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Brideshead Revisited by Evelyn Waugh

Brideshead Revisited is a nostalgic novel about an artistic, observant man looking back on his life. It takes place, for the most part, in the time before the second World War and tells the life story of Charles Ryder, beginning in his school days at Oxford. It is the story of his close relationship with the Marchmains, a very wealthy family who live in a time where their world of privilege is rapidly shrinking. Charles Ryder is enchanted, first, by the middle son of the family and spends many happy, youthful days with him. Later he is attracted by other members but in the end, he comes to realize that he is spiritually and socially too distant from them. 

I've been wanting to read this book for a while because I liked the (2008) movie version so much. If you are interested in reading it for the same reason, DON'T. It's not much like the movie. Oddly enough, my favorite part of the movie was the beginning which was all about Charles Ryder's youth. In the book, I couldn't really get into the story until Book II "A Twitch Upon the Thread," …basically the last third, about Ryder's adult life. This book is definitely NOT for everyone. The language is challenging and convoluted. Also, let's face it, it was very ENGLISH. For me as an American it was hard to grasp it all, especially the deep nostalgia for a psat English high society. Religion is omnipresent, and may alienate non-Catholic readers. However, I did like the theme of memory and of lost innocence. The book was also very beautifully written.

All in all, I can't recommend reading this book to the faint of heart. It was tough to get through, the descriptions go on for paragraphs and the language isn't easy. in the end I am left feeling like I missed something, and need to reread it in order to grasp the full meaning.