The Sense of an Ending
BOOKER PRIZE WINNER • NATIONAL BESTSELLER • A novel that follows a middle-aged man as he contends with a past he never much thought about—until his closest childhood friends return with a vengeance: one of them from the grave, another maddeningly present.
A novel so compelling that it begs to be read in a single setting, The Sense of an Ending has the psychological and emotional depth and sophistication of Henry James at his best, and is a stunning achievement in Julian Barnes's oeuvre.
Tony Webster thought he left his past behind as he built a life for himself, and his career has provided him with a secure retirement and an amicable relationship with his ex-wife and daughter, who now has a family of her own. But when he is presented with a mysterious legacy, he is forced to revise his estimation of his own nature and place in the world.
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Readers say Julian Barnes’s *The Sense of an Ending* is well-written, clever, and deeply thought-provoking, with an engaging, fast-moving experience. ...
I had previously ready "Flaubert 's Parrot" by Barnes and forgot how witty, brilliant and captivating it was (he really is a most excellent writer!). This book brought me back to that enjoyable reading experience - this story is clever, thought-provoking - with beautifully spun prose...a great start to my 2025 reading list!
Audiobook from Audible
Written in the first person by a middle aged Tony Webster who we find out is a rather unreliable narrator. The first part of the book is about his friendship in senior-school with the much more intelligent Adrian, and Tony's relationship with Veronika who ultimately dumps him and hitches up with Adrian. A few years later, with Tony estranged from both Adrian and Veronika and Tony hears that Adrian has committed suicide.
Cut through to middle age, and Tony has married (and divorced) and is on reasonable terms with both his daughter and ex-wife. The other friends from school are not heard of again. A solicitor gets in contact to advise that Tony has been bequeathed £500 and Adrian's diary by Veronika's mother - a women he only met once on a rather disastrous weekend.
This brings Tony back in contact with Veronika who has Adrian's diary - apparently. A series of all the more irritating encounters with Veronika in an attempt to get the diary (which she admits to having burnt part way through the narrative) leaves Tony - and the reader - wondering what's going on. Finally a number of events, and Tony's hanging round certain shops, pubs and people (despite his assertion that he's "not wasting my time") allows him to make a conclusion which Veronika yet again has to point out "you just dont get it".
The narrator reminded me much of Matthew Parris from Radio 4, and was a soothing voice to listen to, even when swear words were required. I listened to this over several weeks and suspect that I may have to listen to again based on the ending I heard the first time round.
Written in the first person by a middle aged Tony Webster who we find out is a rather unreliable narrator. The first part of the book is about his friendship in senior-school with the much more intelligent Adrian, and Tony's relationship with Veronika who ultimately dumps him and hitches up with Adrian. A few years later, with Tony estranged from both Adrian and Veronika and Tony hears that Adrian has committed suicide.
Cut through to middle age, and Tony has married (and divorced) and is on reasonable terms with both his daughter and ex-wife. The other friends from school are not heard of again. A solicitor gets in contact to advise that Tony has been bequeathed £500 and Adrian's diary by Veronika's mother - a women he only met once on a rather disastrous weekend.
This brings Tony back in contact with Veronika who has Adrian's diary - apparently. A series of all the more irritating encounters with Veronika in an attempt to get the diary (which she admits to having burnt part way through the narrative) leaves Tony - and the reader - wondering what's going on. Finally a number of events, and Tony's hanging round certain shops, pubs and people (despite his assertion that he's "not wasting my time") allows him to make a conclusion which Veronika yet again has to point out "you just dont get it".
The narrator reminded me much of Matthew Parris from Radio 4, and was a soothing voice to listen to, even when swear words were required. I listened to this over several weeks and suspect that I may have to listen to again based on the ending I heard the first time round.
Okay. Wow. That was an experience. I feel as though I almost read it too fast but every time I picked it up I couldn't put it down again.
The characters' outlooks on life are so interesting to examine and they're all so complex and well-written.
The unreliable narration is so frustrating in the best way with characters never saying what they mean alongside that filter which makes it infuriatingly engaging.
Everything interlinks and comes back together and this is truly a wonderful book that I thoroughly enjoyed and one that I could re-read many times.
The characters' outlooks on life are so interesting to examine and they're all so complex and well-written.
The unreliable narration is so frustrating in the best way with characters never saying what they mean alongside that filter which makes it infuriatingly engaging.
Everything interlinks and comes back together and this is truly a wonderful book that I thoroughly enjoyed and one that I could re-read many times.
The less you know of this story before you read it, the better. Our narrator is Tony Webster, a retired middle-aged divorcee living alone who remembers his four childhood friends, friends who swore to stay friends for life. Despite the less than eventful school years, a poignant moment sticks with Tony when he hears of another boy at the school who hung himself after getting a girl pregnant. When the four friends attend different universities at the end of school, their close friendship wanes.. until a lawyer's letter addressed to Tony turns up and he starts to question his childhood memories. A phenomenal short read where not everything is as it seems.