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3.2 AVERAGE
3.2 AVERAGE
I rarely give two stars to books I finish, but this was a snooze-fest
I really struggle with his writing for some reason. I didn't enjoy the book until mid-way through, and I thought the stories toward the end were the strongest.
dark
emotional
funny
reflective
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
This collection of short stories was uneven. Don’t I say this about every collection of short stories? Well, except for the one I found evenly bad, but I won’t mention any names.
The book’s main theme is the relations between French and British, specifically the stories of Brits in France. Being neither French, nor British (at least not for another two years) this is a foreign territory for me. I see both countries through my Polish glasses. France is mostly Napoleon and his broken promises made to the Polish people and also a penchant for romantic/dramatic gestures which we seem to share (although the Polish tend to stick to them longer than it seems reasonable). The British we resent a little bit for the WWII business, and the Yalta, but we also love them because they are what we wish we could be if we could only get our shit together. We also love them because they were the first EU country to fully open their borders to us and let us colonise their land. Finally, we look at both countries with a certain suspicion because they don’t have Jesus in their hearts anymore. And Jesus is very important. So is Virgin Mary.
The impression I have of British-French relations is a peculiar mix of love and hate. The two countries are locked in some silent eternal battle. They constantly invade each other culturally and linguistically and fight to be on top. And they will probably do so long after the world forgets about them and moves on (some say it has happened already).
Having worked for 3.5 year for a London wine broker dealing in high-end stuff (mostly Bordeaux and Burgundy) I have witnessed all of that first hand. It’s no surprise then that I really liked the stories which dealt with wine. One of my favourite stories was Hermitage, a tale about two English ladyfriends who move to Bordeaux to make wine and live happily ever after.
I also liked the one about sex (as I would) called Experiment. It’s about a group of French surrealists pulling a prank on an old Englishman and it’s full of quotables:
“ […] [I] would annually try to avoid getting as drunk as I had the previous year. I can’t say I ever succeeded, because though each year my resolution was stronget, so was the countervailing force of my uncle’s tediousness. In my experience, there are various good but less motives – guilt, fear, misery, happiness – for indulging in a certain excess of drink, and one larger motive for indulging in a great excess: boredom. At one time I knew a clever alcoholic who insisted that he drank because things then happened to him such as never did when he was sober. I half-believed him, though to my mind drink does not really make things happen, it simply helps you bear the pain of things not happening. For instance, the pain of my uncle being exceptionally boring on his birthdays.”
There was also quite a touching story about an old Englishwoman whose life revolved around caring for the grave of her brother, who died in the First World War. This was the only story in the collection that was emotionally developed, the rest of them were clever, imaginative, linguistically brilliant but emotionally stunted.
I think this is why Julian Barnes and I will never fall in love, even though we should. He has got everything I admire and look for in a writer. I want imagination, I want a beautiful language, I never consciously demand emotions, as I am not much into drama, but I suppose it’s one of those things I don’t want but I need them.
I will close this review of Barnes’ work with the following quote:
“The hairy navvy now transferred his suspicion from the label to the viand.”
That’s Barnes for you. He is going to send to the dictionary ten times a page. A lesser writer would just write ‘food’, but not Barnes. For Barnes it’s ‘viand’.
The book’s main theme is the relations between French and British, specifically the stories of Brits in France. Being neither French, nor British (at least not for another two years) this is a foreign territory for me. I see both countries through my Polish glasses. France is mostly Napoleon and his broken promises made to the Polish people and also a penchant for romantic/dramatic gestures which we seem to share (although the Polish tend to stick to them longer than it seems reasonable). The British we resent a little bit for the WWII business, and the Yalta, but we also love them because they are what we wish we could be if we could only get our shit together. We also love them because they were the first EU country to fully open their borders to us and let us colonise their land. Finally, we look at both countries with a certain suspicion because they don’t have Jesus in their hearts anymore. And Jesus is very important. So is Virgin Mary.
The impression I have of British-French relations is a peculiar mix of love and hate. The two countries are locked in some silent eternal battle. They constantly invade each other culturally and linguistically and fight to be on top. And they will probably do so long after the world forgets about them and moves on (some say it has happened already).
