Rating:  Summary: read The Loved One too Review: John Courteney Boot is a rising young British novelist, but after an affair gone sour he wants to get out of England for awhile. He approaches the well-connected Mrs. Algernon Stitch for assistance & she in turn recommends to Lord Copper, publisher of the Beast newspaper, that he send Boot to cover the war in Ishmaelia, Africa. Copper in turn orders Mr. Salter, his Foreign Editor, to get Boot and in short order a series of mix-ups leads to the Beast sending William Boot, their nature columnist and a man who loathes leaving his ancestral home, Boot Magna Hall, to Africa. In Ishmaelia, Boot stumbles into a couple of scoops and returns home a hero, "Boot of the Beast". Evelyn Waugh is one of the great satirists of the century and he has never been funnier than he is here, skewering the Press. GRADE: B+
Rating:  Summary: Another Winner Review: Ms. Waugh continues to impress. I picked up this one in Brazil and went cover to cover. Her send up of journalism is dead on. It reminds me of Christopher Klim's Jesus Lives in Trenton for pacing, comedy, and style.
Rating:  Summary: read The Loved One too Review: ohn Courteney Boot is a rising young British novelist, but after an affair gone sour he wants to get out of England for awhile. He approaches the well-connected Mrs. Algernon Stitch for assistance & she in turn recommends to Lord Copper, publisher of the Beast newspaper, that he send Boot to cover the war in Ishmaelia, Africa. Copper in turn orders Mr. Salter, his Foreign Editor, to get Boot and in short order a series of mix-ups leads to the Beast sending William Boot, their nature columnist and a man who loathes leaving his ancestral home, Boot Magna Hall, to Africa. In Ishmaelia, Boot stumbles into a couple of scoops and returns home a hero, "Boot of the Beast". Evelyn Waugh is one of the great satirists of the century and he has never been funnier than he is here, skewering the Press. GRADE: B+
Rating:  Summary: Scoop Review: She's a he. Pronounced EEEEE-velyn.
Rating:  Summary: Hey Kevin - PLEASE read a biography of 'Ms. Waugh' Review: She's a he. Pronounced EEEEE-velyn.
Rating:  Summary: Not Just a Cautionary Book for Aspiring Journalists Review: This is not Waugh doing Waugh so much as it is Waugh doing Wodehouse (the Jeeves the Butler author). Shows you what Waugh is like when he's actually nice to his characters. Chirpingly silly, this one was written for the masses, not for Those Who Understand - this ain't no "Brideshead." But it's still devilishly clever and entertaining - "B" Waugh perhaps, but still better than the "A" work of a lot of other authors.
Rating:  Summary: One of the greatest books Review: This is one of those book that you can't put down. Evelyn Waugh is one of the great writers of all time. His way with word is truly brilliant. This book is a must read and a must buy.
Rating:  Summary: Very Very Funny Book Review: Treat yourself to "Scoop," one of the funniest novels ever written. P.J. O'Rourke dedicated his book "Holiday's in Hell" to Waugh's protaganist John Courteney Boot (which is a better recommendation than I could ever manage)
Rating:  Summary: More brilliant Waugh Review: Waugh is one of my favorite authors and his work is consistently funny and scathing. Scoop is among his best novels. It relates the story of William Boot, who is mistaken for another person and sent to the country of Ishmael by a London newspaper to cover a possible insurgence. Waugh frequently writes about characters who accidentally bumble into situations, but this setup is one of the funniest. Unlike most of his protoganists, William Boot actually succeeds (for the most part) and how he does so is hilarious. As usual, Waugh has included a fool's gallery of supporting characters that add to the humor. Highly recommended for Waugh fans. People unfamiliar with Waugh might want to consider starting with the slightly more serious (and darker) "Handful of Dust."
Rating:  Summary: Great Fun Review: Waugh's books are serious literature, of course--they show a fine sense of structure, a masterful command of prose, and a charming condemnation of the foibles of his (and our) day supported by a genuine understanding of the world. However, as Crispin's witty mouthpiece Gervase Fen remarks in BURIED FOR PLEASURE, reading Waugh for philosophy is missing the point; his books are FUNNY. SCOOP is one of his most hilarious, making great comic fodder of the pretensions of journalism, politics, and England. One remarkable thing about Waugh is that he is a biting satirist who doesn't seem to dislike even the targets he attacks most ruthlessly--they remain humans rather than straw men, which makes the point better than any mere caricature could possibly manage.
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