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Liked It3 of 3 members found this review helpful “A Handful of Dust is one of Evelyn Waugh’s greats. Dark it is, my dears, and often the laughter is of the nervous or horrified variety. Waugh takes his title from T. S. Eliot’s “The Waste Land” and, like Eliot’s poem, he seeks to illuminate a world in which civilisation is in the midst...” see full review » see other reviews » |
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“so jarring”
Megan M wrote this review Wednesday, November 25 2009. ( reply | permalink ) Was this review helpful? Yes | No“twist to the ending...unexpected...”
Siok wrote this review Friday, November 20 2009. ( reply | permalink ) Was this review helpful? Yes | No
“a truly brilliant tribute to injustice and the jaded ways of the world”
natasha a wrote this review Friday, October 30 2009. ( reply | permalink ) Was this review helpful? Yes | No“An enjoyable read, satirical and societal commentary in delightfully readable vein. Liked it and looking forward to my next Waugh read”
sree harsha r wrote this review Sunday, October 25 2009. ( reply | permalink ) Was this review helpful? Yes | No
“Great novel, with a very disturbing ending...”
Thom J wrote this review Thursday, October 15 2009. ( reply | permalink ) Was this review helpful? Yes | No
“Waugh at his best - funny, vicious and dark. ”
Stuart D wrote this review Wednesday, July 15 2009. ( reply | permalink ) Was this review helpful? Yes | No
“I'll be the first to admit, this book is not for everyone. This book is cynical of society, morbidly aware of the many great flaws of humankind, and darkly humorous. This book is completely different then what I expected, yet I found myself not disappointed in the least. It's creepy, slightly ominous feel sent a shiver down my spine and I found myself thinking a lot about the book long after I read the last page.
EVE T wrote this review Sunday, March 22 2009. ( reply | permalink ) Was this review helpful? Yes | No
This book chronicles the lives of three different people, all intertwined in different ways. First and foremost, we have Lady Brenda St. Cloud Last, whose spontaneity and restlessness sets the plot for the entire book. Brenda is married to Tony Last, a self proclaimed "stuffy" man, who offsets Brenda with his dryness and complete hatred of change. Brenda and Tony have a son and have been happily married for seven years, but Brenda feels trapped and desperate to escape their relationship. That's when the third character, John Beaver, comes in. Mr. Beaver is a vagabond, completely devoid of both class and money, which is why Brenda falls completely head over heels in love with him. This is a story of love, tragedy, and the impossible reality behind escapism-that nothing comes without a price.
Handful of Dust is definitely a realist tale and I would say that this is not for someone faint of heart. This book is however rip roaringly hilarious and consists of jokes and humor that can only be described as very British. ”
“My first Waugh novel. I expected the wry satire on British society but was surprised at the tragic turn and the dark aftermath, leaving me to think longer and harder than I would have thought necessary at the outset. ”
tishiejean wrote this review Wednesday, January 21 2009. ( reply | permalink ) Was this review helpful? Yes | No
““Handful of Dust” is a brutal love story. When I say BRUTAL, I mean painful and tragic and downright bonechilling sad and bizzarre. You see the novel’s main character Tony Last is a pretty nice chap, who is married to a beautiful woman and lives in a gorgeous house. He’s a dreamer! He reads Dickens, and smokes cigars and drinks expensive bourbon at the men’s club. Here is a positive thinker who loves his wife and kid more than you could ever imagine. He lives for happy ending.
Jam Maestro Jay wrote this review Saturday, September 27 2008. ( reply | permalink ) Was this review helpful? Yes | No
That is why it is so incredibly gutwrenching when his wife cheats on him. She throws away all the trust and love and dreams that they had created together for a tawdry sexual affair with a complete loser. Man, like the third chapter in Handful of Dust is titled, “Hard Cheese on Tony.” There is a scene in there where – and you’ll know which one – where the wife reveals her ice cold heart. From that moment on, everything that Tony has ever believed or will ever believe is frozen in time..
But here is why I love Handful of Dust. Tony is completely crushed, that’s for sure, but he doesn’t let her slide either. First and foremost, he’s still a gentleman with a certain code of ethics. He treats her with the respect she deserves (?!), and then does what will hurt her the most – he cuts off Bitch’s source of income, and then takes that money and goes on a drug and alcohol fueled trip to Brazil.
No. That’s not the part I like the most. In the end, as he journeys up the Amazon river, Tony gets as far away as possible from his old life, but he can’t escape his old self. His life is not a book or the story of romance. There is no revenge. No satisfaction or lesson learned. Tony’s life is as brutal at the end of his journey as it was as the beginning.
That’s not fiction. That’s true to life.”
“I've not read much Waugh, but A Handful of Dust easily overturns the comedic, snobbish stereotype. A novel about breakdown in almost every sense that doesn't grate with nostalgia, nationalism or even misery. Social, personal, familial and all sorts of other als in decline have probably never been as readable as here.”
Bhupash wrote this review Friday, May 30 2008. ( reply | permalink ) Was this review helpful? Yes | No
