Winner of the 2011 Man Booker PrizeBy an acclaimed writer at the height of his powers, The Sense of an Ending extends a streak of extraordinary books that began with the best-selling Arthur & George and continued with Nothing to Be Frightened Of and, most recently, Pulse. This intense new novel follows a middle-aged man as he contends with a past he has never much thought about—until his … with a past he has never much thought about—until his closest childhood friends return with a vengeance, one of them from the grave, another maddeningly present. Tony Webster thought he’d left all this behind as he built a life for himself, and by now his marriage and family and career have fallen into an amicable divorce and retirement. But he is then presented with a mysterious legacy that obliges him to reconsider a variety of things he thought he’d understood all along, and to revise his estimation of his own nature and place in the world.
A novel so compelling that it begs to be read in a single sitting, with stunning psychological and emotional depth and sophistication, The Sense of an Ending is a brilliant new chapter in Julian Barnes’s oeuvre.
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I started reading this book because my husband was sleeping, so I turned off the light and put down my “real” book, White Houses, by Amy Bloom (also excellent). I took out my Kindle, which doesn’t disturb my husband as much, and the last book I purchased was this one. I wound up staying awake for several more hours. I love the characters, the …
Dull.
Thoughtful and thought provoking.
We are not who we think we are, not are others. If we are lucky, we don’t cause too much harm.
Depressing
Didn’t bother to finish
Moving and thought provoking.
I really liked this one, life with a mystery that he didn’t know was a mystery until later
Wonderful
Boring
Written bautifully
I love a book that invites you to examine your own life. Meaningful.
Julian Barnes’ writing is amazing, but his deep philosophizing about the meaning of relationships and how our perceptions of them are affected by time might turn off readers looking for a light read or a page turner. A profound and thoughtful little gem.
not a bad novella. I am not sure I understand the hype about it.
I think Julien Barnes is one of the best writers of fiction alive. I’ve followed him for decades now and if you liked his previous works you will not be disappointed.
Thinker
Mawkish. Ordinary young man dissaponted in love reacts angrily. Forty years later he is forced to reconsider his actions.
Interesting beginning that ended with not so interesting. Not sure why so many saw greatness here.