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3.87 AVERAGE
3.87 AVERAGE
emotional
reflective
sad
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
From the self congratulatory prologue to the bitter end, this book pissed me off. The writing is pretty, the way Waugh describes things is enchanting, but for the most part this is a book about several deeply unremarkable men complaining.
My only positive take on this book is its depiction of alcoholism. Sebastian’s disease and his family’s response to it, is the only interesting part of the book. The unsaid aspects of the book are far more compelling than the ornately crafted descriptions of waves. The awareness of Sebastian’s proximity to alcohol at all times and his family’s unwillingness to do anything about it - to listen to him, are all too real and painful.
But that’s where any substance stops. This is, ultimately, a book about a man who cannot comprehend that his actions have consequences. Charles’s feelings about Sebastian’s alcoholism only extend as far as it impacts him personally. I also think that giving too much thought to the inner workings of Charles Rider is pointless. He is mediocre. To paint him as a villain or a hero gives him far more credit than he deserves.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Racial slurs, Antisemitism
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
emotional
funny
sad
fast-paced
This was a re- re- re- re- read..I think I have read this about 6 times now but not for about 20 years. I had forgotten so much and it was a wonderful experience to read it again. The story is so melancholy and poignant and so richly told. All what it is to be young and in love with a person, a place, an idea of each but not the reality maybe. It is about desire, and that overwhelming awe of something you haven’t ever had and want. It is about times gone, never to be had again...really it is achingly sad. But also amazingly brillintly told. The people in it are alive to me.
A badly written review but I will just say that I don’t think many books are written so spectacularly well more recently. I loved it totally and it will remain one of my favourites. I see some people have criticised it for being about wealthy, aristocratic, privileged ‘toffs’...well.....I read books about all people..rich, poor and everything in between. While the politics of extreme wealth and hereditary wealth is one thing, that doesn’t mean that the human beings living that life don’t have stories and can not be written about because of that. This story is about people with incredible wealth that affords them many of life’s privileges but it isn’t about that and is far from a glorification of wealth...in many ways it is the opposite.
So to criticise the book for that is...in my opinion...just not ok. I think we should be open to all stories and learn about other people through the books we read..books teach us...above all else...how to understand and have empathy with other human beings.
A badly written review but I will just say that I don’t think many books are written so spectacularly well more recently. I loved it totally and it will remain one of my favourites. I see some people have criticised it for being about wealthy, aristocratic, privileged ‘toffs’...well.....I read books about all people..rich, poor and everything in between. While the politics of extreme wealth and hereditary wealth is one thing, that doesn’t mean that the human beings living that life don’t have stories and can not be written about because of that. This story is about people with incredible wealth that affords them many of life’s privileges but it isn’t about that and is far from a glorification of wealth...in many ways it is the opposite.
So to criticise the book for that is...in my opinion...just not ok. I think we should be open to all stories and learn about other people through the books we read..books teach us...above all else...how to understand and have empathy with other human beings.
Queerness, Catholicism, memory, snippets that skewer sentiments in a few elegantly chosen words, very beautiful
I almost gave up on this one as part one didn't really do much for me but I got more engrossed as the book went on, right up until being disappointed by the ending. I was surprised not to see the return of Sebastian at the end - it read as though the actor playing him had quit and had to be written out of the script, a waste of all the setup. Julia's mood swings also reek of "this was clearly written by a man".
A classic book, that told the impressive story of one privileged man, Charles Ryder, who joins the army during WWII and winds up at the estate of the one family that has intrigued him all his life.
Charles Ryder is kind of a jerk, right? I mean, what stuck out most in my mind, from this entire book, was the fact that he went on an architectural painting trip to Mexico, met up with his wife in NYC, sailed to England and then didn't want to see his kids (one of whom he had never met)!
Charles Ryder is kind of a jerk, right? I mean, what stuck out most in my mind, from this entire book, was the fact that he went on an architectural painting trip to Mexico, met up with his wife in NYC, sailed to England and then didn't want to see his kids (one of whom he had never met)!