Reviews - A Handful of Dust

423 reviews for:

This book has high highs, and low lows.
It’s a bit frenetic - when it’s being a screwball divorce comedy, it’s absolutely perfect.
But it has moments that jar so completely.

And then, like all Waugh’s books, this needs a massive racism and antisemitism warning. It’s usually especially
jarring because these moments often come out of no where in the middle of a comedic scene.

This edition included an alternative ending which I would recommend

tracyreally's review against another edition

3.0

Stupid Evelyn Waugh, creating characters that aren't 100% reprehensible, then causing them damage, one by one. This book just broke my heart, but it's my own fault for caring.

allisonwebster's review against another edition

4.25

funny medium-paced

Loveable characters: No

stewardii's review against another edition

5.0

dark funny medium-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

Get married young, have kids young, live vapidly and have a midlife crisis at 26. Truly, a takedown of the nouveau riche as relevant to the grey velvet furnished live-laugh-love brigade today as it was to Mrs Beaver and her chromium plating then. Phenomenal.

I had read this at school, and still there was a sentence halfway through that actually made me gasp.