libraryofdreaming's review
4.0
Brideshead Revisited took me completely by surprise. I expected something a little scandalous and maybe a bit dry, but I actually really enjoyed it. It is a thought-provoking read that kept me glued to the page. I finished it in a little less than a day (albeit a mostly sleepless one). Evelyn Waugh is one enigmatic writer. I am still questioning the point of this book. Is it really a support of Catholicism or something less flattering? What is the real nature of Charles and Sebastian's relationship? Was the book part celebration of the upper/wealthy class or part condemnation? Even the ending puzzled me to the extent that I had to go read some Spark Notes to reassure myself. As it is, I feel like I need to reread this book sometime in the future before I get it all sorted out in my head.
While the book's pace occasionally flounders and I'm not completely satisfied with the ending, I was enthralled by Evelyn Waugh's writing. Some parts of the book are practically a love letter to architecture and they were truly my favorite. I wish I could set a scene as well as he could! Though enigmatic, Brideshead Revisited felt like a memorial to youth. I could easily imagine Evelyn Waugh writing it on leave during World War II, feeling like his entire world was being destroyed. I commend his skills that he managed to convey a feeling of melancholy and desperation even at the duller and more frustrating bits of the book. And there were frustrating bits.
**spoilers ahead**
I felt for Charles and Sebastian but I didn't completely understand them. Nor did I truly understand Sebastian's destructive pattern. It was obvious he was struggling with his family but I felt like there needed to be more. Perhaps that's my own issues talking, I sympathized with Sebastian but also I wish he realized how fortunate he was. I was very unsatisfied by his ending. I needed he and Charles to be reunited again. I needed him to be happy and healthy again. The time jump felt rather jarring and I almost dropped my book when it turned out of the blue that Charles was married. Way to shock your readers, Waugh! Although I sympathized with Charles and Julia (and had been shipping them from the beginning) their affair was rather frustrating. I didn't like Charles' abandonment of his kids. Though, were they really his kids? He says at the end he's childless... They couldn't ALL have died, could they? And his wife was unfaithful...
My other problem with this book was its depiction and, in my opinion, misunderstanding of Christianity. Evelyn Waugh was apparently a Catholic, so this is probably an intrinsic differences between my belief and his. This book falls prey to a very common misconception of Christianity. Salvation and redemption cannot be bought. No personal sacrifice can achieve forgiveness, it has already been freely given. You need only accept. Therefore, when Julia and Charles part at the end of the book because Julia hopes by sacrificing a great love she will somehow earn her way to redemption, it is a futile act. I desperately wanted to reach into the book and explain things to her. Instead of feeling like her action was somehow justified, it just broke my heart for both of them. While the ending was enigmatically hopeful, I was still not satisfied because of the lack of understanding.
I was originally considering watching the more recent movie adaption because it starred Hayley Atwell, but after one look at the trailer I almost threw up. Turning this multi-faceted and confusing classic into a stupid love triangle?? Gross! Not even the combined quality of Hayley Atwell, Ben Whisaw, and Matthew Goode could make me touch that movie with a stick... **spoilers end**
Part requiem, part morality tale, part religious commentary... I cannot put Brideshead Revisited in any kind of box. I don't quite understand it myself. Many future revisitations might help answer my questions, but I can't deny that somehow this book managed to charm me. I certainly haven't stopped thinking about it...
While the book's pace occasionally flounders and I'm not completely satisfied with the ending, I was enthralled by Evelyn Waugh's writing. Some parts of the book are practically a love letter to architecture and they were truly my favorite. I wish I could set a scene as well as he could! Though enigmatic, Brideshead Revisited felt like a memorial to youth. I could easily imagine Evelyn Waugh writing it on leave during World War II, feeling like his entire world was being destroyed. I commend his skills that he managed to convey a feeling of melancholy and desperation even at the duller and more frustrating bits of the book. And there were frustrating bits.
**spoilers ahead**
I felt for Charles and Sebastian but I didn't completely understand them. Nor did I truly understand Sebastian's destructive pattern. It was obvious he was struggling with his family but I felt like there needed to be more. Perhaps that's my own issues talking, I sympathized with Sebastian but also I wish he realized how fortunate he was. I was very unsatisfied by his ending. I needed he and Charles to be reunited again. I needed him to be happy and healthy again. The time jump felt rather jarring and I almost dropped my book when it turned out of the blue that Charles was married. Way to shock your readers, Waugh! Although I sympathized with Charles and Julia (and had been shipping them from the beginning) their affair was rather frustrating. I didn't like Charles' abandonment of his kids. Though, were they really his kids? He says at the end he's childless... They couldn't ALL have died, could they? And his wife was unfaithful...
My other problem with this book was its depiction and, in my opinion, misunderstanding of Christianity. Evelyn Waugh was apparently a Catholic, so this is probably an intrinsic differences between my belief and his. This book falls prey to a very common misconception of Christianity. Salvation and redemption cannot be bought. No personal sacrifice can achieve forgiveness, it has already been freely given. You need only accept. Therefore, when Julia and Charles part at the end of the book because Julia hopes by sacrificing a great love she will somehow earn her way to redemption, it is a futile act. I desperately wanted to reach into the book and explain things to her. Instead of feeling like her action was somehow justified, it just broke my heart for both of them. While the ending was enigmatically hopeful, I was still not satisfied because of the lack of understanding.
I was originally considering watching the more recent movie adaption because it starred Hayley Atwell, but after one look at the trailer I almost threw up. Turning this multi-faceted and confusing classic into a stupid love triangle?? Gross! Not even the combined quality of Hayley Atwell, Ben Whisaw, and Matthew Goode could make me touch that movie with a stick... **spoilers end**
Part requiem, part morality tale, part religious commentary... I cannot put Brideshead Revisited in any kind of box. I don't quite understand it myself. Many future revisitations might help answer my questions, but I can't deny that somehow this book managed to charm me. I certainly haven't stopped thinking about it...
caitlinxcx's review against another edition
emotional
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
keira_rd's review
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Loveable characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.25
nanvdand's review against another edition
5.0
She told me later that she had made a kind of note of me in her mind, as, scanning the shelf for a particular book, one will sometimes have one’s attention caught by another, take it down, glance at the title page and, saying “I must read that, too, when I’ve the time,” replace it, and continue the search.
Although this book came highly rated to me from a couple of friends, I didn't think I'd enjoy it as much as I did. I loved the succinct yet wonderfully descriptive writing. I loved the characters, all flawed, but all very interesting people. I loved the conflict. I loved the subtle humor. I loved the story. This was my first E. Waugh book but it likely won't be my last.
Although this book came highly rated to me from a couple of friends, I didn't think I'd enjoy it as much as I did. I loved the succinct yet wonderfully descriptive writing. I loved the characters, all flawed, but all very interesting people. I loved the conflict. I loved the subtle humor. I loved the story. This was my first E. Waugh book but it likely won't be my last.
imclaugh's review
5.0
Beautifully rendered and intelligent. Contrary to what you might expect -- the way the plot is bookended and all -- the narrator steadfastly resists navel gazing. This is not a book about Charles Ryder. It is a book about the ways, great and small, that faith shapes our lives. Charles' evolution from seeing religion as a "thread" (something binding) to a "flame" (something organic, warming, sacred) structures a diffuse and polyvocal text.
notasilkycat's review against another edition
4.0
The masterpiece, no doubt. A bunch of unhappy people in the middle of two wars, observing how their world slowly disappears. I am not quite sure what prevented me from unconditional loving it though. It seems I will need my own Brideshead revisited at some point.
skello's review
adventurous
emotional
lighthearted
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
4.75