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3.68 AVERAGE
3.68 AVERAGE
2 1/2 stars. Witty in parts with unlikeable characters, this is not my favourite of his novels
adventurous
dark
funny
reflective
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
dark
emotional
sad
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
extramarital affairs like woah. wtf with Brazil at the end.
"Why would any novelist put the most important and impactful moment right in the center of the book?" That is the question I kept asking myself after I finished A Handful of Dust by Evelyn Waugh. The part that I'm referring to is no doubt tragic and well written, but the fact that it is put where it is makes the rest of the reading experience ineffective.
Besides the fact that the structure of the plot was not great, the dialogue was superb. The way that Evelyn Waugh makes a conversation so interesting and yet realistic is a gift from god himself. Unfortunately, the faults outweigh the strengths within this novel, which is why this is one of the lower-rated books on my shelf.
Besides the fact that the structure of the plot was not great, the dialogue was superb. The way that Evelyn Waugh makes a conversation so interesting and yet realistic is a gift from god himself. Unfortunately, the faults outweigh the strengths within this novel, which is why this is one of the lower-rated books on my shelf.
adventurous
challenging
funny
informative
inspiring
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
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:
Yes
funny
lighthearted
slow-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
Very saltburn-esque. I see why over thought he would stand a chance with Felix's mom (SALTBURN references)
An excellent black comedy and social satire. Waugh was a master prose stylist--there is an effervescence to his writing that is sort of the literary equivalent of Mozart.
Britain in the mid-twentieth century is rapidly changing; the power and status of the landed gentry is on the wane, and their once charming country estates are being shuttered and abandoned. The gradual dissipation of the Last's marriage, hastened by their fateful encounter with the lower-middle class John Beaver, is a microcosm of this larger social disintegration.
After suffering through a rapid series of personal crises, Tony Last impulsively joins an anthropological expedition to South America. The second half of the novel alternates between his hair-raising adventures in the deepest jungle and Brenda Last's futile attempt to break in John Beaver to her elite social circle and daily routines.
There are passages in the book that are laugh-out-loud funny (such as the scene when Tony and a friend drunk dial Brenda at her London flat), but there are other moments that border uncomfortably on tragedy. This veering of tone is by design, though I'm not sure it's fully successful. Nevertheless, this is a minor flaw in an otherwise delightful book.
Britain in the mid-twentieth century is rapidly changing; the power and status of the landed gentry is on the wane, and their once charming country estates are being shuttered and abandoned. The gradual dissipation of the Last's marriage, hastened by their fateful encounter with the lower-middle class John Beaver, is a microcosm of this larger social disintegration.
After suffering through a rapid series of personal crises, Tony Last impulsively joins an anthropological expedition to South America. The second half of the novel alternates between his hair-raising adventures in the deepest jungle and Brenda Last's futile attempt to break in John Beaver to her elite social circle and daily routines.
There are passages in the book that are laugh-out-loud funny (such as the scene when Tony and a friend drunk dial Brenda at her London flat), but there are other moments that border uncomfortably on tragedy. This veering of tone is by design, though I'm not sure it's fully successful. Nevertheless, this is a minor flaw in an otherwise delightful book.