Brideshead Revisited

By: Evelyn Waugh

Narrated by: Jeremy Irons

Length: 11 hrs and 33 mins

Publisher's summary

Selected by Modern Library as one of the 100 best novels of the century and called "Evelyn Waugh's finest achievement" by the New York Times, Brideshead Revisited is a stunning exploration of desire, duty, and memory. Read by Jeremy Irons, star of the acclaimed 1981 television series based on the novel.

The wellsprings of desire and the impediments to love come brilliantly into focus in Evelyn Waugh's masterpiece - a novel that immerses us in the glittering and seductive world of English aristocracy in the waning days of the empire. Through the story of Charles Ryder's entanglement with the Flytes, a great Catholic family, Evelyn Waugh charts the passing of the privileged world he knew in his own youth and vividly recalls the sensuous pleasures denied him by wartime austerities.

At once romantic, sensuous, comic, and somber, Brideshead Revisited transcends Waugh's early satiric explorations and reveals him to be an elegiac, lyrical novelist of the utmost feeling and lucidity.

"A genuine literary masterpiece." (Time)

"Heartbreakingly beautiful...The 20th century's finest English novel." (Los Angeles Times)

©1973 Laura Waugh (P)2012 Hachette Audio

Critic reviews

"Evelyn Waugh's finest achievement." (John K. Hutchens, New York Times)

"A many-faceted book....beautifully told by one of the most exhilarating stylists of our time." (Newsweek)

Third time’s the charm

Wonderful to read after watching the PBS series twice. Nice to be able to picture all the characters and Jeremy Irons did an excellent job with narration. I’ll probably watch it again soon....then read it again.

Beautifully read, but sometimes a bit ponderous and overwritten.

I am probably one of a very few people who did not see the televised version of Brideshead Revisited so I had little knowledge or expectations about the story or characters. The Audible version was an excellent way of “reading” this book because Jeremy Irons made the characters come alive in a way that a traditional read probably would not. He did a masterful job of capturing the distinct personalities, relationships, and stories of each of the characters. But the author’s wordiness became so onerous on occasion that the reading by Mr. Irons turned into an almost mindless drone of adjectives, metaphors, pretty plays on words, etc. It was as if Mr. Waugh couldn’t stop himself, so taken was he by his own literary brilliance. I would definitely recommend this Audible book to other readers with the caveat that parts of it can be a bit of a slog.

only one reservation

other than the "last rights gang rape leads to renewed faith for all!" bit at the end, i loved the book. wonderful characters, wit, satire.

A twitch on a thread...

I would imagine most people that are considering this novel are familiar with the Waugh work. So I won't bother to go into details on how beautiful this novel is as one man's spiritual journey to find grace. Instead what I'd like to emphasize is that Jeremy Irons reads it. You can hear his experience as an actor in the series and his deep appreciation of the novel itself. I found this fascinating in that having been a big fan of the 1981 series - in which he starred as Ryder - he now gives us this read. The result is that many of the characters' dialogue (taken from the book and used directly in the series) are read by Irons with his experience of those actors. At times I felt I could hear Anthony Andrews (Sebastian), Lawrence Oliver (Lord Marchmaine), Diana Quick (Julia), John Gielgud (his father) and others quite distinctly in his voice. Their characters and inflections and idiosyncrasies seem to come through. I think this did do justice to the Waugh book, even enhancing it some, while also revealing Irons' continued connection to his experience in that series.

Phenomenal voice work

Jeremy Irons’ narration is simply stunning. The clarity, nuance, character work, and overall mournful magic of his work here is unmatched.
Note his depiction of drunkenness, female sorrow, a kindly nanny, an upper-class sadist, an American arriviste… You’ll never be able to admire other narrators quite as much. Bravo.
Oh, and Waugh’s writing! Chef’s kiss.

May be one of my favorites...

I just finished it and am letting it sit a little.. but I find myself thinking about this book and what it means. I think I'm going to have to, at some point, re-listen to it as I'm sure I missed some things. It is a beautiful story. I never write long reviews, and I won't now.. but it really it remarkable.

Extraordinary!

This book is on my list of all time favorites. Excellent writing and character development. The book is witty as well. Jeremy Irons does an amazing job with all the characters voices bringing them to life!

Perfection!

Evelyn Waugh's language in Jeremy Iron's voice was so unexpectedly sensual and heartfelt. I was transported throughout the entire time of listening to this amazing production. The story is mesmerizing and it was fascinating to experience this slice of history and rarified society of this period of time.
Mr Irons is an extraordinary talent with the good fortune to have a wonderful voice and he is the one and only Charles Ryder.
I'm sorry it's over. Thank you.

Outstanding

One of my favorite books to reread again and again. Only made more charming by Jeremy Irons.

Simply a masterpiece

A deeply subdued elegance that has become increasingly rare. And, so very romantic and tragic.