Monday, November 16, 2009

Best I Read Books Again

After finishing off Inherent Vice I wanted to read something different then the sorts of books I usually read and my dad had been talking a lot about this Brideshead Revisited for a while so I thought I'd give it a read. I mean, I've never read these books where there are rich English people and the richer ones have a real big house, it was time to try them out.

I had seen these newer Evelyn Waugh paperback editions with these attractive illustrated covers so I was getting excited to be seen with such a good looking book on the subway.

Oh, but joke was on me! Dad bought his copy (see, I asked to borrow his copy, that's what's going on here) when the recent movie was in the theater so I got the movie poster edition. Oh man! So I spent a few weeks looking like a guy that picks his movies by what's at the multiplex...the multiplex that reserves a screen or two for Merchant Ivory-y films.

But for real, this was a good book full of good writing and good plot and good insights and such. What more can I say? Man, I am so short on why-a-book-is-good explaining words and sentences. Oh well.

4 comments:

Karene said...

Brig - To my father, almost all of life's problems can be brought back to Brideshead. Even on my mission he would write me letters about how to recognize and overcome or avoid problems like Charles did in Brideshead.

It is a fantastic book, but don't watch the new movie. It's crap and totally did not get the point of the book. Watch the long BBC version. It's totally worth it and amazing. Seriously, you can't beat Jeremy Irons.

Brigham said...

Really? I didn't take Charles to be much of a role model. What I liked about him was the perspective he'd gained in reflection (or should I say revisiting?) but the Charles of the narrative, not Charles the narrator, he wasn't too sympathetic or compelling a character for me.

I could tell from the preview of the recent movie that it wasn't telling the story I had read.

Bek said...

what are you going to read next, hotel for dogs?

Cindy Bean said...

I have your dad's version. Me and him, we're like twins.