Evelyn Waugh

The more startling for the economy of its prose and plot, this novel's story, set among the manicured lawns and euphemisms of Whispering Glades Memorial Park in Hollywood, satirises the American way of death and offers Waugh's memento mori.

The Loved One

Sarah Sammis

The Loved One is the first novel by Evelyn Waugh I've had the pleasure of reading. I've had it for quite some time, attracted to it for the Edward Gorey cover art on the 1965 edition.

The book reminds me most of Six Feet Under without quite so much of the family dysfunction. The story starts with a young poet going to Hollywood to live with his uncle who works at a film studio. When the studio cans the uncle he commits suicide, leaving the bewildered and bereaved nephew to plan a funeral.

The remainder of this short, dark comedy is focused on the funeral home at Whispering Glades, a huge cemetery clearly inspired by Forest Lawn. A romance (based on false pretenses) develops between the nephew and a young beautician who works at Whispering Glades.

The book looks at the some of the more absurd rituals of death for both people and their pets, the excesses people will go for remembering their loved ones and the stresses of working under tight deadlines.

The Loved One is funny and tragic many times through. I'm glad I read it. I have now also read A Handful of Dust, also by Evelyn Waugh (review coming).

Laura Mauler

Mr. Joyboy, an embalmer, and Aimee Thanatogenos, crematorium cosmetician, find their romance complicated by the appearance of a young English poet.

Lara Engle

I hadn't read this one for a very long time. Upon reread, it's still wickedly, morbidly funny in that dry satirical manner. But poor Miss Thanatogenos, she does suffer ever so much.

Gavin

Extremely slight but stylish. Couple good gags.

I didn't spot that the protagonist was a sociopath until the last ten pages; is this an intentional twist or am I dim? Hard to tell the difference between ennui and malignity.

Zeke Taylor

My first Evelyn Waugh experience. I hear not all of his work is satirical, including Brideshead Revisited, which I plan to read next.

Somewhat welcomed to receive biting criticism of American culture in the way he dishes it.

Following the death of a friend, the poet and pets' mortician Dennis Barlow finds himself entering the artificial Hollywood paradise of the Whispering Glades Memorial Park. Within its golden gates, death, American-style, is wrapped up and sold like a package holiday-and Dennis gets drawn into a bizarre love triangle with Aimée Thanatogenos, a naïve Californian corpse beautician, and Mr. Joyboy, a master of the embalmer's art. Waugh's dark and savage satire on the Anglo-American cultural divide depicts a world where reputation, love, and death cost a very great deal.

Laura

I loved this book probably even more than I loved Brideshead Revisited, but in a very different way, if that makes sense. I almost can't believe those two novels are by the same writer. If I'm being technical, Brideshead is the superior work, no question, it's a true classic, but this novella is just so much fun to read, especially for someone with the same jet black sense of humor as me. That being said, this isn't for everyone. Those who get offended easily, for instance, might take offense to the variety of things being satirized here, most of them about the superficiality and stupidity of American culture, especially Los Angeles. But even so, the British expats don't come across too well, either. They are snobbish, convinced of their own superiority and intelligence, which vastly exceeds that of their American counterparts. It's clear Waugh didn't think much of either part. I haven't read any more of Waugh's satire, though if this is any indication of his talent at the genre I will definitely pick more up. Perhaps he will one day become a new favorite author.

Read more like this review on my blog, http://www.bookwormbasics.blogspot.com

Niki Sotiropoulou-Nassika

Seth Kalback

Aaron McCollough

The more startling for the economy of its prose and plot, this novel's story, set among the manicured lawns and euphemisms of Whispering Glades Memorial Park in Hollywood, satirizes the American way of death and offers Waugh's memento mori.

The Loved One

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