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millypip's review against another edition
4.0
Barnes offers us a a beautiful, heart-wrenching tale of the hopefulness of young love, and the pain of wringing the last few drops from its maturity. Paul is a naive, shaggy-haired student who falls in love with Susan at the local tennis club. She’s his mother’s age and married, but sly humoured, and full of life. The retrospective tone of the narrator adds to the sense of heart-hope, while not diminishing the feeling that this love must be doomed.
mschrock8's review against another edition
2.0
Sad, yet sweet. I enjoyed the cute phrases between Paul and Susan.
Listening length 7.25 hr
Listening length 7.25 hr
flicker_black's review against another edition
reflective
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
2.75
After reading the Booker prize winning work of this author last year and having enjoyed it, I decided to give this one a try and I neither could say that I liked nor disliked it in total, there were some parts that I liked but some parts that I did not like very much too.
If someone were to summarize the novel in terms of plot (spoilers ahead), I'd say something like “hmm so a self centered 19 years old brat “falls” in love with someone who is as old as his mother and even has two daughter of his age and of course this so called love of theirs doesn't last and so the latter part of book is him reflecting on it, yeah”
Like I said, I did not think that book was bad, it had its moments, like usually books uses tropes like abuse and alcoholism merely as a plot advancing method but here the characters actually tried to do something about it and it was discussed in length and that too in a realistic and poignant manner which I liked as a reader.
Having read books like that autobiography of Matthew Perry and “Beautiful Boy”, I have something like a soft spot for books that talks about addiction in a raw manner and so I liked that but I just couldn't look past the first half of the book, yes the boy is 19 years old and hence is grown enough to make his choice but c'mon, where are the senses of the old lady?
And the ending, I don't know, it is meant to be realistic and it was all good with them breaking up, carrying parts of each other and all that but that lack of reaction to her life going downhill? That makes me question the sincerity of this so-called love Casey Paul was convincing us of in the whole book.
The writing was neat, it was purposefully annoying at first but then pieces of their circumstances where you sort of can see why the main characters do what they do but shut up about the weather or the lack of it already.
emmag1995's review against another edition
dark
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
mousewithaberet's review against another edition
emotional
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? N/A
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
susanavald's review against another edition
5.0
What an amazing, brilliant and devastating book. I’m always surprised at my self for forgetting how much Barnes’ writing resonate with me and leaves such an impact. I just need to read more of his books!
aljosa's review against another edition
3.0
It was okay. Barnes writes beautifully, but somehow the story isvreally not that interesting. It's pretty much "The Graduate". Just like many of his books, this one is also devided into three chapters. The first chapter is the best one. There are many great quotes, but overall, it wasn't as good as I've thought it'd be. 3.2/5
greybeard49's review against another edition
4.0
A novel of real quality which reflects on the vagaries of life. Barnes does so by using one person’s great love affair as a lens to focus on the tenderness and savagery that life throws at him. Deeply moving and harrowing but executed so well.
yvkhan's review against another edition
5.0
I've always been somewhat biased against Julian Barnes. I first stumbled upon him through school, as one often does, and soon found that I was rather unexcited by his writing. The Sense of an Ending, though readable, seemed to lack any real humanist impulse, rendering it merely intellectual and rather lifeless. A History of the World in 10½ Chapters wasn't much better - I dropped that one about a few chapters in.
This impression of Barnes wasn't exactly improved by my adoration of his infamous rival in love, Jeanette Winterson. In contrast with Barnes, Winterson seemed all the more emotional and passionate, with Barnes' writing rendered all the more lifeless. It wasn't very fun to feel as if I was rooting for the adultress, so I decided to frame it as rooting for the lesbian, which suits me far more, hopefully. Anyways, because of all this, I began to half-ironically rally against Barnes - hatred for its own sake. Well, eventually, I started to feel a little guilty for judging him so harshly after reading so little of his writing, so I decided to pick up one other book of his to give him another shot. A book about adultery seemed all the more hilarious and ironic for my irreverent little brain, though it also hinted at a possible depth in Barnes' reaction to his wife's adultery, perhaps a sort of sympathy? My overactive imagination was excited at the possibility. Perhaps Pat Kavanaugh simply had a type - adulterers. Wouldn't that be fun?
However, I found myself rather impressed by this novel. It contained an emotional depth and intensity I was not expecting from Barnes, revealing a versatility to his writing. Barnes has a gift for writing not just memorable but realistic, self-aware narrators who are all too aware of their own biases and possible shortcomings. Here, he executes it with poignant effect, illustrating the decay of a teenager's first love and his own innocence in the process. With new, suppressed memories and the reframing of events previously recounted in the novel, Barnes' work reflects the way in which human sentimentality and nostalgia constantly inform and alter our perspective of our past. The revisiting of certain memories and motifs, even a certain dream, further adds to the realism of such a novel in the way it mimics our experiences with life, with our constant mental preoccupations, and the way the world around us, with all its symbols and euphemisms, all gain new significance with the forging of memories and increases in knowledge. Other details, including the changes from first to second to third person, the questioning of previous memories and even the forgetting of past memories reveal Barnes' understanding of the power and potential of the novel in its absolute ability to dictate the experience of the reader.
