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srreid's review against another edition
3.0
A satire on the English class set in the fictional country Azania. A large proportion of the inhabitants seem to be English, and along with the Oxford educated ruler of Azania try to impose their English values and customs on the locals, to varying degrees of success. Only temporarily it seems before things eventually go pear shaped and it all goes to hell in the end.
polyhy_14's review against another edition
3.0
Evelyn Waugh pokes not so gentle fun yet again at English high society. In this book, the politics of a fictitious island off the north east coast of Africa are also at the mercy of his wit. Wickedly funny, as always, but in the end, a little too grisly for my liking.
bookpossum's review against another edition
3.0
An interesting book to read as a product of its time, and of course also a product of the extremely right wing values and attitudes of Evelyn Waugh. The tone is set before the story starts, with a Preface which Waugh wrote in 1962. Its final paragraph reads:
"Thirty years ago it seemed an anachronism that any part of Africa should be independent of European administration. History has not followed what then seemed its natural course."
However, Waugh's disdain is not confined to "the natives". His portrayal of the British envoy, his family and assorted staff is funny, as is the spying on the British by the French envoy and some splendid conspiracy theories he concocts.
A curious book: worth reading as part of a project to read all of Waugh's books, but probably not one I would want to revisit.
"Thirty years ago it seemed an anachronism that any part of Africa should be independent of European administration. History has not followed what then seemed its natural course."
However, Waugh's disdain is not confined to "the natives". His portrayal of the British envoy, his family and assorted staff is funny, as is the spying on the British by the French envoy and some splendid conspiracy theories he concocts.
A curious book: worth reading as part of a project to read all of Waugh's books, but probably not one I would want to revisit.
cabbagebabble's review against another edition
3.0
Sigh. I love Evelyn Waugh, but I really had to force myself to finish this one. The over-the-top satire got to me.
tscott71's review against another edition
2.0
I couldn't finish this dated and boring political/social satire.
alice_12's review against another edition
challenging
dark
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
1.0
nickc777's review against another edition
3.0
Definitely the most flawed Waugh I’ve read - his typical characterisation and style is present, but accompanied by racial stereotypes that age very poorly. The reason Waugh’s mockery of the English works so well is that he understands them very well. I would like to know if he himself traveled in Africa, but it seems to me as a reader that his characters are based wholly on stereotypes and stories. Concerning the English envoys, and even the Oxford educated Emperor Seth, his writing is classic Waugh - but writing about the native Azanians, he resorts to stereotypes of savage tribes, with no apparent attempt at real satire. It feels much more like the joke is ‘how funny anyone would think savages like these able to be educated! Hahaha’. It’s similar to the description of education and prison reform in Decline and Fall, but instead of rowdy schoolchrildren or prison inmates, it’s about... black people. I’m reminded of Sofia Coppola’s The Beguiled, where her style, though well done and in places great directing, is simply not really appropriate for the subject matter.
I don’t think it is outright and explicitly racist, or at least it is not aiming to be racist. It is very much a product of its time, abundantly more clearly than any other Waugh I have read. It keeps some stars for Waugh’s writing style, and for the fact that every white character is made a mockery of and clearly not praised - but if this was someone’s first Waugh, I wouldnt blame them for attacking him as racist.
I don’t think it is outright and explicitly racist, or at least it is not aiming to be racist. It is very much a product of its time, abundantly more clearly than any other Waugh I have read. It keeps some stars for Waugh’s writing style, and for the fact that every white character is made a mockery of and clearly not praised - but if this was someone’s first Waugh, I wouldnt blame them for attacking him as racist.
saipradhanreads's review against another edition
4.0
ok the first page has a map of .. the.. AZANian empire.
what better way to make me read this one? review to come when i'm done.
what better way to make me read this one? review to come when i'm done.
pierreikonnikov's review against another edition
3.0
Diverting but without a heart, full of paper characters, and incredibly racist. It’s all too easy to mock everything- it takes courage and wit to stand for something at the same time. Dickens gets this; if Black Mischief is anything to go by, Waugh doesn’t.
cynt's review against another edition
1.0
Would have given two for the language, but then they ate the girl. I'll never be able to wear my red beret again.