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anna3101's review against another edition
1.0
I enjoyed several books by Barnes. Why, I actually loved them. I was so looking forward to reading this one, that's probably why the disappointment was really huge. For me, this book looked like a mix of pornography + a weak attempt at some psychological analysis. It was ugly, it was boring, it was disgusting at some places and totally implausible at others.
I'm glad I'm done with it and I hope other books by Barnes are more like Talking It Over than Before She Met Me.
I'm glad I'm done with it and I hope other books by Barnes are more like Talking It Over than Before She Met Me.
leonidasm's review against another edition
2.0
Βαρέθηκα τόσο πολύ θεέ μου...
Η ερωτική ζήλια και η φαιδρότητά της σε όλο της το μεγαλείο. Αυτό το σαράκι που σου κλέβει βίαια, ξεριζώνοντας τις στιγμές που θα έπρεπε να ζεις να αγαπάς να καυλωνεις.
Η ζήλια ακόμα και γι αυτούς που άγγιζαν το κορίτσι σου πριν ακόμα το γνωρίσεις. Γελοίο. Αλλά οι άνθρωποι το παθαίνουμε.
Θα μπορούσε να αξίζει...
Αλλά...
Η ερωτική ζήλια και η φαιδρότητά της σε όλο της το μεγαλείο. Αυτό το σαράκι που σου κλέβει βίαια, ξεριζώνοντας τις στιγμές που θα έπρεπε να ζεις να αγαπάς να καυλωνεις.
Η ζήλια ακόμα και γι αυτούς που άγγιζαν το κορίτσι σου πριν ακόμα το γνωρίσεις. Γελοίο. Αλλά οι άνθρωποι το παθαίνουμε.
Θα μπορούσε να αξίζει...
Αλλά...
al51's review against another edition
dark
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
jerinedloh's review against another edition
dark
emotional
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
aljosa's review against another edition
3.0
Well... That was, well, not bad, but certainly stupid.
So after a long affair, a college professor leaves his wife and marries his lover. And then he starts to question his new wife's previous relationships to the point of obsession which results in a murder and a suicide? It was unusual topic, but Graham had no reason to be jealous. As for her ongoing affair with his friend Jack, Graham shouldn't have done that. Killing for revenge is stupid.
Unlike other Barnes' novels (this was my fifth) this one feels like a proper story (Just like my favourite "The Sense of an Ending"), but something's missing. It just feels stupid. I'll give Barnes a pass though because this was only his second novel. (Three years later he wrote wonderful "Flaubert's Parrot") He was probably still finding himself as a writer. Some elements are still here (deep analysis of actions, for example)
And there weren't enough memorable quotes. Only two or three I believe whereas in the others I had at least a dozen.
So after a long affair, a college professor leaves his wife and marries his lover. And then he starts to question his new wife's previous relationships to the point of obsession which results in a murder and a suicide? It was unusual topic, but Graham had no reason to be jealous. As for her ongoing affair with his friend Jack, Graham shouldn't have done that. Killing for revenge is stupid.
Unlike other Barnes' novels (this was my fifth) this one feels like a proper story (Just like my favourite "The Sense of an Ending"), but something's missing. It just feels stupid. I'll give Barnes a pass though because this was only his second novel. (Three years later he wrote wonderful "Flaubert's Parrot") He was probably still finding himself as a writer. Some elements are still here (deep analysis of actions, for example)
And there weren't enough memorable quotes. Only two or three I believe whereas in the others I had at least a dozen.
ari_ceele's review against another edition
4.0
[Castellano abajo]
Graham is a good, mild-mannered man who, after his divorce, marries Ann, the love of his life. Things are ok until he discovers Ann's adultery... except that what he refers to as "adultery" are really a bunch of low-budget randy films Ann made years ago, before they even met. From this moment on Graham becomes obsessed about his wife's past lovers, be them real or imaginary, which affects his marriage and leads them to an unexpected situation.
