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Decline and Fall  By  cover art

Decline and Fall

By: Evelyn Waugh
Narrated by: Michael Maloney
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Publisher's summary

Subtitled "A Novel of Many Manners", Evelyn Waugh's notorious first novel lays waste the "heathen idol" of British sportsmanship, the cultured perfection of Oxford, and the inviolable honor codes of the English gentleman.

Sent down from Oxford after a wild, drunken party, Paul Pennyfeather is oddly surprised to find himself qualifying for the position of schoolmaster at a boys' private school in Wales. His colleagues are an assortment of misfits, rascals and fools, including Prendy (plagued by doubts) and Captain Grimes, who is always in the soup (or just plain drunk). Then Sports Day arrives, and with it the delectable Margot Beste-Chetwynde, floating on a scented breeze. As the farce unfolds in Evelyn Waugh's dazzling debut as a novelist, the young run riot and no one is safe, least of all Paul.

©1956 Evelyn Waugh (P)2012 Hachette Audio

What listeners say about Decline and Fall

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  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars

Black Humor, Satire, and the Absurd

Paul Pennyfeather is, by no fault of his own, sent down from Oxford for indecent behavior. His only recourse is to get a job teaching at a less-than-prestigious boarding school. While there, he meets the widowed mother of a student, Margot Beste-Chetwynde, with whom he falls in love. This starts a chain of events leading to his decline and fall.

This, Waugh's first published novel, shows him already a master of black humor, satire, and the absurd. The plot is unpredictable, the prose excellent, and the entire book truly funny. While it's not perfection, it is a great, quick read that will have the reader laughing out loud.

Mr. Maloney does excellent voices, narrates well, and the singing episode was hysterically funny. He does tend to read too quickly at times, though, making it a four star performance instead of five.

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5 people found this helpful

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    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

Breathing life into Waugh's stylish comedy

Michael Maloney does a brilliant job of bringing this witty text to life. All his character impressions are spot on and his rendering of Lady Circumference is excellent and really funny. Waugh's black comedy is relevant today. So much depends on who you know, how much money you've got and what particular circumstances happen to befall you. Paul Pennyfeather is a kind of Everyman that listeners and readers can easily identify with. A brilliant performance of a great book.

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4 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    1 out of 5 stars
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Reader Rushes Through Story

One of my favorite books, if not my favorite, but ruined by a narrator who rushes through the reading.

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2 people found this helpful

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    4 out of 5 stars
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    3 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars

Madcap comedy of errors

My only other experience with Waugh being the oh-so-serious (and Catholic) Brideshead Revisited, I was completely unprepared for this funny and lighthearted tale. It's a bit like a screwball comedy in novel form and like the best screwball comedies, it is short enough that you don't get tired of it before the zaniness has run its course.

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2 people found this helpful

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    4 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars

Surprisingly Good for a “Starter” Novel

I found myself pleased most everywhere along the path of the plot. The turns of phrases, the little twists in the story, and much about the development of the characters - one can sense the delight of both the brightest and the most common of the readers of the British novel at all this.

Not to disclose anything significant, I would just say there are two major turns in the plot that make little or no sense. But, then again, that obviously fits into Waugh’s design.

I was left a bit flat.

But, still, I enjoyed the book and would recommend it to readers in the market for a smart, little biting satire of society that plays out oddly, but deftly.

The narration was quite good.

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1 person found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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Just fabulous

For those who like the author, and like humor, and wit, and irony…they are in for a delightful treat.

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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Absurd Humor of Great Profundity

The absurdity of life is the theme of this novel. Waugh effortlessly circumscribes one of the greatest analogies of life ever written in a manner that will leave one choking their pipe. It leaves the hearer with much to ponder and meditate on the paradoxes of life.

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  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars
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So promising but falls flat

This starts out hilarious and really enjoyable, a comedic send up of the British upper class; but becomes tedious and ridiculous.

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1 person found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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Great story

I enjoyed the story. I didn’t care for the Reader, but it did not distract from the story

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars
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Superb

Love Evelyn Waugh. Had only been familiar with Brideshead Revisited and so took a chance on this. Thoroughly entertaining and loads to ponder concerning the storyline. Superb characters. Love!

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