Having worked for 3.5 year for a London wine broker dealing in high-end stuff (mostly Bordeaux and Burgundy) I have witnessed all of that first hand. It’s no surprise then that I really liked the stories which dealt with wine. One of my favourite stories was Hermitage, a tale about two English ladyfriends who move to Bordeaux to make wine and live happily ever after.
I also liked the one about sex (as I would) called Experiment. It’s about a group of French surrealists pulling a prank on an old Englishman and it’s full of quotables:
“ […] [I] would annually try to avoid getting as drunk as I had the previous year. I can’t say I ever succeeded, because though each year my resolution was stronget, so was the countervailing force of my uncle’s tediousness. In my experience, there are various good but less motives – guilt, fear, misery, happiness – for indulging in a certain excess of drink, and one larger motive for indulging in a great excess: boredom. At one time I knew a clever alcoholic who insisted that he drank because things then happened to him such as never did when he was sober. I half-believed him, though to my mind drink does not really make things happen, it simply helps you bear the pain of things not happening. For instance, the pain of my uncle being exceptionally boring on his birthdays.”
There was also quite a touching story about an old Englishwoman whose life revolved around caring for the grave of her brother, who died in the First World War. This was the only story in the collection that was emotionally developed, the rest of them were clever, imaginative, linguistically brilliant but emotionally stunted.
I think this is why Julian Barnes and I will never fall in love, even though we should. He has got everything I admire and look for in a writer. I want imagination, I want a beautiful language, I never consciously demand emotions, as I am not much into drama, but I suppose it’s one of those things I don’t want but I need them.
I will close this review of Barnes’ work with the following quote:
“The hairy navvy now transferred his suspicion from the label to the viand.”
That’s Barnes for you. He is going to send to the dictionary ten times a page. A lesser writer would just write ‘food’, but not Barnes. For Barnes it’s ‘viand’.
adventurous
funny
informative
lighthearted
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
N/A
Strong character development:
N/A
Loveable characters:
N/A
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
2.5 plus an extra 0.5 only because of the writing.
This is a bit of a weird collection of short stories. It seems like they have been originally published in magazines and then just put together randomly for this collection. The stories take place in a period from the 19th century to 1996, which doesn't help the collection either in coming together as a whole.
The main theme is the bickery between the English and the French. There are a few funny scenes, but overall it is very posh and elitist. Although that might have been the point, it was a bit annoying to read in such an agglomerated way.
Barnes' writing skills saved it a bit for me, but apart from two stories I wasn't really that interested overall. I'm also tempted to say that Barnes would write these stories differently today.
This is a bit of a weird collection of short stories. It seems like they have been originally published in magazines and then just put together randomly for this collection. The stories take place in a period from the 19th century to 1996, which doesn't help the collection either in coming together as a whole.
The main theme is the bickery between the English and the French. There are a few funny scenes, but overall it is very posh and elitist. Although that might have been the point, it was a bit annoying to read in such an agglomerated way.
Barnes' writing skills saved it a bit for me, but apart from two stories I wasn't really that interested overall. I'm also tempted to say that Barnes would write these stories differently today.
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
hopeful
informative
inspiring
lighthearted
mysterious
reflective
relaxing
sad
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
there were some stories that just seemed slice-of-life and then i read one that was utterly harrowing and i will not be able to forget it even if i try. and then right after it went to one about bicycles. the range of content and voices is very impressive and the writing style is really nice. after reading dragons, i half-admire, half-fear barnes. he's got range.
There were a lot of ideas I liked in here, but perhaps I prefer when Barnes follows through with them in a novel. I didn't find this collection of short stories an especially striking work of Barnes', though I like Anglo-French relations, absurd writers retreats, and Victorian lesbians who own wineries together. Of the set I probably liked the first story the best, but I'd been hoping they'd improve from there and I wasn't sure they did. Again, the writing is excellent and the topics are generally the sort of thing I'm fond of, but there was no punch-in-the-gut that I'm used to getting from reading Barnes.
I would like to talk to him in person about this book. One day.
I would like to talk to him in person about this book. One day.
reflective
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
Julian Barnes is a skilled writer and observer of humans. Every story is a small polished gem with something or someone to ponder. My only “complaint “ is that, as a non-European, I suspect I did not understand, appreciate or even (in many cases) notice the involvement of the subtly nuanced relationship between the English and the French.
Actual rating: 3.5 stars. (I enjoyed some short stories more than others, hence the rating.)