The Loved One - Evelyn Waugh I finally made it all the way through one of Waugh's books. Granted, it's only a novella, but at least I finished it. I've tried to read a couple of his other novels and lost interest early on. They consist of skillful but very dry writing punctuated by infrequent guffaw-worthy moments. The Loved One follows that same pattern. It's a send-up of the American funeral industry for both humans and pets, tangled up with a warped romance. I was only going to give it two stars. I couldn't get excited about it, despite the clever bits. The ending is priceless, though. Totally unexpected and hilarious! For that I've added one more star.