Reviews

How fitting to end 2017 with a book about deaths and endings and then I'll start the New Year with a book with a title for a beginning: [b:Pulse|8608089|Pulse|Julian Barnes|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1329249410s/8608089.jpg|13478360]
Overall rating: 8/10

By story:
"A Short History of Hairdressing" - 8/10
"The Story of Mats Israelson" 5/10
"The Things You Know" 10/10
"Hygiene" 6/10
"The Revival 7/10
"Vigilance" 10/10
"Bark" 6/10
"Knowing French" 10/10
"Appetite" 8/10
"The Fruit Cage" 9/10
"The Silence" 8/10

littletaiko's review against another edition

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4.0

Julian Barnes is one of my favorite authors and this collection of short stories did not disappoint. There are 11 stories that deal with aging and coming to terms with the last phase of your life in a very honest, at times bittersweet, and at times amusing ways. The only strange part was that there were a few instance where the characters were in their 60's and thinking that life was over. Granted some of the stories weren't set in modern times so I guess they could have been right. Just hard to reconcile with all the vibrant 60+ people that I know.

anneofgreenplaces's review against another edition

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4.0

Julian Barnes's style is impeccable; both comic and poignant moments in these stories come off with ease and every character has a robustly individual voice. Having said that, the shared theme--aging--leads to some feeling of repetitiveness (e.g. men dealing with their lost virility and mourning lost love), but I was very rarely bored, and every story has body. I'm also always impressed by the ease with which Barnes inhabits times and places not his own, seemingly with just as much resonant detail and biting insight into those lives as he has for modern English society. (hard to say how much of this is based on research and how much a very successful illusion!)

kate66's review against another edition

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4.0

I'm not sure I can add to anything not already said about this book. It is a collection of short stories based around the central theme of ageing in all its forms. Some of the stories are hard to listen to with themes such as physical abuse or the onset of dementia, some are amusing or merely observations on age. In general the theme seems to be that ageing is not much fun and it is more about looking back than living in the moment; it is about acceptance of your fate.

Julian Barnes writing speaks for itself. He is one of those writers you either love or hate. I love him but wouldn't recommend this book as somewhere to start reading his work if you've never read any before. If, on the other hand, you like Mr Barnes work then you'll enjoy these stories. They are clever, well observed, slightly sad and generally typical of his body of work.

I would have changed the running order round but that is personal preference.

qkjgrubb's review against another edition

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4.0

I don't know why I don't read more short story collections. The Lemon Table is what would happen if Karen Blixen's stories and Russell Banks' stories had babies. Thought provoking, intelligent, and leaning toward the European middle aged man who is a little on the depressed side. I liked this. I'd read this author again.

dllh's review against another edition

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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.

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