Brilliant writer

The first brilliant chapter and chapter 8 in particular will stay with me. Very direct conversational style of story telling which ranges far and wide and delivered by a perfectly pitched narrator. Brilliant writer.

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Entertaining, often funny

This is like a collection of short stories that have an overlap with characters and themes, without quite making it seem like it is just one whole story. I found it was a very pleasant listen and quite enlightening, a few laugh out loud moments too. I really liked the style of the stories all being so different but having a common thread linking them all in some way. There were a couple of parts I found went a little bit off what I would normally expect to listen to but I was quite suprised to find I was happily engaged by them and neither went on long enough that I lost interest, just enough to be interesting. Well narrated, well written and entertaining. Will give some of the other titles by this author a listen.

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8 people found this helpful

Odd - but enjoyable

I like short stories and so this was perfect, for that is what the book is, basically. A series of short, often very different stories. Some are sad, some savage, some dry, witty and wry.

The narration was perfect.

I have given it 4 stars overall partly because of the reader; the story (such as it is, there isn't one, really) gets only 3. So if a book that has a beginning, middle and end is your cup of tea, this might not be. It's not a novel, it's a series of (very lightly) linked tales.

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2 people found this helpful

A Foxes fan, a rant, a ramble

A mixed bag of thoughts, observations and emotions.... No regrets, just shallow and deep recollections in equal measure, scribblings and narrative too .... Brilliant. - a Filbert Street intellectual, not many of those around!

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1 person found this helpful

Fantastic! Instant classic!

Fantastic, instant classic, thought provoking, brilliant story telling, I can't recommend this book enough. I've read it three times and now listened to the audiobook.

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Hit and miss but enjoyed overall

My second Julian Barnes and in places this one was excellent. I did also find however that there were times it seemed to drift off. Overall though, a good read

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Wonderful audio book

Would you recommend this audiobook to a friend? If so, why?

Yes - I would absolutely recommend this book to anyone with an interest in literature and good listening. It is a brilliant book which has been excellently narrated by Alex Jennings.

What other book might you compare A History of the World in 10 1/2 Chapters to, and why?

This book is unlike anything else. It is a true one-off. Julian Barnes looks at the world with a unique perspective.

Which scene did you most enjoy?

I loved the first and final chapters. The final is very thought-provoking but that is no surprise as the whole book makes the listener think about the various themes.

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

It is too long for that. But I did skip through it quite quickly.

Any additional comments?

This is an exceptional book and one that can be listened to many times over. Recommended.

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1 person found this helpful

Beautiful writing beautifully read.

Thought provoking and interesting book.
Narration is superb.
Barnes is definitely trying to tell us something here.

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Curious choice of the title

Found the book relaxing but title of the book being misleading. Random loosely related stories seems like a better fit.

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1 person found this helpful