I thought it was great. 'Nasty and shocking' was pretty much what kept Waugh going, I'd say. His story Mr Loveday's Little Outing is rather in the same vein and many modern forensic psychiatrists/psychologists would do well to study it.
I've read most of his novels and novellas/short stories, plus biographies and collected letters and diaries. Fascinating person but I think I would have loathed him in person (and he'd have had no time for me, that's for sure 
).
Brideshead is the least typical in my view because there isn't nearly as much of the nasty, shocking stuff in it.