Oh dear - I think my brief love affair with Julian Barnes is over

[BelligerentGhoul]

Having loved 'Arthur And George' and 'Flaubert's Parrot' I read 'England, England' and was rather disappointed with it. I now find that 'The History Of The World' is irritating (and boring) me beyond belief and I don't think I can finish it. :(

Is it because I is thick?

I remember reading an extract froma Julian Barnes book in cosmopolitan when I was about 13. I found it rather rude.

The only Julian Barnes book I've read is Love etc, and I hated it.

Probably would have helped if I'd read Talking it Over first, but still...

i loved letters from london, but it has dated i suppose.

he does has his head firmly up his own arse but i still like him.

6/10 for him

I really like some of his stuff, and find some of it dull. Sometimes I have to be in a suitably pretentious frame of mind

If I'm not sufficiently engaged within 50-100 pages of any book, I stop and read something else. Life's too short and all that......

I usually only give them thirty pages, Kurri! Have read three chapters - I think that might be enough to convince me that I Just Can't Do It.

did he write one called "Snobs"?
it was beyond dire.

Ah no, that particular waste of tree was Julian Fellowes' fault...

now I liked snobs

I agree they vary, I quite liked "Flaubert's parrot" having endured the original Flaubert's parrot for A level, anything seems cheery and pleasant to read after that. "England England" was weird, I went off him after that. But I have just read "The Lemon Tree" and I liked this. Short stories about ageing.

True re: the original parrot!

I loved hotw, but I read it years ago, and maybe it was of the time. BUT, the chapters are different. I think the first one is about woodworm in ark. Try chapter 3 (I think) and a couple more later chapters.

I had Arthur and George in the Bathroom for months and could never get grabbed.