wanderaven's review against another edition
4.0
Wow, what a fascinating story. I knew nothing of it going into the book and, though the writing is elegant, it's also a bit plodding sometimes, so I almost stopped early on.
Very glad I didn't, and Barnes is definitely growing on me as a preferred author. Even if one of the characters hadn't been a famous figure (Sir Arthur Conan Doyle), the stories, and their confluence, were engaging. Barnes' writing is quiet, eloquent, and witty, and I will definitely be reading him again.
Very glad I didn't, and Barnes is definitely growing on me as a preferred author. Even if one of the characters hadn't been a famous figure (Sir Arthur Conan Doyle), the stories, and their confluence, were engaging. Barnes' writing is quiet, eloquent, and witty, and I will definitely be reading him again.
dllh's review against another edition
3.0
I enjoyed it and felt like it was heading toward being a 4-star book, but in the end it felt a little flabby and would've been better with about 50 pages shaved off.
a_verthandi's review against another edition
2.0
2.5 stars. It picks up in the back end, but getting through the first half is not very fun. The second half is more interesting because we finally see the interaction between Arthur and George.
carlajo713's review against another edition
1.0
Well I guess sometimes it's better to quit while you are ahead, or in this case quit before you waste any more time. Honestly, I can't remember why I added this to my list of books to read and I tried to like it. I really did. I felt somewhat confused reading and kept going back to reread to keep information straight. I didn't feel a pull to want to know the characters more. In fact, I didn't find them memorable at all. I found myself constantly checking how much percentage was left in the book and noticing the little bar on the bottom of my iPad and how little it was approaching the right side. to be done.... I decided to give it up. maybe it turned out better, or I would have started enjoying it, but I've decided not to read books for the sake of finishing. There has to be some love there. For Arthur and George, there was not. (wait were those their names? )
ava96's review against another edition
5.0
It's brilliant. I can't even imagine the kind of research Julian Barnes had to do before writing this masterpiece...
mary412's review against another edition
3.0
I love Sense of an Ending and expected all of Barnes' work to be similar, but that doesn't seem to be the case.
ronanmcd's review against another edition
5.0
Loved every bit of this. The first half of it is masterful. Slowly you can feel the conspiracy drawing in. The second half feels glossed over, hurried, by comparison. However were it a book in its own right, it would not seem so fast.
I read this over the Christmas holidays. I had planned to watch either the 39 Steps or the Great Train Robbery. This was the match of both for entertainment, and surpassed them as books do over films in almost every other way.
I read this over the Christmas holidays. I had planned to watch either the 39 Steps or the Great Train Robbery. This was the match of both for entertainment, and surpassed them as books do over films in almost every other way.
smemmott's review against another edition
4.0
I started reading without realizing that the book was based on true events, and I have to admit I was more impressed when I thought that Barnes had invented the bizarre case against George Edalji. But the core of the book is really the way Barnes explores the themes raised by the plot, not the plot itself. It's thoughtful and takes the characters seriously, with a completely believable look at their inner lives.