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The Sense of an Ending

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The Sense of an Ending

By: Julian Barnes
Narrated by: Richard Morant
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About this listen

Man Booker Prize, Fiction, 2011

The powerful, unsettling, and beautifully crafted new novel from one of England’s greatest contemporary writers.

Tony Webster and his clique first met Adrian Finn at school. Sex-hungry and book-hungry, they would navigate the girl-less sixth form together, trading in affectations, in-jokes, rumour, and wit. Maybe Adrian was a little more serious than the others, certainly more intelligent, but they all swore to stay friends for life. Now Tony is retired. He’s had a career and a single marriage, a calm divorce. He’s certainly never tried to hurt anybody. Memory, though, is imperfect. It can always throw up surprises, as a lawyer’s letter is about to prove.

The Sense of an Ending is the story of one man coming to terms with the mutable past. Laced with trademark precision, dexterity, and insight, it is the work of one of the world’s most distinguished writers.

A complete and unabridged reading by Richard Morant.

©2011 Julian Barnes (P)2014 Audible, Inc. Fiction Genre Fiction Literary Fiction Thought-Provoking

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Editor reviews

Winner of the Man Booker Prize for Fiction 2011, The Sense of an Ending is written by best-selling British author Julian Barnes and narrated in this audiobook edition by Richard Morant. Friendships forged in childhood are tested to their limits when the past comes back to trouble a man now in middle age. The more his past appears to unravel before him, the more blurred it becomes. What did happen all those years ago? Nothing is as it appears to be in this haunting novel, written with masterful skill and tremendous creativity by a truly gifted storyteller. Available now from Audible.

Critic reviews

Elegant, playful, and remarkable.” ( The New Yorker)
“A page turner, and when you finish you will return immediately to the beginning . . . Who are you? How can you be sure? What if you’re not who you think you are? What if you never were? . . . At 163 pages, The Sense of an Ending is the longest book I have ever read, so prepare yourself for rereading. You won’t regret it.” ( The San Francisco Chronicle)
“Dense with philosophical ideas . . . it manages to create genuine suspense as a sort of psychological detective story . . . Unpeeling the onion layers of the hero’s life while showing how [he] has sliced and diced his past in order to create a self he can live with. (Michiko Kakutani, The New York Times)
“Barnes seems equipped to write with humour and elegance about anything he turns his attention to” ( Financial Times)
All stars
Most relevant
A wonderful book, beautifully read. As soon as I had finished I wanted to start listening again.

The Sense of an Ending

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Exquisite prose beautifully read. I love the way in which the listener is left to fill in the gaps in the story. A truly first class listen.

I can't recommend this enough

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I bought the Audible version. It's a relatively short listen at some five hours, but I'm sorry to say it felt much longer. It's beautifully written, but incredibly ponderous and introspective and ultimately rather depressing.

Barnes certainly explores the way memory shapes our life with some conviction, but the central character isn't likeable and I found many of his affectations irritating. It certainly makes one think about the extent to which the aspirations and aims of youth are compromised by life and how often we fail to reach potential. Maybe it's a book to revisit. It just seemed at times to be trying too hard to be clever.

Ponderous

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I almost gave up around chapter 4 as I was a bit bored to be honest - had I been reading it at my own pace it probably wouldnt have felt as slow. I did get more interested in the characters s it went on and is a well written examination of a mediocre life passing. The narrator is actually brilliant and delivers the clever writing in a wholly appropriate well timed and thoughtful manner, which is what I found dull at the beginning. I think that page turners work better for me as audio books, but if you like the author this is probably a good one. I would read his work again but not listen to it!

Good - would rather have read it at my own pace

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dont read any spoilers - just download and listen. i loved it. very well read and brilliantly written.

very thought provoking. well read

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