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Brideshead Revisited by Evelyn Waugh
Sep. 1st, 2007 01:13 pmThe Blurb On The Back:
The most nostalgic and reflective of Evelyn Waugh's novels, Brideshead Revisited looks back to the golden age before the Second World War. It tells the story of Charles Ryder's infatuation with the Marchmains and the rapidly disappearing world of privilege they inhabit. Enchanted first by Sebastian at Oxford, then by his doomed Catholic family, in particular his remote sister, Julia, CHarles comes finally to recognize his spiritual and social distance from them.
( The Review (Cut For Spoilers): )
The Verdict:
Acutely observed and well written, this is a really fascinating book and definitely worth a read. I felt that the book misses something when Sebastian disappears off the page - much of the humour and pathos goes with him and we're left with the less interesting Julia and her Catholic angst that can be a little difficult to understand. In that respect, it's very much a book of its time because I'm not sure that the ruminations of what it is to be a Catholic are as important or socially significant now as they were then. Nonetheless, there is a lot of humour in this book - more so than I expected - and it's peppered with well written characters.
The most nostalgic and reflective of Evelyn Waugh's novels, Brideshead Revisited looks back to the golden age before the Second World War. It tells the story of Charles Ryder's infatuation with the Marchmains and the rapidly disappearing world of privilege they inhabit. Enchanted first by Sebastian at Oxford, then by his doomed Catholic family, in particular his remote sister, Julia, CHarles comes finally to recognize his spiritual and social distance from them.
( The Review (Cut For Spoilers): )
The Verdict:
Acutely observed and well written, this is a really fascinating book and definitely worth a read. I felt that the book misses something when Sebastian disappears off the page - much of the humour and pathos goes with him and we're left with the less interesting Julia and her Catholic angst that can be a little difficult to understand. In that respect, it's very much a book of its time because I'm not sure that the ruminations of what it is to be a Catholic are as important or socially significant now as they were then. Nonetheless, there is a lot of humour in this book - more so than I expected - and it's peppered with well written characters.
