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3.68 AVERAGE
3.68 AVERAGE
You can't beat a bit of Waugh for pleasingly jolly-hockeysticks language and (really) black humor. It starts with a standard posh English dichotomy: glamorous, debauched London and lonely country pile, and then heads off into the South American jungle for a really quite intense and unexpected ending. The characters make some unwise decisions, but Waugh doesn't judge them - he is a passive storyteller, like the best observers of wildlife.
funny
reflective
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
Mainly rich people with not one thread of decency
This was a wild ride ?
Also so interesting to read the alternate ending, even if it was for financial gain and not necessarily for the plot - cool to think about.
Also so interesting to read the alternate ending, even if it was for financial gain and not necessarily for the plot - cool to think about.
dark
emotional
funny
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
The ending made me angry. This whole book did. But I liked at least the first half of this. Who knew?
funny
lighthearted
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
A clever satire but dated. Includes racist views, though the references to that are minimal. Even though I like satire, Waugh isn't totally my thing but I'm trying to read a few of his books to not judge him only on Brideshead. I would have rated this slightly higher but I marked it down because of the racism.
Content Warnings
Minor: Racial slurs, Racism
This work is indeed a unique book in literature. A feather indeed, but at the absurd service, subtly depicted a declining society. It's tasty because it's nasty, cruel, and necessarily funny.
The satire didn't land for me, perhaps because I'd gone into this book with the wrong expectations, and I think I'll have to re-read A Handful of Dust at some point in the future with a more open mind.
funny
lighthearted
reflective
sad
medium-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:
Yes