Author: Julian Barnes

  • Arthur and George by Julian Barnes

    Arthur and George by Julian Barnes

    I was wrong to be daunted by this. All of the Julian Barnes I had read to this point were short novels that hit like a sledgehammer. They demand close, slow, attentive reading. I worried that 400+ pages of that would be overwhelming. I underestimated Julian Barnes. This is the (fictionalized) true story of Sir…

  • Elizabeth Finch by Julian Barnes

    Still readable but at least one tier below his best. Weak Barnes is still pretty good though. The middle third of this book is a weird inclusion, and at least 25 pages longer than it should be. I imagine this will be one of the books recommended for Barnes completists only.

  • Levels of Life by Julian Barnes

    Seems rude to rate and review someone’s grief. This is beautiful, haunting and memorable. Get it.

  • The Only Story by Julian Barnes

    Julian Barnes is a new favourite author. I hadn’t read anything by him until The Sense of an Ending a couple months ago, and I haven’t been able to get that book out of my head since. This one might even be better. It’s one of the saddest things I’ve ever read. Even so, I was absolutely…

  • Sense of an Ending by Julian Barnes

    Sense of an Ending by Julian Barnes

    It’s great, if you’re a certain demographic.