Did I miss something? - Rated 
I came to Brideshead Revisited with high hopes, and to a certain extent they were realised. The dialogue sparkles with wit and verve, and the descriptions of aristocratic life between the war imbue the book with a faded glamour. The story initially revolves around the friendship between Charles Ryder and Lord Sebastian Flyte, an aristocratic student at Oxford whose eccentric lifestyle masks a deeper personal crisis. Roughly half way through the book, Sebastian's growing alcoholism drives an irreversable wedge between him and Charles, and for me, this is where the book slightly loses its way. I found Sebastian's alcoholic antics tedious, and the speed with which Charles breaks away from his former friend unlikely. The remainder of the novel, for me, retained none of the charm of the early chapters, and later descriptive passages were, I found, frankly laughable. There is no satisfying resolution - the book seems merely to fade away into nothing. If you want vintage Waugh, read the War books, or Vile Bodies. Avoid Brideshead - or stick to the TV adaptation.
Always Worth Revisiting - Rated 
The purchase of Brideshead Revisited is one of sure investments in your library. You will revisit it very often because it is one of the books that keep you in their thrall forever. Actually, I have a copy in my desk in the office and pick it up to read a few pages when my students are late for meeting.
This is a book which can be read in many ways - most of which open up a new perspective on its contents and some of which may help you understand yourself and those you choose to share it with. It may be read as a Christian treatise (Waugh took this quite seriously) and a memoir of studies at Oxford in the 1920s. A story of a misplaced homosexual affection and story of decline of British aristocracy. Whichever way you choose you will not be disappointed.
Here where power is no longer beautiful - Rated
This is a book which I have read at least a dozen times, (a unique record in my experience), and one that I will continue to read and read again. It is absolutely and quintessentially English in its perspective - the England of memory, of class and of quiet desperation. The writing is vivid and elegaic, and it is this very richness that makes it such a memorable read. One luxuriates in its excesses. It is a book to read abroad on holiday, because it resonates all the stronger with absence. To single out any of the novel for particular praise seems faintly redundant ,but the central 'Orphans of the Storm' section is the most gorgeously intense description of falling in love you might ever read. Suffice to say the book works on many philosophical and emotional levels, and is quite peerless in the 20th century canon. Highly recommended and required reading for any literary soul.
Very enjoyable - Rated 
Fiction about the lives of the upper classes doesn't tend to be my thing, but I did enjoy this book. Waugh effortlessly captures the atmosphere both of 1920s Oxford student life and of life in the country houses of the highest echelons of society.
Ryder is revisiting Brideshead as an officer in the Second World War - the house has been converted into army barracks and has lost much of its former glory. This springs Ryder off on a reminiscence of how he first came to visit Brideshead, starting with his friendship and love for Sebastian, the Marchmain's second son and going through his involvement with the family until finally he starts an affair with Julia, Sebastian's younger sister.
Much of the book is pre-occupied with Catholicism, i.e. what it means to be a Catholic and how the non-Catholic Charles finds this a barrier to ever truly being part of the family. Waugh really ramps this up as a theme in the last third, which details Julia and Charles's affair and whilst Waugh writes about it intelligently, it wasn't something that particularly interested me as a subject. In fact, for me the section detailing Julia and Charles's affair lacked much of the 'life' that characterised the sections where Sebastian was prominent - even those scenes showing Sebastian's descent into alcoholism and despair - I felt that the book lost a vital spark when he eventually disappeared off the page. Much is made of the homo-erotic subtext of the relationship between Sebastian and Charles. I didn't personally feel as though it was subtext so much as it's blatantly there on the page and it's part of the reason why those sections are so interesting to read.
Waugh peppers the text with other interesting characters - the stammering and blatantly homosexual Anthony Blanche is a great character, offering Charles a real insight both on the Marchmains and himself. Rex Mottram, a Canadian social climber who pursues a connection with the Marchmains is also well-drawn and is used to offer a commentary on the political and social conditions of the time.
What's interesting is also how much humour there is in the book. Waugh had a great eye for farce, from the japery of the Oxford Colleges to a wonderfully observed battle of wits between Charles and his remote father during the summer holidays, I was surprised at how much made me laugh. Much of this humour is missing from the last third of the book as Charles takes a more contemplative look on his life and again, I think this was part of the reason why I found it less interesting.
Utterly enchanting - Rated
If you haven't read it yet then i really envy you. I have read this book over and over again and guarantee you are in for a treat.
The writing is beautifully crafted, as in most Waugh books, but here you have the bonus of a compelling story. As usual the author's style will carry you dreamily along in an enchanted haze, before bringing you up short with some barbed comment to wake you from your reverie. The fist in the velvet glove.
If you saw the TV series you know what to expect..i just hope the forthcoming film does it justice...but neither can ever hope to match the scenes which are painted in your imagination with such vivacity.
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