Julian the Genius

Advantages: Funny, gripping, eminently readable
Disadvantages: None

...10 1/2 Chapters? Not only does Julian Barnes manage to condense the history of, not only the world, put the workings of the human psyche into under 11 chapters, he skilfully provides an extremely intriguing title to his novel. This gimmick is successful, as once you embark upon the journey of his tale you will not be disappointed. Each chapter of the book relates a self-contained short story and yet each chapter is inextricably linked from the rest of the book, through themes, topics, emotions and the human condition. 1. The Stowaway Barnes starts his epic journey by recounting the events surrounding the flooding of the earth and the 'rescue' of the animals by Noah in the Ark. This is certainly the most unique depiction of this story. The chapter is written in the first person and, it slowly transpires that it is being...

Ophelia 30.11.2002 · Read review
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Review of History of the World in 10 1/2 Chapters - Julian Barnes

Love Etc is a clever enough title for this

Advantages: Nice easy read for my holiday
Disadvantages: Writing style took a while to get used to.

...I picked up Love Etc (Julian Barnes) at a local library as they were having a book sale of withdrawn books. I have to admit to liking the cover and choosing this book purely on that basis. Love Etc is the sequel to an earlier novel ?Talking It Over?, which I have not read, but this has not had an impact on the enjoyment of this novel, and may even had improved on the story. I am not a lover of sequels unless I am aware that I am reading the first book of a trilogy, etc. Love Etc was first published in 2000. The writing style is unusual, and took me a while to get into the different characters. It reminds me of the film ?When Harry Met Sally? in the way the main characters take it in turns to talk to me, the reader. So, for instance, page one is Stuart talking to me. I wasn?t aware he was talking directly to me, and thought he...

orlando 30.08.2009 · Read review
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Review of Love, etc. - Julian Barnes

Don't look back in anger

Advantages: Beautifully written, warmth of humour
Disadvantages: May not have wide appeal because of character background - see review

...Recently I wrote a review of "The Collector" by John Fowles (read it, it's not bad!) in which I likened the book to such well-known "coming of age" classic novels as JD Salinger's "The Catcher in the Rye". "Metroland" by Julian Barnes contains that classic youth angst ingredient - the angry young man. Just as in the movies, this is a popular theme in literature and I guess it would be easy to say "Not another one!" but "Metroland" does have something new to offer. The novel is divided into three sections and the story begins in the 1960s; it is narrated by Chris who is approaching the end of his compulsory schooling. Chris and his middle-class family live in Metroland - that area now classed as north-west London, around Watford in Hertfordshire. You may know of Metroland from those posters used by London Underground in...

fizzytom 26.01.2004 · Read review
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Review of Metroland - Julian Barnes

The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes' Creator

Advantages: Excellent read
Disadvantages: None

...When I read "Flaubert's Parrot" I vowed never to read a book by Julian Barnes. I hated the boring and seemingly random sequence of anecdotes about a writer who should have been interesting but, somehow, was reduced to commonplace and humdrum. Notwithstanding my disapproval Barnes, famously Martin Amis' snooker buddy and a prominent member of the generation of new British novelists who surfaced in the late seventies, has been successful at the cerebral end of the modern English novel. However having made a sort of resolution to read all the 2005 Booker shortlist, and seen to my horror his name on it, I decided to put principle ahead of pride. I have to admit that as a lover of Sherlockiana it helped that the subject of the novel was none other than Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. The narrative weaves two separate stories. At first these...

JoePoirot 24.01.2006 · Read review
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Review of Arthur And George - Julian Barnes

A very Puzzling Affair

Advantages: true story, characterisation, brillauint research
Disadvantages: pace an direction of plot in first half of book

...I am very much a creature of habit when it comes to book reading. I know which genres I like and very rarely stray from them. You will never see me indulging in some horror, cheap tacky romance or crime. So what happens when it is difficult to pigeon hole a book into a specific genre? This was the case when I bought Arthur and George by Julian Barnes. The Booker Prize nominated Arthur and George is a funny beast. It is a faction (fiction based on a true story) twin biography with elements of a detective novel and just a little bit of romance thrown in for good measures. The book is set mostly in 19th and 20th century Britain. It details the lives of two (at first glance) unconnected gentlemen. The first one Arthur, the son of a mentally unstable, alcoholic, Irish artist grows up in poverty in Edinburgh becoming a doctor...

duskmaiden 19.10.2006 · Read review
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Review of Arthur And George - Julian Barnes

