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3.68 AVERAGE
3.68 AVERAGE
I had forgotten how pleasurable reading Evelyn Waugh is, this is an enjoyable classic. A Handful of Dust is funny in a biting, satirical way (this is not Jeeves) but with surprising empathy and sinister twists, in turn.
this book was so absurd but honestly i liked it. the satire made it ridiculous and a bit campy honestly. sometimes i had to set my kindle down and just laugh because the craziest things happen to these characters and they hardly bat an eye!! that’s the whole point tho, so that’s half the fun. love some good social commentary via humor. rip evelyn waugh, SNL would have loved to have you.
adventurous
dark
emotional
funny
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
adventurous
dark
funny
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
dark
emotional
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
I think this is my third reading (or listening, this time) and the cynicism is as breathtaking as ever.
It is appropriate that Waugh should allude to "The Waste Land," since A Handful of Dust is itself a satirical expose of the moral waste land that is modern society, a world drifting without the anchor of religion and tradition. But Waugh’s message is communicated both gradually and subtly, and with great wit. He seems always to select the perfect turn of phrase, and he creates extremely amusing and original situations. Take, for instance, the sad case of Tony Last, who, delirious with fever, wanders in the Brazilian jungle, only to be found and nursed back to health by a madman who then forces him (at gunpoint) to read aloud Dickens's novels. It is interesting to speculate what Waugh’s satirical point is here; his novel is often amusing but cryptic. It is, however, the overall effect created by Waugh’s weaving of characters, language, and situations, that matters most. And the effect is magnificent.
I’ve loved Evelyn Waugh ever since I saw Brideshead Revisited as a TV miniseries (the book is so much better). Got this as a Kindle deal and read it this week; it kept me up turning pages until 1:30 a.m. on Friday. It’s one of those books that stays in your head long after you read it. It starts out as a Wodehousian take on life in an English country house but turns into Heart of Darkness (yes) 2/3 of the way through. As a bonus, this version provides the alternate ending that Waugh wrote when the novel was serialized in a magazine. It would make a great Book Club book if your members like literary fiction and don’t have an issue with problematic endings or “unlikeable” characters. The version I read had great discussion questions at the end, too.
Lady Brenda is self-absorbed and hard to sympathize with. Still can't believe her disinterested attitude after what happened with her son. However it is interesting to read about divorce how it was a hundred years ago. Some of the descriptions of Tony's time in Brazil can come off as culturally insensitive but were typical for the time it was written. I found the ending a little bizarre and not quite resolved.
dark
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