This was my favourite Barnes novel for years, because it is as good as it is terrible. Since then I have read a lot more of his work and, while now I prefer others, this one's still definitely worth reading.
---
Graham es un buen hombre de trato afable que, después de su divorcio, se casa con Ann, el amor de su vida. Todo va bien hasta que descubre el adulterio de Ann... excepto que aquello que él llama «adulterio» son en realidad un grupo de películas calentonas de bajo presupuesto en las que Ann actuó años atrás, incluso antes de conocerse. Desde este momento, Graham se obsesiona con los examantes de su esposa, sean reales o imaginarios, lo que afecta su matrimonio y los lleva a una situación inesperada.
Esta fue mi novela favorita de Barnes durante años, por ser tan buena como es de terrible. Desde entonces le he leído muchas otras obras y, aunque ahora prefiero otras, esta definitivamente sigue valiendo la pena leerla.
Graham is a good, mild-mannered man who, after his divorce, marries Ann, the love of his life. Things are ok until he discovers Ann's adultery... except that what he refers to as "adultery" are really a bunch of low-budget randy films Ann made years ago, before they even met. From this moment on Graham becomes obsessed about his wife's past lovers, be them real or imaginary, which affects his marriage and leads them to an unexpected situation.
This was my favourite Barnes novel for years, because it is as good as it is terrible. Since then I have read a lot more of his work and, while now I prefer others, this one's still definitely worth reading.
---
Graham es un buen hombre de trato afable que, después de su divorcio, se casa con Ann, el amor de su vida. Todo va bien hasta que descubre el adulterio de Ann... excepto que aquello que él llama «adulterio» son en realidad un grupo de películas calentonas de bajo presupuesto en las que Ann actuó años atrás, incluso antes de conocerse. Desde este momento, Graham se obsesiona con los examantes de su esposa, sean reales o imaginarios, lo que afecta su matrimonio y los lleva a una situación inesperada.
Esta fue mi novela favorita de Barnes durante años, por ser tan buena como es de terrible. Desde entonces le he leído muchas otras obras y, aunque ahora prefiero otras, esta definitivamente sigue valiendo la pena leerla.
readswithtea29's review against another edition
3.0
Unhinged male protagonist and unlikeable supporting characters, but, like a train wreck, I couldn’t put Before She Met Me down.
roxyal04's review against another edition
dark
emotional
reflective
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
nunuseli's review against another edition
2.0
'El loro de Flaubert' me pareció muy bueno, 'Amor, etc.' estaba bastante bien, pero 'Antes de conocernos' ha sido bastante insufrible. Pero daré un voto de confianza a Julian Barnes y lo indultaré (de momento), porque al fin y al cabo 'Antes de conocernos' es sólo su segundo libro. Me ha parecido altamente previsible y totalmente prescindible. Empieza con un hombre que pasa por la crisis de los 40 y deja a su mujer y se vuelve a casar. Un día descubre que, antes de conocer a su nueva mujer, ésta había sido actriz y a partir de aquí le entran unos celos patológicos y grotescos. Parece bastante claro que lo que quería hacer Barnes era una tragicomedia como las que hace Nabokov: personajes llevados por grandes pasiones, que resultan ridículos y trágicos a la vez. Pero Barnes no me hizo reír ni una sola vez, así que la historia acaba siendo sólo ridícula y totalmente inverosímil. Él es un intelectual patoso y apocado y su anterior mujer es una bruja. Realmente muy original. Encima hay un artista, que supongo que tenía que ser una figura paródica, pero la parodia no tiene nada de mordacidad y acaba siendo sólo un personaje ridículo y totalmente inverosímil. El único personaje que me ha parecido mínimamente interesante, ha sido el de ella, porque no es ni una bruja ni una puta ni una santa. También me ha gustado que ellos dos, a pesar de por lo que pasan, se sigan queriendo. Pero, aún así, me ha parecido un libro totalmente prescindible.