No I haven't read Muriel Spark but I have just been looking on the Amazon website at the reviews of Vile Bodies and, accordingly, I will also be reading it as my next novel. It sounds absolutely hilarious despite a few downbeat reviews, outnumbered 12 to 3 in the book's favour. What I like about Waugh is that, despite his lampooning of British society, there is a serious side to the comedy. We can laugh till the tears roll down our faces, and I actually do, but the closeness of comedy to tragedy is such that it is often impossible to ignore. It is possible to read many historical descriptions of Britain in the years following the First World War but few will give a more accurate picture than that painted by Waugh.
I am looking forward to The Sword of Honour, but I think Vile Bodies is my next Waugh. Are you Muriel Spark fan by chance?
Thanks for your invitation. I hope you enjoy Sword of Honour.
