marthaos's review against another edition
3.0
This book of short stories by Julian Barnes was both entertaining and mildly melancholic. Barnes has a way of writing about death, with gravitas and insight, but also with levity and humour. Such was the writing in “Levels of Life” and “The Sense of an Ending”.
These stories were written from various voices, some female, some male, mostly English, but also American and European; but the common thread seemed to be people who were aging. As such, questions of mortality, illness and death prevailed, and if not always blatantly addressed, lurked darkly overhead. The tone was overwhelmingly middle class, and there was much attention given to food, another theme that linked the stories.
However I felt that the author’s voice was too present in these stories, and the stories themselves were too similar to one another to make a satisfying collection. Read independently of one another, they are all strong stories, but read as part of a collection, none really stood out for me. Even the clever “Knowing French”, where the fictional protagonist addresses Barnes, the author in a series of letters, failed to stand apart as an excellent piece, despite its clever premise. The theme, voice and tone was too similar to the other stories to endure in lasting memory, in my opinion.
Overall this collection was very readable. The writing, as always, was distinguished and stylish. Each story was incisive and well crafted. However, I would have really liked to see more variety within the collection, I would have liked Barnes to tackle the subject of aging from far more wide-ranging voices and backgrounds and to venture outside of his comfort zone as I think this would have made for a more exciting read and stand-out stories that persist for longer.
These stories were written from various voices, some female, some male, mostly English, but also American and European; but the common thread seemed to be people who were aging. As such, questions of mortality, illness and death prevailed, and if not always blatantly addressed, lurked darkly overhead. The tone was overwhelmingly middle class, and there was much attention given to food, another theme that linked the stories.
However I felt that the author’s voice was too present in these stories, and the stories themselves were too similar to one another to make a satisfying collection. Read independently of one another, they are all strong stories, but read as part of a collection, none really stood out for me. Even the clever “Knowing French”, where the fictional protagonist addresses Barnes, the author in a series of letters, failed to stand apart as an excellent piece, despite its clever premise. The theme, voice and tone was too similar to the other stories to endure in lasting memory, in my opinion.
Overall this collection was very readable. The writing, as always, was distinguished and stylish. Each story was incisive and well crafted. However, I would have really liked to see more variety within the collection, I would have liked Barnes to tackle the subject of aging from far more wide-ranging voices and backgrounds and to venture outside of his comfort zone as I think this would have made for a more exciting read and stand-out stories that persist for longer.
whogivesabook's review against another edition
4.0
Got told that I'd love Barnes and I wasn't disappointed.
This is a fantastic collection of short stories that revolve around the themes of old age and death. That's pretty standard for me. I'm bound to love a collection if it's about mortality.
The stories are smart, sharp and dry-humoured.
His writing is a little old-guard, so his characters are quite repugnant. Just watch out for that if you're not a fan of realism. Me... I like characters that feel real. Warts and all.
I think more collections like this should exist. Picking a theme and really digging into it is hugely rewarding for a reader. A novel tackles a theme from a few perspectives, maybe. But so many short stories mean that you're tackling it from so many different directions that you get this sense of pace and clarity.
And, of course, they bump into each other in your brain. It forms connections. Relationships.
Best stories:
✒️ A Short History Of Hairdressing
✒️ Hygiene
✒️ Knowing French
There's a lot of skill demonstrated here. Highly recommended.
This is a fantastic collection of short stories that revolve around the themes of old age and death. That's pretty standard for me. I'm bound to love a collection if it's about mortality.
The stories are smart, sharp and dry-humoured.
His writing is a little old-guard, so his characters are quite repugnant. Just watch out for that if you're not a fan of realism. Me... I like characters that feel real. Warts and all.
I think more collections like this should exist. Picking a theme and really digging into it is hugely rewarding for a reader. A novel tackles a theme from a few perspectives, maybe. But so many short stories mean that you're tackling it from so many different directions that you get this sense of pace and clarity.
And, of course, they bump into each other in your brain. It forms connections. Relationships.
Best stories:
✒️ A Short History Of Hairdressing
✒️ Hygiene
✒️ Knowing French
There's a lot of skill demonstrated here. Highly recommended.
rysiaczek's review against another edition
4.0
Nie przepadam za opowiadaniami. Tym razem jednak Barnes mnie kupił - już wiem, że opowiadania kończące się śmiercią są idealne.
keepreadingbooks's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
reflective
slow-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
“One feeling at least grows stronger in me with each year that passes – a longing to see the cranes. At this time of the year I stand on the hill and watch the sky. Today they did not come. There were only wild geese. Geese would be beautiful if cranes did not exist.”
