Sophia C. reviewed on 7/15/2013 + 289 more book reviews

Helpful Score: 1

The Sense of an Ending is a well-crafted retrospective evaluation of the meaning of life, time, and perspective; I can easily see why it was short-listed for the Man Booker Prize in 2011. In Part I, Tony Webster, a self-described peaceable retiree tells us about his adolescent friendships and first failed love; a mysterious legacy jolts him into re-evaluating his life forty years later in Part II, set in modern-day England. Julian Barnes's prose draws you in—it is very easy to keep reading despite the frequent sub-chapter breaks. What Tony says about his friend, "so [he] would take you along on the journey of his thought as if he himself didn't quite believe the ease with which he was travelling ... he made you feel you were his co-thinker, even if you said nothing," (p. 96) applies to this story as well. Thematically it reminds me of Kazuo Ishiguro's work. I enjoyed this new addition to the 2012 version of 1001 books you must read before you die.

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