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3.87 AVERAGE
3.87 AVERAGE
dark
emotional
reflective
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
I don’t quite know what to think of this novel. Beautifully written, had some very interesting reflections on religion and family that have stuck with me. I think plot wise the first half was more interesting, it started to fall off for me in the second half but the ending pulled me back.
"Sometimes I feel the past and the future pressing so hard on either side that there’s no room for the present at all."
It felt more like witnessing a life than just reading a story.
Beautiful, painfully real. In awe of the writing.
It's strange, I can't bring myself to judge it in any other way than the feelings it roused, and that was extraordinary.
It felt more like witnessing a life than just reading a story.
Beautiful, painfully real. In awe of the writing.
It's strange, I can't bring myself to judge it in any other way than the feelings it roused, and that was extraordinary.
I read this around 25 years ago around age 19 or 20 (as well as watched the TV adaptation), and it's always stuck in my mind as a book/show I loved at the time.
This time around, I loved the first half, mainly because of Sebastian. It's atmospheric, and Sebastian is one of those characters that is difficult to forget.
However, the second half is much more of a drag and very depressing. I do not like any of the characters in the book (and I despise Charles), other than Sebastian and my heart breaks for him. Next time I reread the book, I'll stop at the end of Part 1...
It's an odd book, really - having googled afterwards and discovered that Waugh was a convert to Catholicism, yet this book - - seems to be an argument against it, demonstrating in both subtle and unsubtle ways the toxicity of the Church and catechism and how Catholic guilt and fear can ruin people's happiness.
I need to do more research about the book, but for now I'm mainly left feeling a bit depressed and confused!
This time around, I loved the first half, mainly because of Sebastian. It's atmospheric, and Sebastian is one of those characters that is difficult to forget.
However, the second half is much more of a drag and very depressing. I do not like any of the characters in the book (and I despise Charles), other than Sebastian and my heart breaks for him.
Spoiler
I spent the whole of the second half wondering how he was and just wishing we could be back with him.It's an odd book, really - having googled afterwards and discovered that Waugh was a convert to Catholicism, yet this book -
Spoiler
till the very end, I supposeI need to do more research about the book, but for now I'm mainly left feeling a bit depressed and confused!
emotional
reflective
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
informative
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
A lot of the books I've read fall into the category of "I wouldn't say I was enjoying myself while reading this, but it left a deep impression on me and I am glad to have read it." Brideshead Revisited elicited the opposite reaction. It has really beautiful prose that shows you what each character pays attention to in each moment, even if other characters' perspectives are only told through the dialogue they get.
I'm not sure what impact this book has on me other than an engaging reading experience. Through religious growth, the characters find redemption or closure, but as someone who isn't Catholic, I felt like I was constantly mourning their decisions. To me this book was a tragedy, but the book ends hopefully.
I'm not sure what impact this book has on me other than an engaging reading experience. Through religious growth, the characters find redemption or closure, but as someone who isn't Catholic, I felt like I was constantly mourning their decisions. To me this book was a tragedy, but the book ends hopefully.
emotional
reflective
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
challenging
emotional
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
N/A
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
emotional
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
mysterious
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
The first half of this book is amazing and captures some elements of queer affection that I love, and has many lovable and laughable characters. It focuses on on a group of Oxford students in the 1920s, one of which is Sebastian, a queer coded Catholic from old money. He becomes our protagonist’s obsession.
The second half of the book is after a later point in there lives and I personally found it less exciting, but it’s still quite well written.
The second half of the book is after a later point in there lives and I personally found it less exciting, but it’s still quite well written.
reflective
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
emotional
reflective
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes