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Pulse

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Pulse

By: Julian Barnes
Narrated by: David Rintoul
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£5.99/mo after 3 months. Offer ends on 5 July 2026 at 11:59 BST. Cancel monthly.

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The brilliant new collection of short stories from Man Booker Prize-winning author Julian Barnes.

The stories in Julian Barnes’ long-awaited third collection are attuned to rhythms and currents: of the body, of love and sex, illness and death, connections and conversations. Each character is bent to a pulse, propelled on by success and loss, by new beginnings and endings.

Ranging from the domestic to the extraordinary, from the vineyards of Italy to the English seaside in winter, the stories in 'Pulse' resonate and spark.

©2010 Julian Barnes (P)2014 Audible, Inc. Anthologies Anthologies & Short Stories Fiction Genre Fiction Literary Fiction Short Story
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Critic reviews

“Barnes has proved himself a virtuoso of fictional versatility” ( Sunday Times)
“The clean, acidic accuracy of Barnes’s writing is supremely enjoyable” ( Sunday Telegraph)
All stars
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Sympathetic reading of a diverse collection of short tales by Julian Barnes. Wry and affectionate commentary on human frailties.
Recommend

Intriguing stories from a master

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I have loved everything I read or listened to of Julian Barnes prior to this. Some of the stories are wonderfully insightful and touching and sometimes even funny. However there are 4 segments of the "dinner with friends" that I thought were cringe worthy and depressingly mundane. I think that while the narrative suited the narrator for the rest of the stories, his over-dramatisation of the dinner parties made those segments even worse. I wish I'd just give those segment a pass. Otherwise, enjoyed the listen. Keep writing Julian!

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