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2.83k reviews for:
Brideshead Revisited: The sacred & profane memories of Captain Charles Ryder
Evelyn Waugh
3.87 AVERAGE
2.83k reviews for:
Brideshead Revisited: The sacred & profane memories of Captain Charles Ryder
Evelyn Waugh
3.87 AVERAGE
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
reflective
slow-paced
I really don't have much to say about this one. Perhaps I would have been better off reading it than listening to it, but I really struggled to get interested in the characters or be moved by anything at all in this novel. Most of the characters were kind of pathetic and perhaps I wasn't really in the mood to be moved by the tragedy of that kind of waste. It just didn't do anything for me.
Not sure how to review this book? Was it a love story? A quest to define religion? Loved the time period and travels abroad. Main character fell flat, but it his portrayal played into the story well as a chameleon. Glad I read it. Definitely a time piece.
challenging
emotional
reflective
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
reflective
sad
medium-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
reflective
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
3.5 stars. I’m torn on this book. There were some very interesting, insightful characters, and heart wrenching scenes and themes, particularly of faith and home. But there was also so much pompous traditionalism stuffed in between these more delicate parts of the story, that it often made it difficult for me to stay engaged.
I enjoyed this book in the reading. The language is just gorgeous, and much of the conflict between the main character and his lover seems to be as much about the conflict between older and newer versions of England emerging and disappearing around WWII as the love affair. However, after discussing it in book club, I realized just how self-focused the main character is--it's all about his search to be a part of this family either as friend or lover to the detriment of even his own children. In this need, Charles seems to be in love with the style of life, house, living and people as much as any one person. Later I wasn't sure if the book was more about infatuation than love. The pressures of religion cut close to home for me; I found the end particularly devastating.
emotional
reflective
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes