As with all books by dead authors these guys discuss, they, with only mild criticisms, love this book unreservedly. Too bad it appears often that they haven't read it. Even Troy, who frankly is boring, even irritating to listen to with his heavy breathing, inarticulate attempt at sounding intelligent (please, um...swallowyoursaliva...rathe­r before you propound and expostulate, it uh, it uh, it uh... it is RATHer dull.... when one is...is pressed to perceive with the ear yournasalpipings... filtered through the...through a SCREEN of mist...he also is incapable of reading aloud. It sounds like he is drinking a bottle of gatorade while he speaks), who claims a particular adoration of Waugh, seems to have read someone else's description (though I found it hilarious when he states that, "this idea isn't original of me..." when I haven't heard a single comment from him that didn't sound lifted from Cliff or a bibliography of criticism for the works he's discussed), mis-stating characters and actions. Though with his sexuality enforcing certain necessary changes, for instance, his insistence that he knows that Charles and Seb had sex and the importance of it; no mention of the statement made by Charles that there is "nothing vicious" about Seb and the German. But then, as always, they see everything in terms of our modern obsession with the genitals and the old in-out instead of the deeper meanings and the metaphors such descriptions and depictions might possibly, if we had read the book without imposing ourselves into the narrative, have seen...

I disagree that BR is as wonderful a work as the previous commenter claims, though it is in parts good and as a whole enjoyable. Where it is bad is the Vogue or Seen About Town-style of writing of the house and society, the inchoate drama of the religious themes (this was a book by a catholic wannabe written for Catholics, in my opinion), the pat whistle-while-you-work ending with that alludes to Charles' conversion to The Faith (not mentioned by the reviewers) and the cliches that make up a good portion of the ideas of the book. Where the book is good is where Waugh is Waugh and not a victim of sentimentality, nostalgia and hyperbole, Anthony and Charles' father being the best parts.