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3.87 AVERAGE
3.87 AVERAGE
reflective
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I enjoyed this book much more than I expected. Poignant and sad even when it was charming and witty. I connected with the characters and both loved and hated them at once. Will likely read this again someday.
emotional
reflective
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I really enjoyed this book, though it took a bit of motivation to get through. It was beautifully written and very evocative of the 'golden age' for the upper echelons of British society, which was deliberate as the author wrote it during wartime, when the setting had faded into blissful memories.
Evelyn Waugh says Brideshead Revisited is about the influence of divine fate on individuals, but for me it is more about how it feels to be an outsider to a society, and how a family upbringing can ultimately ruin someone. The main characters are Charles, who becomes friends (and falls in love with) with the Flyte siblings, first Sebastian and then Julia. I thought their characters were really carefully considered but there was something mysterious about all of them which kept me interested.
Why does Sebastian end up the way he does? What is Julia running from? And how does their relationship with Charles change over time?
Evelyn Waugh says Brideshead Revisited is about the influence of divine fate on individuals, but for me it is more about how it feels to be an outsider to a society, and how a family upbringing can ultimately ruin someone. The main characters are Charles, who becomes friends (and falls in love with) with the Flyte siblings, first Sebastian and then Julia. I thought their characters were really carefully considered but there was something mysterious about all of them which kept me interested.
Why does Sebastian end up the way he does? What is Julia running from? And how does their relationship with Charles change over time?
Much is made of the role of Roman Catholicism in this book, but to me it's more of a parody of the upper class. Effete and dandy Sebastian Flyte abandons his teddy bear for a gin bottle, his dour sister Julia sets about looking for a nice widower to marry and comes up with a witless Canadian businessman... the sheer vapidity of it all results in a spiritual implosion that begs for some kind of meaning to fill the void. Voila, religion! The tabernacle lamp still alight in the rubble at the end of the book is such a ham fisted symbol that it's almost a cliche. In the hands of a genius like Waugh (a comic genius, in my opinion) it's a glimmer that deserves close scrutiny.
Regardless, this is a great book. These characters truly jump off the page (which is remarkable, considering how little they actually do.) If you like the English language, you won't be disappointed.
Regardless, this is a great book. These characters truly jump off the page (which is remarkable, considering how little they actually do.) If you like the English language, you won't be disappointed.
emotional
reflective
sad
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
This was a fascinating read. As a story I'm not what to make of it. It's surprising to know this book was what inspired Saltburn because the movie, besides the grand house, Oxford, and queer-coded relationship, cannot be more different than the source material. As a narrative it was fine. The characters and the story were intriguing but the second half of the book was much harder to get through than the first, probably due to the absence of Sebastian. Some of the character decisions felt abrupt and disloyal to the characters. I didn't like the way women were written, either as frivolous or obedient. Julia in particular was a character who's portrayal seemed to do a complete 180, and although I get why, it felt like it was feeding onto traditional tropes. The book was very 'written by a man' if you get what I mean.
I definitely enjoyed this book more as a representation of british and catholic culture of that time as oppose to the narrative value it brought. Religion was a major theme, specifically with the characters various experiences of being catholic. Evelyn Waugh was a catholic convert himself which added another layer to it. As far as public reception goes, I'm not sure the book delivers the point Evelyn Waugh wanted to make, which is why he ended up disliking it later in his career (I ended up doing some research on Evelyn Waugh and his life to better understand the story). Evelyn Waugh's political views were complicated but by most he was described as a 'Neo-Tory' which was also evident in the general conservative nature of the book and the condescending views of the working class, which aligned with his own views. On a cultural level, this book said a lot about England politics: the perception of upcoming WWII, Hitler, Conservatism, Religion, art, England's views of North America and Africa. There were, not completely unexpected, racist remarks and stereotypes by the characters which I'm not sure aligned with Evelyn Waugh's views or not (although it's safe to assume his view of arabs and africans wasn't the greatest knowing his background). Homosexuality was approched in an unexpected way; instead of being looked down upon, the relationship between Sebastian and Charles was portrayed as a common experience of youth that they eventually grow out of (possibly inspired by Evelyn Waugh's relationships with other men during his time at Oxford). It might be that Sebastian not truly growing up was a reflection of his relationship with Charles.
Overall there were some parts I struggled to get through and other parts I found interesting. The book was ultimately a product of its time and I found it much more enjoyable to look at it as a representation of old English society rather than a cohesive story. Finally, the main reason why I decided to read this was because it inspired some characters in The Secret History. I see where the inspiration came from especially with the moments at Oxford and Charles attraction to both the twins.
I definitely enjoyed this book more as a representation of british and catholic culture of that time as oppose to the narrative value it brought. Religion was a major theme, specifically with the characters various experiences of being catholic. Evelyn Waugh was a catholic convert himself which added another layer to it. As far as public reception goes, I'm not sure the book delivers the point Evelyn Waugh wanted to make, which is why he ended up disliking it later in his career (I ended up doing some research on Evelyn Waugh and his life to better understand the story). Evelyn Waugh's political views were complicated but by most he was described as a 'Neo-Tory' which was also evident in the general conservative nature of the book and the condescending views of the working class, which aligned with his own views. On a cultural level, this book said a lot about England politics: the perception of upcoming WWII, Hitler, Conservatism, Religion, art, England's views of North America and Africa. There were, not completely unexpected, racist remarks and stereotypes by the characters which I'm not sure aligned with Evelyn Waugh's views or not (although it's safe to assume his view of arabs and africans wasn't the greatest knowing his background). Homosexuality was approched in an unexpected way; instead of being looked down upon, the relationship between Sebastian and Charles was portrayed as a common experience of youth that they eventually grow out of (possibly inspired by Evelyn Waugh's relationships with other men during his time at Oxford). It might be that Sebastian not truly growing up was a reflection of his relationship with Charles.
Overall there were some parts I struggled to get through and other parts I found interesting. The book was ultimately a product of its time and I found it much more enjoyable to look at it as a representation of old English society rather than a cohesive story. Finally, the main reason why I decided to read this was because it inspired some characters in The Secret History. I see where the inspiration came from especially with the moments at Oxford and Charles attraction to both the twins.
I wasn’t quite sure what to expect, but I’m very glad I finally got round to this. It’s a novel heavy with nostalgia—some of it earned, some rather self-inflicted—but the writing is so elegant and the mood so well sustained that it carries you along easily.
Charles is a shifty narrator—sometimes sharply perceptive, sometimes plainly blinkered—and his fascination with the Flyte family is equal parts romantic, aesthetic, and slightly parasitic. But that’s part of the point, I think. Waugh doesn’t offer him up for full admiration.
The book is at its best when it leans into its sense of faded glamour: grand houses with their edges crumbling, friendships veering between intimacy and manipulation, the feeling of life being something already half-lost. It’s rich and a bit mannered, but knowingly so. And there are flashes of real emotional sharpness that catch you off guard.
There’s a fair amount of religious agonising, which didn’t move me particularly, but it’s all of a piece with the novel’s broader themes—devotion, decay, impossible yearning.
Aside from a few sequences which flag a little, it’s beautifully done.
Thoughtful, often funny, and quietly sad.
Thoughtful, often funny, and quietly sad.
Jeremy Irons is a great narrator, but the story is not in my wheelhouse of interest. Early 1900s, starts in WWI and backtracks to one of the soldier's college days at Oxford. The story wasn't grabbing me.
emotional
reflective
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
2/5 … Liked it enough to keep reading.