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atamano's review against another edition
reflective
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Alcoholism and Classism
Moderate: Death, War, Religious bigotry, Infidelity, and Death of parent
Minor: Vomit
mahmabaer's review against another edition
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
slow-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
3.0
I have learned, through the listening of this audiobook, that a good narrator can make or break one's interest in a story. Had I been reading this book on my own, or with a less skilled voice than that of the legendary Jeremy Irons to tell me the tale, I think I would have given up on it. I found it dry, dull, and rather unappealing. It reminded me greatly of "The Great Gatsby", a book I have loathed since I was forced to read it in high school.
None of the characters, save perhaps Cordelia, were characters of any real redeption, and all seemed to be satisfied to be victims of their circumstances, without much desire to improve themselves. Charles' sexuality and the romantic language that was used between he and Sabastian did keep me intrigued, unsure of exactly what their relationship was (and in truth, I'm not sure that either the author or the characters themselves knew truly). I found that no character had a definitive ending, especially Sabastian, who we spent the first half the story touring around with, and then he just... disappears, and suddenly our attention is turned to Julia, who, at best, had been a side charcter with little impact on the story for the first half the book.
My favorite character wasthe charming, stuttering Anthony, with all his "Oh my de-ahs," over and over again. I wish there had been more of him and his escapades throughout the story .
I will say, however, Evelyn Waugh is a talented writer. He weaves the atmosphere of smoky rooms, amber colored drinks, sunshine-drenched country roads and rolling oceans beautifully, and the atmosphere of the story was well developed. I could easily imagine each scene as we travelled with Charles through the story.
All in all, if you are a fan of stories with lots of elaborate entanglements and romantic language, especially as it may have taken place in the 1920s, it might be something you'd enjoy. However, I feel I've had quite enough of the Flytes family for a lifetime.
My favorite character was
I will say, however, Evelyn Waugh is a talented writer. He weaves the atmosphere of smoky rooms, amber colored drinks, sunshine-drenched country roads and rolling oceans beautifully, and the atmosphere of the story was well developed. I could easily imagine each scene as we travelled with Charles through the story.
All in all, if you are a fan of stories with lots of elaborate entanglements and romantic language, especially as it may have taken place in the 1920s, it might be something you'd enjoy. However, I feel I've had quite enough of the Flytes family for a lifetime.
Content Warnings
Minor: Alcoholism, Death of parent, Religious bigotry, Toxic relationship, Death, Sexual content, Infertility, Infidelity, Toxic friendship, Addiction, Alcohol, Grief, Body shaming, Abandonment, and Mental illness
slahlum's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
funny
informative
reflective
sad
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Content Warnings
Moderate: Toxic friendship, Terminal illness, War, Vomit, Alcoholism, Classism, Miscarriage, Death, Grief, Toxic relationship, Death of parent, and Suicide attempt
akane_readsyt's review against another edition
dark
emotional
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.25
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death of parent, Mental illness, Alcohol, and Alcoholism
Moderate: Religious bigotry and Homophobia
kit_carmichael's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
informative
reflective
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
Content Warnings
Graphic: Alcoholism
Moderate: Emotional abuse, Death of parent, Misogyny, Classism, Forced institutionalization, Miscarriage, Terminal illness, Chronic illness, Gaslighting, Grief, Mental illness, Racial slurs, and War
jwells's review against another edition
emotional
reflective
This was a thought-provoking book for me. On one hand, I could hardly put it down - I think it's great. On the other hand, I want to violently reject everything resembling a message or theme I can detect in it.
The romantic nostalgia over the aristocracy would be tolerable (it's not like Waugh is the only one) if not paired with open scorn for people less privileged. Oh, does Hooper have unflattering glasses? Dentures, and an inadequate handshake? Clearly that's enough excuse to justify an entire exploitative class system. I mean, we wouldn't want things to be, god forbid, inelegant.
Is this supposed to be a pro-religion book, I wonder? I suspect we're meant to think that Julia makes the right choice at the end, for example. And be happy that at least the flame is burning in the chapel again?