The novel doesn't simply excel in craft, it also paints a beautiful portrait of a youth, initially full of idealism and innocence, that eventually gets torn down and grounded by the world around him. His initial beliefs that love is all we need, that excitement is more important than anything else, that Susan is just as inexperienced as him, just as youthful and wide-eyed, are torn down one by one. His hatred for MacLeod, Susan's husband, and his parents as well, slowly fades throughout the novel as experience adds nuance to his perspective. His view of love is continuously questioned - eventually, one of the most poetic things Paul can say about love is that there is nothing that can be said for certain about it at all. Eventually, so are his ideas of maturity. Paul's older self critiques his younger self's ideas of age constantly, revealing their inevitable flaws as notions of one who is not yet experienced with the ways of the world. The character of Eric, representing the best of Paul's childhood years, eventually grows embittered, with even his own idealistic kindness ultimately broken in the face of the world's hardships. Paul eventually recollects a moment where he abandoned Eric out of fear when the two were confronted by bullies, throwing doubt on the idea of youth as a time of pure courage and ideals. Perhaps most heartbreakingly, the eventual surrender of Susan to her daughters, a culmination of adultery, deception and alcoholism, reveals the finite nature of our idealism, and the way it must, inevitably, end.
However, ultimately, Paul does not look down on youth. Rather, he continues to uphold it and treasure the emotions he experienced as one, with his love for Susan being "The Only Story", the only narrative that matters in his eyes. The complexity of such a perspective on youth as simultaneously a transcient, foolish time in our lives and yet one that could not be more valuable makes this novel all the more captivating. Ultimately, as painful and tragic Paul's love affair in Susan was, this pain cannot be separated from the passion and beauty that came with it, or perhaps, because of it.
All in all, I have, despite myself, been thoroughly impressed by Julian Barnes. Hopefully, this won't be "The Only Story" that I'll enjoy!
This impression of Barnes wasn't exactly improved by my adoration of his infamous rival in love, Jeanette Winterson. In contrast with Barnes, Winterson seemed all the more emotional and passionate, with Barnes' writing rendered all the more lifeless. It wasn't very fun to feel as if I was rooting for the adultress, so I decided to frame it as rooting for the lesbian, which suits me far more, hopefully. Anyways, because of all this, I began to half-ironically rally against Barnes - hatred for its own sake. Well, eventually, I started to feel a little guilty for judging him so harshly after reading so little of his writing, so I decided to pick up one other book of his to give him another shot. A book about adultery seemed all the more hilarious and ironic for my irreverent little brain, though it also hinted at a possible depth in Barnes' reaction to his wife's adultery, perhaps a sort of sympathy? My overactive imagination was excited at the possibility. Perhaps Pat Kavanaugh simply had a type - adulterers. Wouldn't that be fun?
However, I found myself rather impressed by this novel. It contained an emotional depth and intensity I was not expecting from Barnes, revealing a versatility to his writing. Barnes has a gift for writing not just memorable but realistic, self-aware narrators who are all too aware of their own biases and possible shortcomings. Here, he executes it with poignant effect, illustrating the decay of a teenager's first love and his own innocence in the process. With new, suppressed memories and the reframing of events previously recounted in the novel, Barnes' work reflects the way in which human sentimentality and nostalgia constantly inform and alter our perspective of our past. The revisiting of certain memories and motifs, even a certain dream, further adds to the realism of such a novel in the way it mimics our experiences with life, with our constant mental preoccupations, and the way the world around us, with all its symbols and euphemisms, all gain new significance with the forging of memories and increases in knowledge. Other details, including the changes from first to second to third person, the questioning of previous memories and even the forgetting of past memories reveal Barnes' understanding of the power and potential of the novel in its absolute ability to dictate the experience of the reader.
The novel doesn't simply excel in craft, it also paints a beautiful portrait of a youth, initially full of idealism and innocence, that eventually gets torn down and grounded by the world around him. His initial beliefs that love is all we need, that excitement is more important than anything else, that Susan is just as inexperienced as him, just as youthful and wide-eyed, are torn down one by one. His hatred for MacLeod, Susan's husband, and his parents as well, slowly fades throughout the novel as experience adds nuance to his perspective. His view of love is continuously questioned - eventually, one of the most poetic things Paul can say about love is that there is nothing that can be said for certain about it at all. Eventually, so are his ideas of maturity. Paul's older self critiques his younger self's ideas of age constantly, revealing their inevitable flaws as notions of one who is not yet experienced with the ways of the world. The character of Eric, representing the best of Paul's childhood years, eventually grows embittered, with even his own idealistic kindness ultimately broken in the face of the world's hardships. Paul eventually recollects a moment where he abandoned Eric out of fear when the two were confronted by bullies, throwing doubt on the idea of youth as a time of pure courage and ideals. Perhaps most heartbreakingly, the eventual surrender of Susan to her daughters, a culmination of adultery, deception and alcoholism, reveals the finite nature of our idealism, and the way it must, inevitably, end.
However, ultimately, Paul does not look down on youth. Rather, he continues to uphold it and treasure the emotions he experienced as one, with his love for Susan being "The Only Story", the only narrative that matters in his eyes. The complexity of such a perspective on youth as simultaneously a transcient, foolish time in our lives and yet one that could not be more valuable makes this novel all the more captivating. Ultimately, as painful and tragic Paul's love affair in Susan was, this pain cannot be separated from the passion and beauty that came with it, or perhaps, because of it.
All in all, I have, despite myself, been thoroughly impressed by Julian Barnes. Hopefully, this won't be "The Only Story" that I'll enjoy!
slugabed's review against another edition
reflective
sad
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
3.0