Reviews - A Handful of Dust

If the Downton Abbey was a dark comedy... A Handful of Dust is a short and enjoyable read.

Set in the pre-WWII years, the novel gives the reader a glimpse of what life looks like under the dusty carpets of glamor and extravagance, and introduces us to a of host characters struggling to keep the dying ways of the British aristocrats alive. Both humorous and poignant, this book leaves you feeling utterly sorry for the fate of its main characters.

greentreefroggie's review against another edition

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slow-paced

2.5

readon25_'s review against another edition

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4.0

my, what an odd little book!

michaelontheplanet's review against another edition

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3.0

Last chance: Waugh's pin-sharp, bitter, stylish satire charts snobbery and decay, pitting the outmoded shire aristocracy against the stylish but vacuous Belgravia set. It's a hammock of a book, the first part, up to the sudden and merciless dispatch of Little Lord Fauntleroy and the third movement - dead among the pampas - as quixotic, hilarious and unforgivingly observant as anything Waugh ever wrote. The middle stanza sags (Waugh's overt racism, all the worse because he knew of what he spoke, drags the enterprise down). Flawed, sparkling, a pen portrait of a society in terminal throes, a wasteland, but glorious indeed.

_mineru's review against another edition

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funny lighthearted medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

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