Book review: Vile Bodies by Evelyn Waugh

It's been a while since I couldn't let a book down. Weighed down by various (sometimes) tedious Austens or Stokers that would no let me have a good night's sleep, Evelyn Waugh's book was a well deserved break.

The novel was written in the 1930s and centres on the Bright Young Things, a sort of not-so-secret sorority in London between the two wars who had a very outrageous lifestyle and a sort of 'whatever' attitude to life.

As you can already tell, it's extremely amusing. Don't be put off the slightly strange allegoric introduction, it gets better and it makes sense as you go along. The novel was strikingly modern for the time but still the age-old romantic backdrop resisted. Although the focus shifts on various characters, the will-they-won't-they engagement of Adam and Nina keeps popping up. In their way there also appear a myriad of comic situations and strange characters that create the weirdest of situations.

If you have some sort of aversion towards overly descriptive books, fear not. This one is mainly based on dialogue, and, more interestingly, almost all of it takes place on the telephone. Perhaps it has a more gossipy tone which goes well with the otherwise gossipy novel; in fact, Waugh himself worked for the first social gossip column in English newspapers.

So, if you need a Marie Antoinette by Sofia Coppola-style pick me up book with humour but also a bit of a moralising message, this should be a contented on the list!

                                                                 Buy it HERE.

Wednesday flatlay

Trying to kill some of the mid-week blues? Or just feel like studying is a bit of a life-drainer, as I do? Here's an aesthetically pleasing pile of things I've loved in the past weeks.

Can we take a moment and swoon over this beauty? An 18th birthday present, I waited for 4 weeks (that's half a century in my patience-o-meter) to have it tightened but now it is, as Chandler would put it, 'perfection'. Plus, it's my first diamond ring and arguably the most mature piece of jewellery. Now I can trick people into thinking I'm engaged...I'm pretty sure that's what the sales person thought when he said 'Congratulations!'

Find it HERE.

One of the best finds of the winter sales season was this little gem of a perfume from Anthropologie. Originally though it was from an American brand called Ineke who have a really unique and fun (as this photo above proves) approach to their fragrances. I chose the Angel's Trumpet scent which is the most delicate floral, slightly sweet slightly fresh smell I've tried. And it doesn't smell like chemicals either, which is a big turn off when I buy perfumes. 

Find it HERE

My saviour of chapped lips. I'm almost too scared to say that this might be discontinued from the Lush range. It's a little (tiny actually) pot of crushed granulated sugar that tastes like chocolate and that leaves your lips flake free and covered in some miracle hydrating layer. What more can you want?

Ah good news! It's not discontinued and you can find it HERE

In the spirit of introducing you to exotic new things, here's the Romanian brand Herbagen that makes a slightly strange looking cream that leaves your face looking very pale but which, in hindsight, does the job pretty well!

Find it HERE.

Let's put some culture in the mix too! I've been enjoying Evelyn Waugh's sort of study/autobiography of the absurd behaviour and scandalous parties of the Bright Young Things of the 1920s. The subject and time period seemed very appealing and I wasn't disappointed. It's one of those get-up-in-the-morning-and-can't-resist-reading-it. And everyone needs one of those...

Find it HERE.

Finally, possibly the most exciting sale purchase. A Victoria's Secret robe in silk with the signature pink and white stripes. It was love at first sight for only 13 pounds and honestly, it boosts your confidence by 150%!

                                                                       Find it HERE.