Thursday 27 June 2013

Julian Barnes – The Sense of an Ending


the Sense of an Ending by Julian Barnes


This book is almost impossible to describe.  Certainly to describe in a way that does it justice.  It has been called "a jewel", "clever", "suspenseful", "beautiful" and "at times side-splittingly funny".  All I know is that it kept me fully engaged and I finished it feeling satisfied.  I knew I had read something really good.

It is a reasonably short book and you get the feeling that every word deserved to be there.  You end up thinking about time and how your past affects your present.

Small warning – there is a bit of sexual content – mostly funny if a bit crude.

Don't be put off that it won the Man Booker prize – it isn't all high falutin'.

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5 comments:

  1. So glad you enjoyed this book. I thought it was one of the best books I read last year.

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  2. Thanks for a helpful review - I have read a couple of Julian Barnes book, and I always quite like them rather than love them. I'm all in favour of short ones though!

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  3. I love a book that leaves you filling fulfilled when finished. I hope to read this one soon! Thanks for sharing!
    Happy Reading,
    Rebecca @ The Key to the Gate

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  4. THANKS for the good review and for the July Edition of Books We Loved.


    Stopping by from Carole's Books You Loved July Edition. I am in the list as #75.

    Elizabeth
    Silver's Reviews
    My Book Entry

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  5. Human relations are complicated. And human emotions are much more complicated. WHY ? coz most of the times we ourselves don’t know how will we react to particular situation. We surprise ourselves.

    Memories are still more complicated and tricky. We unconsciously and conveniently alter them and present it for others (sometimes for ourselves) the way we want... rather the way IT EXACTLY WAS!!

    Initially author tries to give different definitions of history through different characters of the story about some great political events of the past and then the way he uses those definitions to the history a common man creates out of his own life may not be of much importance to others. But YES, each and every man creates history in his own way!!

    “The sense of an ending” is one book which tells a simple story but the complications of relationships, emotions and altering memories to write our own history the way we wanted it to be.

    In authors own words “What you end up remembering isn't always the same as what you have witnessed.”

    The discussions which are there in the book makes us think about many aspects of life. And sometimes forced me to think and accept ignorance is bliss. The more we know or think about life, the complicated it becomes.

    All in all, this entire book is a master piece and worth every bit of appreciation and awards it has received!!

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