Take a photo of a barcode or cover
3.87 AVERAGE
3.87 AVERAGE
challenging
emotional
funny
informative
reflective
relaxing
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Loveable characters:
No
funny
reflective
sad
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
I doubt I have ever read a book so exquisitely perfect yet so exquisitely flawed, and yet its flaws do not detract in the slightest from its perfection.
The sad tragedy and challenge of devout Catholicism in a world drifting ever further from that ancient religion forms the background to a tale of unrequited love, misspent youth, and broken souls. It’s clear Waugh struggled with his own faith and these experiences come through in the work.
What are its flaws? Waugh acknowledges most of them himself in his preface to the 1960 revised edition - the florid descriptions, the theatrical and unreal soliloquies. And yet they really do not detract. Indeed, I found the page and a half or so dedicated to the description of Mr Samgrass to be one of the best things I’ve ever read.
There aren’t many things I would rate five stars, but I’ve seldom been as moved by a novel as I was by this, and that alone is enough to elevate it.
The sad tragedy and challenge of devout Catholicism in a world drifting ever further from that ancient religion forms the background to a tale of unrequited love, misspent youth, and broken souls. It’s clear Waugh struggled with his own faith and these experiences come through in the work.
What are its flaws? Waugh acknowledges most of them himself in his preface to the 1960 revised edition - the florid descriptions, the theatrical and unreal soliloquies. And yet they really do not detract. Indeed, I found the page and a half or so dedicated to the description of Mr Samgrass to be one of the best things I’ve ever read.
There aren’t many things I would rate five stars, but I’ve seldom been as moved by a novel as I was by this, and that alone is enough to elevate it.
I didn't love this like I loved The Loved One, nor did I enjoy it as much as Black Mischief. There wasn't as much veiled snark and satire as I'm used to from Waugh, though to be fair I listened to the Jeremy Irons audiobook, so I don't know if there was humor that I missed due to tone and not reading it on my own as I did the others. I particularly enjoyed the interactions between Rider and his father and the mockery of the upper classes that we see earlier in the novel.
challenging
emotional
reflective
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
N/A
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
I had to read this book for class and originally I looked at the length of it and groaned. I figured like all the other books I’ve been assigned to read I’d grow bored of it and would not finish it, yet again. I was delightfully surprised though. A disclaimer: this novel is very character based. If you’re looking for a novel that will make you stay up all night wondering who murdered who, this is not the book for you.
I fell in love with Charles Ryder, as to be expected. When I first read the back I was confused. It sounded as though Sabastian and Charles were going to be a couple and I was thinking how strange that would be in a novel written before the 1950s. I still think there may have been something on that level but the characters never followed through on any of it.
I did want to see a bit more of Sabastian, he was gone for most of the book. Julia was talked about more, but yet she did not warrant a very large spot on the back like Sabastian was. I kept rooting for Sabastian to overcome his addiction and get better, live happily ever after, but the last we hear of him he is in the care of some friendly neighborhood monks. I guess that will be a question for another day. I was honestly more interested in that than the relationship drama, so book 2 in my copy was kind of hard to get through.
I really enjoyed the flow of the words, there was not too much description, but there was enough that I could picture the scenes in my head.
My only really big complaint was that sometimes characters would talk for 3 paragraphs and I would forget it wasn’t Charles talking.
I fell in love with Charles Ryder, as to be expected. When I first read the back I was confused. It sounded as though Sabastian and Charles were going to be a couple and I was thinking how strange that would be in a novel written before the 1950s. I still think there may have been something on that level but the characters never followed through on any of it.
I did want to see a bit more of Sabastian, he was gone for most of the book. Julia was talked about more, but yet she did not warrant a very large spot on the back like Sabastian was. I kept rooting for Sabastian to overcome his addiction and get better, live happily ever after, but the last we hear of him he is in the care of some friendly neighborhood monks. I guess that will be a question for another day. I was honestly more interested in that than the relationship drama, so book 2 in my copy was kind of hard to get through.
I really enjoyed the flow of the words, there was not too much description, but there was enough that I could picture the scenes in my head.
My only really big complaint was that sometimes characters would talk for 3 paragraphs and I would forget it wasn’t Charles talking.
A friend of mine lent this to me. I thought the relationship between the male protags was a little weird. I never finished it...