Since I have such a huge list of books that I want to read at some point in the future, there are very few titles that I bother to read more than once. But Brideshead Revisited by Evelyn Waugh is an exception to this rule. This is one of my all-time favorite novels, and no matter how many times I read it, I never even skip so much as a page. This book is a masterpiece!
Brideshead is told from the point of view of Charles Ryder. It’s told in flashback, as Charles comes upon the Flyte family home known as Brideshead when he is a Captain in the army during World War II. The home has been abandoned due to the war, but it still holds plenty of memories for Charles, as he spent his college days with Sebastian Flyte, and, later, spent a lot of time with Sebastian’s sister Julia.
There are religious themes throughout the book, which I normally would frown upon. But for some reason, I didn’t mind the way Waugh treated the subject. I don’t pretend to understand everything Waugh was trying to say, but I think I took away a good deal from the novel.
On the whole, this is a book that I think you’ll enjoy. Give it a try, particularly if you’ve never read Waugh before. In my opinion, this was the best work of his career.