One of my goals in 2021 is to read more. See other books I've read or listened to here.
The Loved One is the first Evelyn Waugh book I have read and I can’t wait to read more! I found this at my lacal book shop, and picked it up solely for the cover.
A satirical look at life, death and movie making in this semi dystopian look at near future California through the eyes of a British Poet, The Loved One is a must read black comedy and a modern classic.
I really had no idea what to expect when I picked up The Loved One at The Asbury Park Book Cooperative. I just knew that I kept hearing about Evelyn Waugh but had no idea what kind of writer he was. It’s also true that I loved the cover enough to not need to know anything more about the book. I read this book quickly after picking it up, and you can see a lot of my thoughts in a video that I did for the 1900-1950 readathon. I loved this book. It was dry, witty, satirical, and dark. It’s follows a British poet who originally came to LA to work for the movie studios. He quickly becomes disillusioned with the studio attutudes and mentalities, especially after his mentor commits suicide. But Dennis Barlow, the poet, finds more pleasure and inspiration from his lowly job at a pet mortuary. He aspires for his career to move into as opulent and sacred grounds as the premier person mortuary, Whispering Glades. When he gets to actually visit the Glades, he falls in love with the grounds, and one of the lovely cosmeticians. I would highly recommend those who read modern classics, readers who like light dystopian, satires, and books about death.
Have you read any Evelyn Waugh? Who is a modern classic writer you have never read but want to?
This book can be seen in my May Wrap Up.