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A review by beccakatie
Men at Arms by Evelyn Waugh
3.0
Waugh’s characters are varied and entertaining. They all have strong personalities and distinct foibles that make them a joy to read and laugh about.
I liked the way that the war ran mostly as an undercurrent through this book. Although it was obviously set in the army and army training, and all the characters were soldiers, there were times when it just became a mockery of upper-class preoccupations and habits, with gentle scenes of bingo. It will be interesting to see how this dynamic and focus shifts in the following books in the trilogy.
The scene with the head, however, did make me uncomfortable. The way they so casually carried it about and discussed its preservation was unpleasant and really added nothing to the book. Arguably it highlighted appalling racist and colonial attitudes of the time but it just wasn’t necessary, and it definitely made a significant impact on my engagement with the final section of the book.
I liked the way that the war ran mostly as an undercurrent through this book. Although it was obviously set in the army and army training, and all the characters were soldiers, there were times when it just became a mockery of upper-class preoccupations and habits, with gentle scenes of bingo. It will be interesting to see how this dynamic and focus shifts in the following books in the trilogy.
The scene with the head, however, did make me uncomfortable. The way they so casually carried it about and discussed its preservation was unpleasant and really added nothing to the book. Arguably it highlighted appalling racist and colonial attitudes of the time but it just wasn’t necessary, and it definitely made a significant impact on my engagement with the final section of the book.