Take Two Medium Onions

Advantages: Brings out the Pedant in all of us
Disadvantages: Painfully short book - Just 133 Pages

...I have always enjoyed reading Julian Barnes` many and varied books; my favourite was ?England, England? in which an entrepreneur takes the best bits of England and places them in a giant theme park on the Isle of White. I say that was my favourite Barnes book until I won a signed copy of ?The Pedant in the Kitchen? which I read in one sitting on a glorious winter?s afternoon. ?Help!? Began the email. ?What?s a twenty-gram egg-yolk? How do I weigh it? If it?s too heavy, do I cut it in half?? Just one of the troubling questions faced by the Pedant in the kitchen aka Julian Barnes. A self confessed late-onset cook who was unaware of the fourth secret place in life after the voting booth, the marital bed and the pew ? the kitchen. When he was growing up the kitchen was not a place for boys but merely the place that meals and his mother...

stuleg 08.02.2004 · Read review
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Review of The Pedant In The Kitchen - Julian Barnes

Let's talk About Love

Advantages: many
Disadvantages: none

...I couldn’t believe what I saw when I looked up the opinions on Barnes, only four all in all, none about Love, etc! The media tell me that he’s one of your three contemporary literary biggies, together with Martin Amis and Ian McEwan. his work has been translated into 30 languages, he was shortlisted for the Booker (for the novel Flaubert’s parrot, his greatest success so far) and was the first Englishman in France to win both the prix médici and the prix fémina. He’s a committed Francophile and has been made chevalier de l’ordre des arts et des lettres in 1988 and officier of same in 1995 there. Not bad, eh? I’ll take it on me to inform you, I hope you’re grateful, if not, you’ll have to write all your book reviews yourselves in future! It was the author’s name - I had heard...

MALU 25.05.2003 (29.05.2003) · Read review
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Review of Love, etc. - Julian Barnes

Le Meridien Hotel, St. Julian's - Malta

Advantages: Staff, Facilities, Location
Disadvantages: Lift speed.

...On my recent holiday to Malta i stayed in Le Meridien Hotel, located in Saint Julian's. I would not normally have stayed in a 5 star hotel, but I was lucky enough to win some money towards a holiday from the company that I work for. Obviously, with free money, you are going to push the boat out a bit, and I am glad we did!! Location/Area We arrived at the hotel in the dark, quite late on a Friday night. The taxi brought us round a few small streets and then up quite a steep hill, thus bringing us to the reception of the hotel. My first impression was that it was in quite a strange location, but this is because i had only just seen where we were, and also it was dark, so everything seems different. The doors to the reception are round the back of the hotel and on the ground level floor. The hotel itself is situated on top...

lustba 08.04.2008 (15.04.2008) · Read review
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Review of Le Meridien, Saint Julian's

Barn Owl

Advantages: SPENDING TIME WITH A WILD ANIMAL
Disadvantages: TIME

...Barn Owls Barn owls don't really look like any other owl, they have round moon faces. They are beautiful creatures and are very pleasant to have as a pet. If you are planning on buy a owl as a pet, there are a few things that are vitally important. First make sure that the bird has a closed ring on. If it hasn't do not buy it, some birds of prey have rings that are not closed and these can not be sold on. (I was informed by the Independent Bird Register.) Once you have check this and everything is okay, then take time out to handle the bird and check its feet and opening its wings, and have a feel for lumps or anything you think isn't right. If you find something you must mention it to the breeder, 9 time out of 10 they don't know. You should received a article ten certificate to tell you that it is legal to keep...

KIWIMULLAN03 05.07.2007 (09.07.2007) · Read review
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Review of Barn Owl

A good start from Julian

Advantages: Easy read and enjoyable subject matter
Disadvantages: A bit of an obvious lead character

...This is Julian Clarys debut novel and a fairly good read it is. Plot ---------------- Johnny Debonair (aka JD, aka Johnny D!) grows up with his slightly odd mother and no father in Kent before being taken to stay at his Grandmothers in London when his mother gets a little too 'odd'. It's here that Johnny begins to get a sense of himself through his Grandmothers more focused attention. Johnny moves back home and embarks on a relationship with the local high society boy before heading to Drama School. This quickly takes a peculiar turn when his new flat mate Catherine, introduces him to a dark and seedy new profession. As Johnny's life begins to get more and more macabre he is suddenly given an opportunity to start on TV and he quickly becomes the best thing to hit the screen. But a dark past never stays hidden for long...

jonescraiga 11.11.2008 · Read review
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Review of Murder Most Fab - Julian Clary