A Handful of Dust
Ratings26
Average rating3.9
Evelyn Waugh's A Handful of Dust is a satirical depiction of the 'sterile' generation between the wars. It tells the story of bored Lady Brenda Last, who abandons her husband's Gothic pile to conduct an affair with shallow socialite John Beaver of the Belgravia set. A Handful of Dust remains one of the finest tragedies and comedies of ill manners.
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Enjoyed this better the second time around, though still not one of my favorite Waughs. I remembered broad strokes, but not much else. Some comedic moments and some dark moments. Good characters, too.
This is my first Evelyn Waugh book and I did not expect the wildly modern twists or turns from a book published in 1934.
Tony and Brenda's relationship was so tedious at first--socialite babble--I almost quit. Then, the this crazy train really picked up speed.
By page 132, I already gaped and gasped a few times, but then a few pages later I had a dark laugh when Jenny Abdul Akbar said, "Little Jimmy."
Waugh's dark sense of humor and keen insight into Society life rivals Julian Fellowes. I'm a fan.
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