Take a photo of a barcode or cover
3.68 AVERAGE
3.68 AVERAGE
dark
funny
medium-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
Strange, enjoyed the beginning, but found the second part of the book a bit slow
mysterious
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
This book surprised me… but not the way I hoped it would. The characters fell flat (which is a huge loss for me), and the story just crumbled. Yes, it does have some beautiful prose, but the events dragged on, just one after another, no particular remarks, just as it is, without any aim to gain the reader’s sentiments. Of course, this can be seen as a sort of satire of gothic novels, but I would’ve expected more wit should that have been the goal. I had to skim the last 100 pages, that was totally unnecessary. I would love to say I enjoyed it, but in reality it was just not that good.
challenging
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
A husband a wife who own an estate in the 1930 go through at quarter life crisis. The wife wanting to have a new love life whilst the husband goes through South America. A classic Waugh style Satie of the upper class. Interestingly not religious. The ending like most Waugh books is rather melancholy but interestingly there’s an alternative ending which is much more positive however obviously it doesn’t have the same impact as the original ending
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Unfortunately, this couldn't keep my attention and I really disliked the characters. Disappointed as I thought I'd love it, having read Brideshead.
funny
lighthearted
sad
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I can see this book being studied in a literature class as a brilliantly written satire. But it is not the book I should have read when I was depressed. The one character who had any life in him died. I just found it sad. And the ending chilling.
dark
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I didn't like this nearly as much as Decline and Fall, but it was still a good read. The bit at the end where Tom randomly runs off to Brazil was hell of annoying, but I did like the twist of the Dickens-obsessed hermit and the overall darkness of the ending.