Scoop Audiobook

" I'm generally a fan of acerbic British fiction and satire, but haven't taken the time to go back and read any Waugh until I picked up this longtime talisman of foreign correspondents. The story concerns the efforts of rival newspapers to "scoop" each other with regards to a possible war in the fictional East African Republic of Ishmaelia (which appears to be a kind of mashup of Ethiopia and Liberia). The central player in this satire is an impoverished member of the rural gentry named Boot, who pens a soporific "Rural Notes" column for a London paper called The Daily Beast. The book starts in London, where a charismatic society lady arranges to have one her proteges, an up and coming young novelist also with the surname Boot, sent to Ishmaelia by the Beast as a special correspondent (with a commensurately special salary). Alas, through a mixup worthy of P. G. Wodehouse, the paper ends up sending the other Boot, who would prefer to be left to rot in peace in the country, but can't turn down the large salary on offer. This first part of the book is a lot of fun, with lots of great comedy, a wonderfully funny country household, and the society lady, who completely runs away with the show. Alas, she disappears from the narrative as the wrong Boot heads off by planes, trains, and automobiles to Ishmaelia. From this point on, the story is intent mainly on skewering the news business at every turn, along with businessmen, politicians, innkeepers, and pretty much any one else who comes into contact with the hapless Boot. Some readers may find the portrayal of the Africans to be offensive, although to my mind, they don't come off any worse than the European characters, and if anything, seem a great more clever. Unfortunately, like a lot of comic writing based on exaggerated behavior, the book reads a little too much like slapstick for my taste, than it does nuanced satire. Of course, humor is often a matter of taste, so others may find it vastly more amusing. On the whole, it's a book that would benefit from a nice ten page introduction to give it some context. For example, the reason Waugh is able to paint these preposterous portraits of foreign correspondents is that he was one himself. Like the first Boot in the book, he was a shiny young novelist whose lifestyle demanded a larger income stream, one which the newspapers could provide. Several times, Waugh held his nose and traveled as a foreign corresponded for the Daily Mail, despite being an apparently indifferent journalist who thought the profession mere hackery. In that context, this book might be interpreted as a work of self-loathing, in which he pillories himself -- since, by all accounts, he really indulged in all the worst behaviors that he satirizes in the novel. In fact, he had a kind of formula, whereby he would get paid to go on a trip as a correspondent, then milk that experience for both a non-fiction travelogue and a work of fiction. His first trip to Ethiopia was the impetus for his earlier novel Black Mischief, while a trip in 1938 to cover the Italian invasion led to a widely panned travelogue called Waugh in Abyssinia and this book. On the whole, if you like comic fiction it's worth the brief time it takes to read, if only for the opening and some great deadpan stuff throughout. Especially amusing are the cryptic telegrams Boot gets from the head office. But on the whole, it struck me more as a broad farce than a surgical satire, and thus was a little disappointing. "

" I felt like this was a better written draft of Black Mischief that focused on ridiculing journalism instead of colonization. The writing was crisper, more economical, funnier. Waugh has definitely gotten his sea legs under him. "

" Funny digs at English press that probably would have been even funnier if I understood all the references and wasn't already so cynical about how the media operates. Still some hilarious lines. The stumbling bumbling insanity read to me like P.G. Wodehouse. "

" I am such a huge fan of Evelyn Waugh. I absolutely adore his work. This book is perhaps one of his more recognized novels, so I was eager to read it. Unfortunately I was left a little disappointed, but perhaps only due to the hype. It is a lovely book, but just isn't as brilliant as some of his other novels, such as Decline & Fall, and Vile Bodies. "

" Great book! Funny and a bit bizarre but really entertaining. Had me laughing out loud at times. Well written of course as it is by Evelyn Waugh. Highly recommended to anyone. "

" As my second exposure to the wonders of Waugh, I thoroughly enjoyed this book. However, when compared to The Loved One, it falls a bit short. It's also rife with post-colonial racism towards Africans. But otherwise it's pretty funny, and I look forward to reading more Waugh in the future. "

" Can't be beat. "

" Sort of a trifle but a lot of fun. "

" LOL One of the funniest books I ever read! The foreign correspondents make up the news. Everyone in the novel has everything backwards. I read a 1977 version. I don't know if newer editions have cleaned up the racial epithets. "

" god, journalists suck. "

" Wodehouse meets "Absurdistan." "

" The Great Fire "

" A somewhat dated novel. Had some funny moments, and the absurdity was well placed in context of the media's role in society, especially war. However, there was a base problem with the flippancy of the prose, it stopped me from getting too deeply involved in the story. "

" read this years ago and really enjoyed it "

" My father LOVED this book and recently mailed me a copy. For some reason I was just not able to get into it. I'm not much for British satire in the first place, but I found the plot rather bland and uninteresting. "

" My favorite Waugh so far, but no fifth star, because I can never love a satire. "

" Considered by many as his masterpiece without the glamour attached to Brideshead "

" pretty good satire "

" Funny case of mistaken identity. William Boot literally falls by failure into the biggest story of his life as he is mistakenly sent to a war front. His ambivalence to his assignment gives him the edge to a developing story. Easy read, but funny and interesting. "

" Some people claim this is funny (even "hilarious"?!), but I found it to be only mildly, situationally funny. In fact, the fun is far outweighed by the racist and imperialist attitudes all though out the book. All the satire of journalism stuff is alright, but it's not worth the ugliness. "

" Classic journalism satire(?). "

" I suppose this was funny when it was written--however, today it seems pathetic. "

" A classic comic novel in Waugh's classic comic style (but not antically comic like Wodehouse; he's a more serious writer, I think). Great British adaptation of this novel from the 1990s if you can find it on DVD. "

" I read this when I was a journalist. Laughed myself to pieces. "