today's reader has been trained to skip ahead, to look for the next thrill, to be impatient with a slow start. By "slow" I don't mean brilliantly slow to build. I mean slow, as in they can sense the story is going nowhere and the author is wandering. A really good writer can, in my humble opinion, still hold the attention of today's reader. They just have to use the writer tools {mood, character, the promise of something worthwhile after the set-up} to keep them reading.

So my answer? If the reader cares about your characters and senses something is coming, and if you can write well {for no one wants to sit through dull wandering writing that goes nowhere but indulges the author's emotions}, a reader today will gladly sit through half a book to get to the action. But you have to let them know that it will be worth their while. That's actually the sort of book I prefer -- a slow build. I think it's quite hard to do well, but absolute magic when a writer pulls it off. Don't make the mistake of thinking that your readers view your work with the nostalgia you do, however: remember they don't care about you or your characters at all when they pick up your book. They care about themselves.

{I hope that helps. It's only my opinion, of course. Good luck!}