A Handful Of Dust
Given that 'A Handful Of Dust' takes its title from the line 'I will show you fear in a handful of dust' from TS Eliot's the Waste Land, I anticipated that the novel would be somehow a psychological thriller.
Instead A Handful Of Dust is a black comedy novel about Brenda and Tony Last who live comfortably in Tony's ancestral home with their son John Andrew, they are part of wider High Society and both receive parties of visitors and attend parties elsewhere.
Brenda, who has become bored engages in a dalliance with a young man, apparently something that many women of her status have been known to do, but when things go too far their ordinary life is shattered.
The back of my copy states that the reader doesn't know whose side Waugh is on, but to my mind it was definitely Tony's, and Waugh sets out to paint a picture of women in society of that era, who can and do ruin men for the sake of it and get off unblemished. It's quite a modern outlook if you consider that the maxim in most divorces is that "the woman gets the lot".
A Handful Of Dust is often funny with plenty of darkly comic moments, such as when Tony, who is innocent of wrongdoing attempts to be indiscreet to avoid a scandal for Brenda. Tony is a tragicomic long suffering figure, and several points are made about the imbalance in acceptable standards.
The end is one of the weirdest endings I have ever read in a novel. Truly bizarre. But, the ultimate message seems to promote the argument that men, rather than women are disposable as long as society at large is happy. Thought provoking. 7/10
Showing posts with label Thirties. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Thirties. Show all posts
Saturday, 9 June 2012
Monday, 23 April 2012
Book #39 Rules Of Civility by Amor Towles
Rules Of Civility
Rules Of Civility by Amor Towles is a Thirties set society novel. It begins in the Sixties when protagonist Kate visits a photography exhibition with her husband. During the show Kate encounters two very different portraits of an old friend which sets her to thinking of her youth when she first knew him.
In the Thirties Kate lives in a Manhattan boarding house for women and works as a secretary. She rooms with Evelyn Ross who is from a wealthy background but wants to make it on her own. They are close and have a good social life.
When one night they encounter the wealthy and well connected Tinker Grey the girls find themselves rivals for his affections, but when tragedy strikes, the balance tips firmly one way. Or does it?
The frustrating thing about Rules Of Civility is its loss of focus which happens frequently. There are lots of dry passages, and uninteresting sections focusing on Kate's social circles and rubbing shoulders with the hoi polloi which isn't where the story really lies. These sections reminded me of Edith Wharton's The House Of Mirth, a novel I didn't enjoy.
In truth the most intriguing characters in this story by far are Evelyn Ross and Tinker Grey. Evelyn Ross is quite obnoxious but makes you extremely interested in her thought processes, motives, and ultimate life story. Kate's thought processes are often filled with university student type opinions on literature, and even as a literature graduate and keen book lover I found this deathly dull.
As the reveals come about Tinker Grey in the final third, I found myself wishing that the focus had been on him, or at least large sections of the book. Kate makes a dull protagonist and should really have been the bit player and not the lead, though the introduction with the photographs was a good way to start. Not sure if I'd recommend this or not, certainly not an instant must read but I reckon about 7/10
Rules Of Civility by Amor Towles is a Thirties set society novel. It begins in the Sixties when protagonist Kate visits a photography exhibition with her husband. During the show Kate encounters two very different portraits of an old friend which sets her to thinking of her youth when she first knew him.
In the Thirties Kate lives in a Manhattan boarding house for women and works as a secretary. She rooms with Evelyn Ross who is from a wealthy background but wants to make it on her own. They are close and have a good social life.
When one night they encounter the wealthy and well connected Tinker Grey the girls find themselves rivals for his affections, but when tragedy strikes, the balance tips firmly one way. Or does it?
The frustrating thing about Rules Of Civility is its loss of focus which happens frequently. There are lots of dry passages, and uninteresting sections focusing on Kate's social circles and rubbing shoulders with the hoi polloi which isn't where the story really lies. These sections reminded me of Edith Wharton's The House Of Mirth, a novel I didn't enjoy.
In truth the most intriguing characters in this story by far are Evelyn Ross and Tinker Grey. Evelyn Ross is quite obnoxious but makes you extremely interested in her thought processes, motives, and ultimate life story. Kate's thought processes are often filled with university student type opinions on literature, and even as a literature graduate and keen book lover I found this deathly dull.
As the reveals come about Tinker Grey in the final third, I found myself wishing that the focus had been on him, or at least large sections of the book. Kate makes a dull protagonist and should really have been the bit player and not the lead, though the introduction with the photographs was a good way to start. Not sure if I'd recommend this or not, certainly not an instant must read but I reckon about 7/10
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