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tonytharakan's review
3.0
This underrated British writer is a master of short fiction. The enthralling collection includes the story of an explorer who is lost in a remote Brazilian jungle and finds himself the prisoner of an illiterate native who wants him to read aloud the works of Charles Dickens - a storyline that was later expanded into [a:Evelyn Waugh|11315|Evelyn Waugh|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1357463949p2/11315.jpg]'s novel "A Handful of Dust". Waugh's body of work would have merited a higher rating were it not for the dull opening story, but I persevered and my patience was rewarded. My only other grouse was the inclusion of fragments of incomplete novels, which serves no purpose and detracts from this otherwise brilliant collection.
ignimbrite's review against another edition
5.0
Evelyn Waugh remains one of my favorite authors. His stories are so funny, so bitter, and so sad.
bronwynmb's review against another edition
4.0
4.5
I enjoyed most of the stories. The school ones were probably my least favorite just because I don't understand the English school system, but that's not Waugh's fault. The juvenilia was okay, the Oxford stories better. The adult stories were the best, but with a few misses. I really enjoyed "Bella Fleace", "Winner Takes All", "Cruise", and the one about the dog (I'm blanking on the title). I also really enjoyed all the ones with married couples, just because he does them so amusingly. Great collection overall.
I enjoyed most of the stories. The school ones were probably my least favorite just because I don't understand the English school system, but that's not Waugh's fault. The juvenilia was okay, the Oxford stories better. The adult stories were the best, but with a few misses. I really enjoyed "Bella Fleace", "Winner Takes All", "Cruise", and the one about the dog (I'm blanking on the title). I also really enjoyed all the ones with married couples, just because he does them so amusingly. Great collection overall.
chewdigestbooks's review against another edition
3.0
Short stories aren't really my thing, especially over 16 hours of audio shorts, but they weren't bad. I like his longer works though.
malvord27's review against another edition
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? N/A
- Strong character development? N/A
- Loveable characters? N/A
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A
4.0
It's hard to rate this book as a whole since it's a compilation of many short stories. Overall I enjoyed this read. I had a hard time getting into the first story and so just skipped it. That turned out to be a good choice as I loved the second story and carried on reading from there. I'm glad I carried on, since I got to see a wide range of his writing.
bronwynmb's review against another edition
4.0
4.5
I enjoyed most of the stories. The school ones were probably my least favorite just because I don't understand the English school system, but that's not Waugh's fault. The juvenilia was okay, the Oxford stories better. The adult stories were the best, but with a few misses. I really enjoyed "Bella Fleace", "Winner Takes All", "Cruise", and the one about the dog (I'm blanking on the title). I also really enjoyed all the ones with married couples, just because he does them so amusingly. Great collection overall.
I enjoyed most of the stories. The school ones were probably my least favorite just because I don't understand the English school system, but that's not Waugh's fault. The juvenilia was okay, the Oxford stories better. The adult stories were the best, but with a few misses. I really enjoyed "Bella Fleace", "Winner Takes All", "Cruise", and the one about the dog (I'm blanking on the title). I also really enjoyed all the ones with married couples, just because he does them so amusingly. Great collection overall.
kather21's review against another edition
3.0
Some wry and entertaining, others a bit of a yawn. That's the nature of a complete works.
northerly_heart_reads's review against another edition
emotional
funny
lighthearted
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A
3.75
bronwynmb's review against another edition
4.0
4.5
I enjoyed most of the stories. The school ones were probably my least favorite just because I don't understand the English school system, but that's not Waugh's fault. The juvenilia was okay, the Oxford stories better. The adult stories were the best, but with a few misses. I really enjoyed "Bella Fleace", "Winner Takes All", "Cruise", and the one about the dog (I'm blanking on the title). I also really enjoyed all the ones with married couples, just because he does them so amusingly. Great collection overall.
I enjoyed most of the stories. The school ones were probably my least favorite just because I don't understand the English school system, but that's not Waugh's fault. The juvenilia was okay, the Oxford stories better. The adult stories were the best, but with a few misses. I really enjoyed "Bella Fleace", "Winner Takes All", "Cruise", and the one about the dog (I'm blanking on the title). I also really enjoyed all the ones with married couples, just because he does them so amusingly. Great collection overall.