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3.87 AVERAGE
3.87 AVERAGE
medium-paced
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
reflective
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 way this book sets itself up for the more serious middle and ending is disarming and effective, and every part of it drew me in. I was enchanted by the absurd, irreverent, aesthete existence at Oxford and Brideshead, but the graver parts of the book really struck a chord. The ambiguity of Charles and Sebastian's relationship and its impact on Charles's understanding and experience of love was great, and though it's not for everyone, I thought the ending was a well-suited conclusion.
I had very little expectations from this book when it started with a war. I thought it would one of those books that are war-centered and I thought there wouldn't be that much queer content, but boy was I wrong!
The first thing I loved about this book is the general tone of the whole novel. This might be some colonialism on my part, but I love these old British novels about rich people. They have no real problems, so they make their own! And there is just something about their attitude towards life - where a fashion faux pas or saying the wrong thing at the wrong place is the literal worst thing that someone can do - there's something about that I find quite enjoyable. This book is also written very well. There were lots of these descriptions that were truly captivating.
I was also surprised by how openly queer some of the characters were. Although the story pivots to being about a straight couple and religion, it did not invalidate the queerness of the key characters. The principle character still acknowledges his love for another man, even after falling for women afterwards. There was something very refreshing about this and about the air of gay life that was introduced by another openly queer character, Anthony. Perhaps these portions would have reinforced stereotypes from the time, but as a reader now I found them entertaining.
I would say though the main theme of this book is religion and how having a strict religious upbringing can affect you throughout your life. I loved that this was explored in detail through the various character arcs. It felt a little inconclusive in its exploration, but I was satisfied with the arguments.
Overall, a really surprising good read!
The first thing I loved about this book is the general tone of the whole novel. This might be some colonialism on my part, but I love these old British novels about rich people. They have no real problems, so they make their own! And there is just something about their attitude towards life - where a fashion faux pas or saying the wrong thing at the wrong place is the literal worst thing that someone can do - there's something about that I find quite enjoyable. This book is also written very well. There were lots of these descriptions that were truly captivating.
I was also surprised by how openly queer some of the characters were. Although the story pivots to being about a straight couple and religion, it did not invalidate the queerness of the key characters. The principle character still acknowledges his love for another man, even after falling for women afterwards. There was something very refreshing about this and about the air of gay life that was introduced by another openly queer character, Anthony. Perhaps these portions would have reinforced stereotypes from the time, but as a reader now I found them entertaining.
I would say though the main theme of this book is religion and how having a strict religious upbringing can affect you throughout your life. I loved that this was explored in detail through the various character arcs. It felt a little inconclusive in its exploration, but I was satisfied with the arguments.
Overall, a really surprising good read!
In this work the author takes us from the midst of WWII, to a place named Brideshead which the military is using for troop training. Thus we find our protagonist Charles and he knows the place well as he has been here on and off from his youth in the 1920's and was once very close to members of the family. Thus he starts to reminiscence about this dysfunctional family. The one person who remains constant through the years in the family's nanny and he finds her in the nursery and thus the story comes to a close. I enjoyed the story and thought some of it odd but well written.
I don't really want to write a review for this book, because I don't know what to say.
I didn't love it, I didn't hate it.
It's sad and undeniably well written, but I just didn't connect with it.
I didn't love it, I didn't hate it.
It's sad and undeniably well written, but I just didn't connect with it.
emotional
reflective
slow-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
funny
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
"And we would leave the golden candlelight of the dining-room for the starlight outside and sit on the edge of the fountain, cooling our hands in the water and listening drunkenly to its splash and gurgle over the rocks."
A novel of dazzling decadence. Immensely and glitteringly atmospheric. Religious tension and animosity, laced through a backdrop of waning luxury makes Brideshead Revisited one of the most poignant cultural observations of pre-WWII England.
Sharply funny and surprisingly moving, Waugh contends with an acuity of wit that renders intimate moments achingly emotionally suffuse. A beautiful array of bright, emotive characters that I adored for all of their flaws.
emotional
reflective
sad
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated