This is the story of a man, Tony Webster, who is looking back on his life. Recent events cause his outlook on certain past events, and indeed his entire life, to change.
What I think
This is not a lengthy book and I put off buying it for several months, despite wanting to read it, due to cost. I generally buy books for my kindle now (even though I still love 'real' books) due to convenience. Living in Hong Kong it's not always easy to find titles and even if you can find/order them, the prices are often inflated. Initially this book was priced at over £6.00 and for an e-book I have real trouble paying that kind of price. Is this just me?
However, the cost came down and I bought it and recently read it. It's not a 'light' or 'easy' read, more of a challenge I'd say, and I'd possibly go as far as to say a little pretentious. However, there is enough of a story to keep you interested and turning the pages. I liked the fact that I, as the reader, thought I was one step ahead of the main character, but I wasn't. The ending is still a shock and I love it when the authors are clever enough to enable that to happen.
There was a strong theme of love and life in this book. How do we love and how do we live. There was the 'ordinary' vs. the 'extreme'. I felt questions were raised about how much control you have over your life and how much your life controls you.
About the Author
Pretentious books turn me off very easily, I'd always prefer those which flow gently and naturally :) But this book does looks like it has it's redeeming qualities, thank you for the review!
ReplyDeleteI'm now a proud new follower of your blog, do drop by mine @ bookaworld.wordpress.com too!
-Alicia
bookaworld.wordpress.com
Dear Alicia,
DeleteMany thanks for reading my blog entry and posting a comment. The book definitely does have its redeeming qualities, so it's still worth a read.
I've had a look at your blog - great work! I've become a follower, so will be looking forward to hearing from you.
Laura
Like you I have been thinking about picking this novel up for a while. Off to the UK next week so will pick up a hard copy there. You are right to say that books are too expensive, Laura. I've been using my kindle as well but the digital copies are still overpriced.
ReplyDeleteI'm pleased to hear I'm not the only one who thinks digital books are overpriced. I feel a little guilty saying it. If I ever publish a book, no doubt I'll hate people like me!
DeleteHave a good trip to the UK.
Laura
I read this over Christmas and really liked it too :)
ReplyDeleteBarnes has created a vivid example of how memory plays its tricks. Given that we cannot be sure of an ultimate truth and that Tony himself says ageing memory is mutable (he being an unreliable narrator), why should we trust any second hand reports contained in the book? The only reason we might believe that Adrian fathered Adrian Jr is that the "young minder" told Tony so. But he supposedly knew only what Veronica told him, so why should his version be trusted?
ReplyDeleteRemember that Tony did have sex with Veronica that one time and then dropped her before heading off to America. Veronica has told the caretaking group that her name is Mary and that the younger Adrian is her brother. But if she gave a false name, why do we suppose the rest of her story is true? I rather suspect that Tony is the father and Veronica the mother of Adrian Jr, and that all the way through and beyond the end of the novel Tony doesn't get it.
Dear Italia,
ReplyDeleteThanks for reading and for your comments. You have given me food for thought - yes, maybe that's the truth after all and Tony just doesn't get it, as Veronica is keen to point out to him throughout the novel.
You've made this sound like an interesting novel I'd like to read. Being rather full of my own cleverness myself, I especially like the idea of thinking that you're one up on the protagonist when you're really not. I love books that are smarter than me (but not too smart). I guess it's a fine line between compelling and boring, so I admire authors who accomplish it. Thanks for the review. http://about.me/pennyfreeman
ReplyDeleteIt's definitely a fine line between clever and too clever (= boring), but I think this book has achieved it nicely with a compelling plot as well. It deserved its prize (although I haven't read any of the other contenders, so I can't compare).
DeleteWe live life with the assumption that age and time erode our memories of the past - that pain mitigates, and joy too looses it's ecstasy. If it sounds like a gross generalization, at least this is what I, as a 26 year old, had so long believed. In this poignant and tragic account of a 60 year old looking back at his life - indeed, all the way back to his school days - Julian Barnes (or rather Tony Webster) argues otherwise.
ReplyDeleteReconciled to a lonely life, Tony Webster is past the stage of responsibility; way past. As he waits for the inevitable end to his days - no, it's not an illness, but presumably a state of mind - a letter from a lawyer stirs memories of a long forgotten past; memories even he had thought his mind to be incapable of conjuring. As the events unfold, he is forced to reevaluate his old relationships, reconsider the consequences of his actions, and indeed, re-imagine his past.
The title is apt to the point of being 'philosophically self-evident', for this is a book about a past that is never stagnant, a remorse that is incurable, and a grief that is inconsolable.