I like reading about old age, and about life from an old-age perspective. I’m not sure why – preparation for that stage of life, knowing that it’s something that I will (hopefully) experience eventually? It’s a thing that will probably always feel alien to those who haven’t reached old age yet, yet it’s something most of us will experience, which makes it more intriguing to me than many other topics/perspectives that are not inevitable in the same way. Julian Barnes’ The Lemon Table is a collection of short stories that address the topic of growing old, and I had high hopes but was left feeling a bit dissatisfied.
I’m not sure it’s the collection’s fault – it’s mainly a case of not matching my expectations. Only one story (Appetite) gave me the feeling I was searching for, but at least that story was really spot on. It might be in the top 10 of my most memorable and moving stories. A few others were closer, but most of them were not. I had the feeling that they were mocking the follies of old age, and I was probably looking for something more moving instead. Maybe I got the intended tone wrong, but that’s how they came across to me. Barnes is a highly intelligent writer too, and a number of the stories were too erudite, in my humble opinion.
I like reading about old age, and about life from an old-age perspective. I’m not sure why – preparation for that stage of life, knowing that it’s something that I will (hopefully) experience eventually? It’s a thing that will probably always feel alien to those who haven’t reached old age yet, yet it’s something most of us will experience, which makes it more intriguing to me than many other topics/perspectives that are not inevitable in the same way. Julian Barnes’ The Lemon Table is a collection of short stories that address the topic of growing old, and I had high hopes but was left feeling a bit dissatisfied.
I’m not sure it’s the collection’s fault – it’s mainly a case of not matching my expectations. Only one story (Appetite) gave me the feeling I was searching for, but at least that story was really spot on. It might be in the top 10 of my most memorable and moving stories. A few others were closer, but most of them were not. I had the feeling that they were mocking the follies of old age, and I was probably looking for something more moving instead. Maybe I got the intended tone wrong, but that’s how they came across to me. Barnes is a highly intelligent writer too, and a number of the stories were too erudite, in my humble opinion.
dllh's review against another edition
4.0
Lots of really lovely prose, often about pretty unpleasant things. Barnes confronts aging with a variety of treatments. You'd think such a collection would start to feel a little one-note, but it didn't. Will read again.
paulineerika's review against another edition
3.0
Some stories I really enjoyed--"Hygiene," "The Revival"--while others I read just to get through the book, such as "Knowing French." This is the second Julian Barnes book I've read, the first being The Sense of an Ending, and I want to like him. I really do. And sometimes I do. The problem is, sometimes he gets a little too wordy and introspective and it's hard to get through, especially if there's no plot driving things along. I may persevere and check out some of his other books, but so far, I've been a little disappointed, if only because of my high hopes and expectations for his work.
deea_bks's review against another edition
3.0
I'd give a 5 to this book for some of the stories and a 2 for others. Not sure I understood "the others", the ones that I'd give two stars to.
bjr2022's review against another edition
4.0
If you want a well-done critique with synopses of each story, read Cecily's review.
Mea culpa
My reading time was fractured: I was constantly interrupted by work and then for several days I peered at the damned Kindle with its quirky formatting through blocked sinuses that made me feel stupid and sometimes a little insane. Also, this was my first Julian Barnes book, so I did not understand his references to his other books, and I am Amerkin, not British, so ditto re the Britishisms. Given my pathetic attention, clogged brain, and lack of erudition, it is a testament to Mr. Barnes that I still think he's a very good writer—plus which, lots of other smart Goodreaders have said he is, and, despite my wretched state, I know enough not to make waves from the bottom of a viscous sea.
The stories are all about getting older. (The titular lemon is a symbol of death—explained in the final story.) All are moving, honest, funny, saucy, and sophisticated. In a story called "Hygiene" a man is up on a ladder to clean the roof gutter—as he's done for 25 years:
That just about says it all.
Mea culpa
My reading time was fractured: I was constantly interrupted by work and then for several days I peered at the damned Kindle with its quirky formatting through blocked sinuses that made me feel stupid and sometimes a little insane. Also, this was my first Julian Barnes book, so I did not understand his references to his other books, and I am Amerkin, not British, so ditto re the Britishisms. Given my pathetic attention, clogged brain, and lack of erudition, it is a testament to Mr. Barnes that I still think he's a very good writer—plus which, lots of other smart Goodreaders have said he is, and, despite my wretched state, I know enough not to make waves from the bottom of a viscous sea.
The stories are all about getting older. (The titular lemon is a symbol of death—explained in the final story.) All are moving, honest, funny, saucy, and sophisticated. In a story called "Hygiene" a man is up on a ladder to clean the roof gutter—as he's done for 25 years:
. . . as he stood there, all protected, Wellington boots on his feet, windcheater around him, woolly cap on his head and rubber gloves on his hands, he would sometimes feel the tears begin and he knew it wasn't because of the wind, and then he'd get stuck, one rubber hand clamped to the guttering, the other one pretending to poke in the curve of thick plastic, and he'd be scared fartless. Of the whole damn thing."
That just about says it all.