Julian Barnes, born in 1946, is an English writer who won the Man Booker Prize for Sense of an Ending (2011). Three of his earlier books had been shortlisted for the Booker Prize: Flaubert's Parrot, England,England and Arthur and George. He also writes crime fiction under the pseudonym Dan Kavanagh.
ARTHUR AND GEORGE, a Novel
Claurene:
The story is based on true events approximately one hundred years ago. It follows the lives of two young boys who have very different lives. One is Arthur Conan Doyle, the author of the Sherlock Holmes novels and the other is George Edalji, a half Indian solicitor who is the son of a vicar. Their lives come together and Arthur Conan Doyle helps George who has been wrongly accused of a crime and has ended up in prison. Conan Doyle fights for justice as he believes George is innocent. There are elements of spirituality. Claurene said it was a very enjoyable book.
Bev:
Bev didn't like it. It started off with philosophy so she gave it a miss.
THE ONLY STORY
Connie:
Connie said it reads like an autobiography. The writing is in 1st person as if it actually happened. Paul, 19 years old falls in love with a woman 29 years older. She is married with two children. He is allowed to go and sleep with her at her home. She enjoyed the first part but the second and third part are written in the second and third person making it very confusing. She said it was very different but she did finish it as she enjoyed the first part.
Diann:
She started to enjoy it. The story begins with Paul, a 19 year old man talking about himself He meets an older woman and he is agonizing about the nature of love. Diann was turned off and wouldn't recommend this book.
Val:
She also read this book. The latter part of the book is Paul ruminating about love and getting old. Val said it gave her a lot to think about.
THE NOISE OF TIME
Joan:
It is a fictional story about the life of the Russian composer, Dimitri Shostakovich but written like an autobiography. It is written in 3 parts - Pre Stalin, Stalin's Purge and post Stalin. Shostakovich is always in fear of being taken off for interrogation and he worries about his family. It's the story of a former composer who had to survive in a tough controlling system. Joan couldn't say she enjoyed it. She also read Sense of an Ending. This story is narrated by Tony Webster ruminating on his life and the imperfections of memory. Joan said the author has a wonderful writing skill. She also read his short stories. One story called Marriage Lines was a beautiful 8 page story of a widowed husband who returns to Shetland Islands trying to recapture what he had with his wife.
Pat:
Pat also read The Noise of Time but she could only read about ten or twenty pages at a time. The protagonist was quite paranoid. She couldn't get into it and wouldn't recommend it. She felt that perhaps his short stories may have been better.
LEVELS OF LIFE
Prue:
Prue started to read this book but there was no hook to get her in. It was set in the 1830's, 40's and 50's. It was about people who went ballooning and other adventures. One of these was Sarah Bernhardt. She found it hard going. The second part was in a different style. He was grieving for his wife who had died and was ruminating about it. This part was much better and now Prue want to finish the book. Prue said his writing is very good.
Julia:
Julia couldn't get into it and found it boring. She also read Sense of an Ending and found this book much better.
SENSE OF AN ENDING
Sheila:
She only read to page 40. It was about male adolescent ruminations. She stopped reading as she couldn't stand it a moment longer. It's about three young blokes, 16-17yr olds. A new boy joins the school. The three other boys like him very much. He seems better educated. As the boys got older Sheila found she related to the feelings and understood what the author was trying to get across. The main character gets married, has a child and gets divorced and at 60 he receives a letter from a solicitor which makes him think about his life.
Kris:
Tony Webster is the main character and narrator. In the first part of the book the young Tony meets Veronica who becomes his girlfriend. He goes to stay at her parent's house for the weekend. The relationship is quite confusing to Tony and it eventually falls apart. In the second part Tony is left some money from Veronica's mother and a legacy. This forces him to re-evaluate his life. It's a story of ageing and regret and questioning the accuracy of memories. It has an unusual ending. It was beautifully written and a good read.
Judy D
Judy also said it was beautifully written. It makes you realize that all actions have consequences. She read it twice.
HISTORY OF THE WORLD IN 10 1/2 CHAPTERS
Pamela:
This is a collection of short stories all written in different styles. It is a mix of fiction and non fiction. She said it was a Tour de Force. Some stories are better than others. It starts off with the Stowaway, a different version of Noah's Ark. The third one is Wars of Religion which involves a form of a court case. The story "The Survivor" is extremely ambiguous,. Another story is "The Shipwreck" about the sinking of the Medusa. Pamela said the author has been very clever and there is a lot of ambiguity in the stories.
THE MAN IN THE RED COAT
Judy A:
This is an examination of La Belle Epoque period in Paris which lasted from1880 until World War 1.
It is told through the life of pioneering surgeon Dr Samuel Pozzi, a French descendant of Italian parentage. Judy only got to page 105. The story is partly biographical.
DECEMBER: The best book we have read this year .
Our next Bookclub meeting will be on 17th December, the third Thursday of the month.
Please bring along your own morning tea as we will be having our Christmas lunch after Bookclub. The venue is at Cornerstone Cafe, all arranged by our hardworking convenor, Julia. It will be fun to get together to share a meal and your chance to wear something festive.
Please bring a wrapped gift of a book you no longer want.
Kris