It's pretty difficult, when we've already seen Christianity make her brother's life miserable. Presumably it's the reason Sebastian can't stand his family. Because he has to stay closeted. Otherwise there's a fine out and proud role model in Anthony... not that he's not persecuted, but he's also not drinking himself to death.
Apparently there are critics who favor a platonic interpretation of BR. Having not read them, I hope they just mean that they think Charles is straight. Not that Sebastian is.
Anyway, can't blame religion for everything; Charles manages to screw up his life without its help, with a choice of life partner as lukewarm as his drink order (whiskey with tepid water).Celia is like a warm up spouse, marrying the sister of the friend he didn't care about (Boy), instead of the sister of the friend he maybe cared about too much. It's almost like even marrying Julia sounded too dangerous or too close to real passion.
I sound rather cranky in this review, but I also read BR twice in January, though I'm not a big re-reader as a rule. I don't know how, but Waugh gets me invested in these people, even when they are annoying, and even when I dislike what he's using them to convey.
Still, I can hardly stop turning pages.
The romantic nostalgia over the aristocracy would be tolerable (it's not like Waugh is the only one) if not paired with open scorn for people less privileged. Oh, does Hooper have unflattering glasses? Dentures, and an inadequate handshake? Clearly that's enough excuse to justify an entire exploitative class system. I mean, we wouldn't want things to be, god forbid, inelegant.
Is this supposed to be a pro-religion book, I wonder? I suspect we're meant to think that Julia makes the right choice at the end, for example. And be happy that at least the flame is burning in the chapel again?
It's pretty difficult, when we've already seen Christianity make her brother's life miserable. Presumably it's the reason Sebastian can't stand his family.
Apparently there are critics who favor a platonic interpretation of BR. Having not read them, I hope they just mean that they think Charles is straight. Not that Sebastian is.
Anyway, can't blame religion for everything; Charles manages to screw up his life without its help, with a choice of life partner as lukewarm as his drink order (whiskey with tepid water).
I sound rather cranky in this review, but I also read BR twice in January, though I'm not a big re-reader as a rule. I don't know how, but Waugh gets me invested in these people, even when they are annoying, and even when I dislike what he's using them to convey.
Still, I can hardly stop turning pages.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Alcoholism
Moderate: Terminal illness, Homophobia, Death of parent, and Infidelity
rpg_gf's review against another edition
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death of parent, Death, and Alcoholism
Moderate: Miscarriage, Racism, and Terminal illness
Minor: War
chalkletters's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
reflective
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? No
2.75
Like Moab is My Washpot, Brideshead Revisited seemed wonderfully romantic to me when I read it at 23, having bought it because a boy I liked was reading it. Over ten years later, I remembered the relationship between Charles and Julia, but had forgotten that they were both married to other people, and that they don’t even get a happy ending. While I’d like to think this second reading was more objective, the truth is that it’s probably just as subjective, but in a different way.
While I found all the characters in Brideshead Revisited interesting, none of them struck me as particularly true to life. The whole book has the dreamy, unreal tone of a Neverland — where the characters never grow up, or at least where Charles’ perspective of them and his worldview never really changes. He’s always looking back on history through a particular lens, and the story ends where it began, so that each scene has the same kind of feeling.
Even with very little understanding of Catholicism, I found the theological discussions interesting. Like everything else, there’s a lot that goes unspoken, and I probably missed a great deal of context which would’ve helped me understand what the characters were struggling with. On the other hand, Charles is also an outsider to the Marchmains’ religion, and to some extent their social class, so maybe feeling a distance from it all is the intended effect.
Although I didn’t love the romance, or the characters, this time around, I still appreciated the prose, and found plot interesting, if rather sad.
Content Warnings
Minor: Alcoholism, Death of parent, Death, and War
myantigone's review against another edition
challenging
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.5
Content Warnings
Moderate: Death of parent, Addiction, Alcohol, and Alcoholism
the_endless_void's review against another edition
emotional
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
Content Warnings
Moderate: Alcoholism and Death of parent
Minor: Miscarriage, Terminal illness, and Racial slurs