Reviews

I'm a big fan of Julian Barnes, so I was looking forward to reading this one. It was hard to put down so I read it all in (almost) one go. The characters, and the way the story unfolds, make a rather ordinary love triangle into something much more compelling with a great dose of comedy and interesting philosophies. A very fun book, cleverly written. But then again, I expected nothing less from Julian Barnes, off to the next one!

emiquals's review against another edition

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challenging dark emotional funny reflective slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

nienora's review against another edition

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funny reflective fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.25

Content Warnings

iryna's review against another edition

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reflective relaxing fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

2.0

thebookbully's review against another edition

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3.5

It's so interesting going back and reading Barnes' earlier work and seeing the themes and objects d'interet that continue through his works.

This story, like many of his others, isn't particularly groundbreaking or new, but the characters are all well developed and believable, and there is a dark comedic tone to the whole narrative. I enjoyed it.

igemona's review against another edition

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emotional reflective medium-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

4.25

walruz's review against another edition

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2.0

While I was intrigued at first, in the long run this novel dragged out far too long and ended up for me like a British yuppie version of No Exit. Add to it, the ending was a complete letdown.

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