Reviews

Wow. Ok, so for the most part I felt this was average storytelling for Waugh, and fairly representative of his style. Not everything is out and out satire like Vile Bodies (which I thought was great), but I generally find all the British upper class writers of this period interesting.

However. I really can't see past the overtly racist bits in the one chapter. The jokes about the Welshmen were bad enough, but really. Tom Sawyer, this is not.

maxkeeley's review against another edition

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adventurous emotional funny lighthearted sad medium-paced

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

4.0

dilaraguney's review against another edition

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funny lighthearted mysterious fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.0

brentolie's review against another edition

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5.0

Excellent

greenpeppers3's review against another edition

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funny lighthearted medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5

mwcooper11's review against another edition

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funny lighthearted fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.25

seebrandyread's review against another edition

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adventurous funny lighthearted tense fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0

Evelyn Waugh’s first novel, Decline and Fall, follows Paul Pennyfeather, a hapless student in 1920s England who can’t seem to stay out of trouble. Everyone in the novel, including Paul, behaves as though there are no real consequences to their actions because, often, there aren’t, at least not for those with enough wealth, status, and/or connections. The novel begins with Paul being kicked out of school and cut off from his inheritance, leading him to take a position as a teacher at a boys’ school, a job he’s not qualified for. Paul isn’t the only outcast at the school as he soon discovers that none of his colleagues seem to know the first thing about being an educator and use their positions to while away their time until something better, or the authorities, comes along. Waugh is certainly making fun of the machinations of the world of employment, but I doubt his caricatures are far from the truth, especially considering that credentials aren’t required equally for everyone even now, particularly for white men. He seems to be most disgusted with people using other people, regardless of status. A year after the novel begins, Paul is in almost the exact same position as he started, and it doesn’t seem like he’s learned anything. Why would the system change? I imagine many of the people who read the novel when it was published failed to see themselves in its characters just as many people reading it today would miss the many ways society hasn’t changed.

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