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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
adventurous
relaxing
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
reflective
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
challenging
emotional
hopeful
reflective
sad
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
reflective
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Not sure what I expected, but it wasn't this. Felt like there was no real plot, and the ending was abrupt and pointless.
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
It's well-written and the prose is beautiful. I chalked up the brief and less detailed narration to the fact that Charles is retelling the story from memory, but sometimes it gets confusing, and reading some of the reviews I found I'm not the only one. However, I've highlighted a lot of passages from this book because they ARE written wonderfully especially the monologues.
Religion or Catholicism plays a big part in this story, and Charles is merely a bystander and almost a collateral damage to the Flyte's family's descent to shaping their lives to fit the values of a religion. It's what divides Sebastian from his family and what Julia finds outweighs the relationship she has with Charles. Living in sin and atoning for it is something Charles can't grasp as an agnostic. He gets entangled with the Flyte family, despite the many cautions he's had from external forces including Sebastian himself, as the family is embroiled in the matters of adherance to catholicism.
As a born and raised catholic, and now identifies as agnostic, I'm not indifferent to catholic guilt. When you're so deeply-embedded with certain values as a child, even when you start to become a heathen, getting rid of it as a whole is not easy. So we see these characters question certain values and not adhere to them, making them conflicted at best, but failing to drop it completely.
I think the remakes marketing this as a 'love triangle' is a disservice to the book because there wasn't any of that at all. I find it's a lot more interesting if they actually focused on the bigger picture which was catholic guilt. Repression. Withholding yourself from who you are and what you want. Letting religion consume you to the point that it ruins relationships. Although I don't think this is as anti-religion as it may seem, it's not just about religion but also faith.
Aside from religion, Sebastian's alcoholism is also a determining factor in the plot and his character. He becomes a 'fallen from grace' figure, a baggage the family of Flytes used to have in the shape of their father. Sebastian becomes a mirror of his father. I don't have first-hand experience with someone who struggles with alcoholism so I don't know how real the portrayal was, but it's dark and sad nonetheless. He and Charles had made an almost co-dependent relationship, to the point of only being each other's friend. When Charles starts to get close with his family whom Sebastian wants to run away from, it severed their connection. He becomes someone Sebastian also wants to escape from. Paranoid that everyone is out to get him, despite "Sebastian contra mundum".
In the end, you can't always save people. Sebastian's descent to alcoholism as escapism from "living in sin" made him unable to be grasped, as not even Charles could. As Sebastian distanced himself, he fades into the background like the grey figures in Charles' life, with Julia standing out. Julia whom Charles sees Sebastian in, or vice versa... That's a whole can of worms I can get into.
This was an enjoyable read though depressing. The writing is beautiful and I can see why people hated the 2008 movie as it fell short of any depth from the book. The reason for it being 3.75 is that the second half didn't hook me as much as the first half (understatement of the year). The time skips in the narration can be confusing sometimes, Julia and Charles' passion and chemistry not having enough of a build-up for me, with their relationship ending being anti-climactic. I understand why some people were confused from the switch up, from Sebastian to Julia, that made readers question if Charles ever loved Sebastian. I'd say it's rather obvious even for a book in the 40s, but that's not to say he also didn't love Julia. Was Charles in love with Brideshead (the place)? Absolutely.
Religion or Catholicism plays a big part in this story, and Charles is merely a bystander and almost a collateral damage to the Flyte's family's descent to shaping their lives to fit the values of a religion. It's what divides Sebastian from his family and what Julia finds outweighs the relationship she has with Charles. Living in sin and atoning for it is something Charles can't grasp as an agnostic. He gets entangled with the Flyte family, despite the many cautions he's had from external forces including Sebastian himself, as the family is embroiled in the matters of adherance to catholicism.
As a born and raised catholic, and now identifies as agnostic, I'm not indifferent to catholic guilt. When you're so deeply-embedded with certain values as a child, even when you start to become a heathen, getting rid of it as a whole is not easy. So we see these characters question certain values and not adhere to them, making them conflicted at best, but failing to drop it completely.
I think the remakes marketing this as a 'love triangle' is a disservice to the book because there wasn't any of that at all. I find it's a lot more interesting if they actually focused on the bigger picture which was catholic guilt. Repression. Withholding yourself from who you are and what you want. Letting religion consume you to the point that it ruins relationships. Although I don't think this is as anti-religion as it may seem, it's not just about religion but also faith.
Aside from religion, Sebastian's alcoholism is also a determining factor in the plot and his character. He becomes a 'fallen from grace' figure, a baggage the family of Flytes used to have in the shape of their father. Sebastian becomes a mirror of his father. I don't have first-hand experience with someone who struggles with alcoholism so I don't know how real the portrayal was, but it's dark and sad nonetheless. He and Charles had made an almost co-dependent relationship, to the point of only being each other's friend. When Charles starts to get close with his family whom Sebastian wants to run away from, it severed their connection. He becomes someone Sebastian also wants to escape from. Paranoid that everyone is out to get him, despite "Sebastian contra mundum".
In the end, you can't always save people. Sebastian's descent to alcoholism as escapism from "living in sin" made him unable to be grasped, as not even Charles could. As Sebastian distanced himself, he fades into the background like the grey figures in Charles' life, with Julia standing out. Julia whom Charles sees Sebastian in, or vice versa... That's a whole can of worms I can get into.
This was an enjoyable read though depressing. The writing is beautiful and I can see why people hated the 2008 movie as it fell short of any depth from the book. The reason for it being 3.75 is that the second half didn't hook me as much as the first half (understatement of the year). The time skips in the narration can be confusing sometimes, Julia and Charles' passion and chemistry not having enough of a build-up for me, with their relationship ending being anti-climactic. I understand why some people were confused from the switch up, from Sebastian to Julia, that made readers question if Charles ever loved Sebastian. I'd say it's rather obvious even for a book in the 40s, but that's not to say he also didn't love Julia. Was Charles in love with Brideshead (the place)? Absolutely.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Alcoholism
Moderate: Infidelity, Death of parent
Minor: Grief, War
Even after being thoroughly spoiled by the miniseries this book really sunk its teeth into my thigh meat and would not let go. I have only had one, rather disappointing experience with Waugh in the past and so had not steeled myself to being completely blinded to my life and surrounding for a whole week. Please read this book
also Charles Ryder is a piece of shit
also Charles Ryder is a piece of shit
emotional
lighthearted
reflective
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