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3.68 AVERAGE
3.68 AVERAGE
Typically excellent, suffered a bit from the fact that most of the characters were utterly detestable, though that was the point.
Brenda Last is bored and so she slowly but surely starts extracting herself from her husband's estate to begin an affair with a socialite, who is more than a little shallow.
I was quite enjoying this until the last part, which bumped down the rating. Still, I finally read another Waugh book I enjoyed! After loving Brideshead Revisited I've found the way he plays with satire to be too on the nose in his other works, but A Handful of Dust was just the right amount of subtle to not make it obnoxious. I enjoyed how it jumped around between the characters, with Brenda's parts being my favorites. It had a brilliant way of showcasing the villain of the story so obviously but still making me want to root for them, funnily enough. I'm excited to keep exploring Evelyn Waugh's authorship - sometimes he really manages to capture me.
I was quite enjoying this until the last part, which bumped down the rating. Still, I finally read another Waugh book I enjoyed! After loving Brideshead Revisited I've found the way he plays with satire to be too on the nose in his other works, but A Handful of Dust was just the right amount of subtle to not make it obnoxious. I enjoyed how it jumped around between the characters, with Brenda's parts being my favorites. It had a brilliant way of showcasing the villain of the story so obviously but still making me want to root for them, funnily enough. I'm excited to keep exploring Evelyn Waugh's authorship - sometimes he really manages to capture me.
Satire is slathered all over the outside of this book. And I don't doubt it. But satire from upper-class England in the 1940's is a little beyond my reach. I'd say skip it, although I did LOL twice.
dark
funny
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child death, Racial slurs, Racism
Moderate: Confinement
dark
funny
lighthearted
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
funny
reflective
fast-paced
3.5 stars
I'm not entirely sure why this is considered Waugh's magnum opus (I much prefer Brideshead), but it is worth the read. It was much darker than I had anticipated, and also a very fast read, which I hadn't been expecting.
I'm not entirely sure why this is considered Waugh's magnum opus (I much prefer Brideshead), but it is worth the read. It was much darker than I had anticipated, and also a very fast read, which I hadn't been expecting.
adventurous
emotional
sad
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
First book I've read by this author but probably won't be the last. Understated humor that you read and almost have to read again to realize the words were meant for a laugh.