Brideshead Revisited

[Silver]

I have just finished reading Brideshead Revisited by Evelyn Waugh and I just loved the book. It is the second book by Waugh I have read, and I really like his style. The prose within Brideshead was beautiful and sometimes wonderfully poetic. The story I found to be interesting and engaging and made the book a fast and easy read.

I love sardonic humor and satire that Waugh uses within his writing, and the way in which he is able to capture such a feeling of desolation within his work yet at the same time he can carry the story which such a feeling of light humor while ending on a chilling and bittersweet note.

You cannot help but to fall in love with the characters, even if you do not necessarily like them at times, they all have their own brand of charisma which is inescapble.One of the things I think I really enjoyed about this book is how much his characters really bring to my mind the sardonisim of J.D. Salinger's creations.

But for those who dislike Salinger, don't let that put you off from reading Waugh, he has his own very distinct and unique style.

[Judith]

I loved this one also. It is not always included in the list of Waugh's best novels; but, to me, it is the most memorable for both the characters and the issues addressed in their story.

[Elizabeth (Alaska)]

I loved this book, as the last line below says. Here is my review:

For the first several pages, I wondered what I'd gotten myself into and if I would want to finish. The formal language felt unfamiliar, but I came to love both the prose and the story. The story is told in the first person by Charles Ryder. In the prologue he is in the British Army at the beginning of WWII moving to a new camp, which he finds is the estate called Brideshead. Yes, he has been here before. The remainder of the novel is the telling of the circumstances of his prior knowledge of this beautiful estate.

Apparently the novel was received with much controversy when published in 1945. One can only imagine how people of that era might have felt about a book that deals with homosexuality, Catholicism, and whether or not God actually exists. In spite of those large subjects, there is a story here. Still, it is so much characterization, as is my favorite. According to Wikipedia, Waugh wrote that the novel "deals with what is theologically termed 'the operation of Grace', that is to say, the unmerited and unilateral act of love by which God continually calls souls to Himself".

This will take a spot on my yet incomplete Top Ten list.

[Stuart]

it is a fine novel.

[Helen]

What I loved about Brideshead was how contemporary it felt. The first person POV, Ryder's experiences at school, the droll humor, his eccentric and idiosyncratic friends, I feel like I went to school with them, too. It felt real. Haven't we all known people like this?

The characters' struggle with faith, in contrast with the fashions and mores of modern times, was wonderfully poignant and unexpected. I didn't want this book to end.

[Alana]

See, I felt the opposite: I thought the characters were flat, the story bland, and no point to it by the end. Maybe it just went over my head (or I've read too many stories set in that time period) or something else, but I mostly just felt it was a waste of time. Not sure why it's on a "must-read" list.

[Amanda]

Brideshead Revisited is definitely one of my favorite books of all time. The way the book describes people trying to grapple with mortality, longing, loss, and the transience of the human existence is evocative and it resonated deeply with me. The humour in all of the scenes that Anthony Blanche appeared in were great as well and were some of my favorites. I highly recommend the Jeremy Irons mini series to anyone who enjoyed the book.