Reviews - Brideshead Revisited

2.83k reviews for:

Brideshead Revisited

Evelyn Waugh

3.87 AVERAGE

nahlareadss's review against another edition

4.0

Enchanting

cathyrodgers's review against another edition

5.0

challenging reflective slow-paced

Plot or Character Driven: Character

Strong character development: No

Loveable characters: No

Diverse cast of characters: No

Reminds me of The Great Gatsby, in that on the surface it’s a book about awful people doing and saying awful things to each other. I usually put down books that don’t have even one redeemable character. However, the sentence-level beautiful, descriptive writing held my attention. At the moment, I don’t think the plot line regarding the Catholic Church blends with the other plot lines. All the issues with the Church seem like they were crammed into what was already a complex reflection on the passing of time. I may change my mind about this, though. Overall, I’m really glad I stuck with this classic.

thewhimsicalowl's review against another edition

4.0

"My theme is memory, that winged host that soared about me... These memories, which are my life - for we possess nothing certainly except the past - were always with me. Like the pigeons of St Mark's, they were everywhere, under my feet, singly, in pairs, in little honey-voiced congregations, nodding, strutting, winking, rolling the tender feathers of their necks, perching sometimes, if I stood still, on my shoulder" (211).

A thought-provoking exploration of faith and doubt, trailing from Oxford to London to Venice to Paris and beyond. The story conjured resemblances to Atonement and The Talented Mr. Ripley for me. Brideshead's beginning held me rapt, but my interest waned in the middle. The conclusion drew me in once more, but, overall, the text kept me at a distance throughout. Still, there were beautiful segments of prose I will return to again and again.

rossisok's review against another edition

4.5

dark emotional reflective sad medium-paced

Plot or Character Driven: A mix

Strong character development: Complicated

Loveable characters: Complicated

Diverse cast of characters: No

Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

jheher's review against another edition

3.0

I watched a movie (or was is a mini-series?) of Brideshead Revisited some time ago and I really didn't get it... Now I get it better. I like it better but it's still not my favorite. Waugh does a great job taking you back to the early 20th century and gives a good insight into a era that was seeing its last days.