Book #11: Vile Bodies

The book: Vile Bodies by Evelyn Waugh

What is this book about: This book is about the Bright Young Things who make up London society before the war. It follows them as they try as many new things as possible on another person's dime, trying to outrun the boredom in their empty lives. It also looks at some extent to how the news and gossip of the day is made and the interplay between economics and love. Pretty much everyone is drunk and/or miserable the whole time, but they still manage to do fabulous things and say fabulously inane things.

Why did I read this book: Because my coworker started a Finer Things Book Club for the office. This was book numero uno of the book club.

What did I think of this book: I would have never read this book if it hadn't been the book chosen for book club. But I'm glad I did, overall. First, the bad things: It takes some time to get into it, and it's a bit heavy-handed in parts. It kind of jumps around, and the characters can be somewhat interchangeable (but was that the point?) However, it's a quick read, extremely amusing in parts, and an interesting depiction of absurd lifestyles. If these people hadn't lived so early in the last century, they totally would have had a reality show on E! There were some fun characters in there, if a few too many.

What was my favorite part of this book: This is such a silly thing, but I liked when they described something as "selling like very expensive hotcakes." Watch for that to make appearances in my everyday language. Also, I liked the character of Colonel Blount.

What did I learn from this book: The names and places change, but there will always be media ready to follow around celebrity airheads. That seems obvious and cliché. Yet so often was I struck by how prescient this book seemed that I guess it was just always like this, unfortunately.

What grade do I give this book: B-