It is appropriate that Waugh should allude to "The Waste Land," since A Handful of Dust is itself a satirical expose of the moral waste land that is modern society, a world drifting without the anchor of religion and tradition. But Waugh’s message is communicated both gradually and subtly, and with great wit. He seems always to select the perfect turn of phrase, and he creates extremely amusing and original situations. Take, for instance, the sad case of Tony Last, who, delirious with fever, wanders in the Brazilian jungle, only to be found and nursed back to health by a madman who then forces him (at gunpoint) to read aloud Dickens's novels. It is interesting to speculate what Waugh’s satirical point is here; his novel is often amusing but cryptic. It is, however, the overall effect created by Waugh’s weaving of characters, language, and situations, that matters most. And the effect is magnificent.

I’ve loved Evelyn Waugh ever since I saw Brideshead Revisited as a TV miniseries (the book is so much better). Got this as a Kindle deal and read it this week; it kept me up turning pages until 1:30 a.m. on Friday. It’s one of those books that stays in your head long after you read it. It starts out as a Wodehousian take on life in an English country house but turns into Heart of Darkness (yes) 2/3 of the way through. As a bonus, this version provides the alternate ending that Waugh wrote when the novel was serialized in a magazine. It would make a great Book Club book if your members like literary fiction and don’t have an issue with problematic endings or “unlikeable” characters. The version I read had great discussion questions at the end, too.

Lady Brenda is self-absorbed and hard to sympathize with. Still can't believe her disinterested attitude after what happened with her son. However it is interesting to read about divorce how it was a hundred years ago. Some of the descriptions of Tony's time in Brazil can come off as culturally insensitive but were typical for the time it was written. I found the ending a little bizarre and not quite resolved.

I have liked other books by Evelyn Waugh (always with trepidation, since he was a pretty vile human being) but this was definitely a book I didn't find particularly interesting.

The book centers on Brenda and Tony Last, who retired to ancient Hetton, away from the hustle and bustle of society life. Brenda takes up with Mr. Beaver, a penniless social climber that nobody seems to care for all that much. Cue marriage crumbling.

The novel is populated by a bunch of characters who are basically bored and doing whatever happens across their path to reliev

I've always known that Waugh had a deft touch at sketching out horrid, self-centred characters, but even I was surprised with the sheer horror that is Brenda Last. A more vile woman you'd struggle to find.

I quite liked the book, even as it careered into some very odd territory at the end (I'd not envisaged our Tony in the deepest, darkest jungles of the World).

i want the tony fate to happen to every billionaire guy

The mixture of humorous satire with the depressing plot did not work for me. The satire was amusing, but the plot itself was not satire, it was just a downward spiral. That disconnect left me tossing the book aside with some level of disgust when I finished the last page.