Winner of the 2011 Man Booker Prize, Julian Barnes's The Sense of an Ending is a beautifully written slim volume about a man who, later in life, looks back with regret for things he did in his youth.
Each word is carefully crafted and not padded out like you see in so many books.
Tony Webster remembers in detail the many philosophical conversations he had with his friends at a middle-class public school in the 1960s.
He needs to look back to make sense of events that have happened since.
The ending is totally unexpected and if you'd not fully understood the book as you were reading it, this will make you want to go back and read it again, as suddenly all the slots fall into place.
This book has invariably been described as "masterful", "imaginatively crafted", "elegant", "wonderful" and "beautifully written" to mention a few comments from the top book critics.
Book Summary of The Sense of an Ending
Tony Webster and his clique first met Adrian Finn at school. Sex-hungry and book-hungry, they would navigate the girl-less sixth form together, trading in affectations, in-jokes, rumour and wit. Maybe Adrian was a little more serious than the others, certainly more intelligent, but they all swore to stay friends for life.
Now Tony is in middle age. He's had a career and a single marriage, a calm divorce. He's certainly never tried to hurt anybody. Memory, though, is imperfect. It can always throw up surprises, as a lawyer's letter is about to prove.
The Sense of an Ending is the story of one man coming to terms with the mutable past. Laced with trademark precision, dexterity and insight, it is the work of one of the world's most distinguished writers.
About the Author
Julian Barnes is the author of ten previous novels, including Metroland, Flaubert's Parrot, A History of the World in 101?2 Chapters and Arthur & George; three books of short stories, Cross Channel, The Lemon Table and Pulse; and also three collections of journalism, Letters from London, Something to Declare, and The Pedant in the Kitchen.
His work has been translated into more than thirty languages. In France he is the only writer to have won both the Prix Médicis (for Flaubert's Parrot) and the Prix Femina (for Talking it Over). He was awarded the Austrian State Prize for European Literature in 2004, the David Cohen Prize for Literature and the Man Booker Prize for Fiction in 2011. He lives in London.
Now Tony is in middle age. He's had a career and a single marriage, a calm divorce. He's certainly never tried to hurt anybody. Memory, though, is imperfect. It can always throw up surprises, as a lawyer's letter is about to prove.
The Sense of an Ending is the story of one man coming to terms with the mutable past. Laced with trademark precision, dexterity and insight, it is the work of one of the world's most distinguished writers.
About the Author
Julian Barnes is the author of ten previous novels, including Metroland, Flaubert's Parrot, A History of the World in 101?2 Chapters and Arthur & George; three books of short stories, Cross Channel, The Lemon Table and Pulse; and also three collections of journalism, Letters from London, Something to Declare, and The Pedant in the Kitchen.
His work has been translated into more than thirty languages. In France he is the only writer to have won both the Prix Médicis (for Flaubert's Parrot) and the Prix Femina (for Talking it Over). He was awarded the Austrian State Prize for European Literature in 2004, the David Cohen Prize for Literature and the Man Booker Prize for Fiction in 2011. He lives in London.
Buy it yourself and see what you think. You are sure to not be disappointed.