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Saturday, December 24, 2016

The Sense of an Ending by Julian Barnes

How I Heard About It:  My local library doesn't have the best selection of novels published for adults on audio.  I often get frustrated when looking for a new story to listen to on my commute.  I came across this title, knew nothing about it, liked the cover and title, and decided to give it a try.  

What It Is About:  This story presents Tony Webster as the main character of his "life story".  When the story opens, Tony is in college and great friends with three other young men.  One of them is relativity new to the group, but shakes things up when they "take" him in.  Tony recalls the days of classes, friendship, and a relationship that wasn't good for him or the people who had to witness the relationship.  The next section of the novel follows Tony as he navigates his way through adulthood with a marriage, children, and a divorce. His college days seems to follow him throughout his life.  As Tony grows older, he learns the fate of one of his college buddies and it rocks him to his core.  The memories of is early years come flooding back and many questions that he had are answered while many new questions are presented to him.  

What I Thought Of It:  I'm surprised I enjoyed this story as much as I did.  Tony is the narrator and it was like he was talking me through his life story in a very quiet and subtle way.  There wasn't much action in the pages, but the story kept my interest the entire listen.  I'm thinking the audio was much better for me than if I would have read this on in print format.  I enjoyed the relationships between these four college friends and how Tony was so reflective on his life, his successes, and the mistakes he made along the way.  

Who Should Read It:  I would recommend that you listen to this story instead of reading it as I think the print version might be a bit slow and "boring".  The narrator had a such a beautiful voice to listen to that I felt like he was in the car with me sharing his life story.  The writing was excellent and I know readers who enjoy novels published for adults will find this a satisfying read.  

Rating:  4 STARS out of 5 Stars






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