Brideshead Revisited

A week or so ago was the 75th anniversary of the publishing of Brideshead Revisited. I "attended" a virtual seminar from Castle Howard, the apparent exemplar for Brideshead Castle. 

I first read this book in 2005, my pick in our family book club, and it was my first experience with Evelyn Waugh, and the reason I fell in love with his writing. I've read everything else he's written, fiction-wise. Many more than once.

Some say it is a Catholic book, and Waugh is a known Catholic. But I don't see it as a religious book. Religion does play a role, but is not the main theme of the book. The main theme is a family, the Flytes, and one Charles Ryder's experience with the family. 

There have been movies made of the book, but I've seen none. After the Castle Howard seminar, I will probably seek out and watch the Grenada mini-series production from the early '80s. Jeremy Irons plays Ryder. It looks good.

Now, the latest movie, with Emma Thompson, not so much. I've seen reviews of it from readers of the book, and I'm not sure I want to see it. Maybe if I didn't have to pay for it, perhaps from the library?

If you haven't read Waugh, I must tell you that this is his most serious book. Most others are black humor. Of those, I can highly recommend Scoop and Decline and Fall. For semi-serious and humorous, try the Sword of Honor trilogy. After you read the trilogy, watch Daniel Craig in the short mini-series for the book. 

As this book was set in the 1920s, it qualifies for #JazzAgeJune

For my book budget tracking, I got this one on Kindle for $2.99. That makes 2020 book expenses so far: $257.29.