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| Arthur and George | 
 enlarge | Author: Julian Barnes
Publisher: Vintage
Category: Book
List Price: £7.99
Buy Used: £0.01
You Save: £7.98 (100%)
New (35) from £0.05
Avg. Customer Rating:  36 reviews
Sales Rank: 16169
Media: Paperback
Edition: New edition
Pages: 512
Shipping Weight (lbs): 0.8
Dimensions (in): 7.6 x 5 x 1.4
ISBN: 0099492733
EAN: 9780099492733
ASIN: 0099492733
Publication Date: September 7, 2006
Availability: Usually dispatched within 1-2 business days
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| Customer Reviews:
 Engrossing April 8, 2007
2 out of 4 found this review helpful
Just finished this book. It was deeply engrossing from page one. Some parts were a bit slow for my liking, especially those dealing with Arthur's marriage(s), but Barnes can be forgiven for this. From the first few pages this book had a hold over me. Even though I read it at a leisurely pace, there was no question of my not finishing it; I got so involved with all of the characters - not just George and Arthur - that I just had to know what happened to each of them. Finishing a book like this is like saying goodbye to a friend. It is so evocative, and so well researched; it has the power to take you back to a particular time and place by recreating not just facts but atmosphere and feelings. Having been born and brought up in Birmingham, I was particularly interested in those parts that are set in Birmingham and south Staffordshire. They have the ring of authenticity.
 Beautiful delineation of characters, but slow moving April 6, 2007
5 out of 7 found this review helpful
'Arthur and George' is a well written and touching evocation of the characters of two very different men. Barnes' wry and heartfelt style means that as a reader you can't help but forge an emotional connection with the two protagonists. His characterisation throughout is flawless.
However, this is a hefty book to plough through and sometimes it becomes more of a chore than a pleasure. There were times when I felt tempted to skip ahead a few pages because nothing appeared to be happening. However, with other Barnes novels I have read I found his style to be frequently irritating as he tries to prove intellectual points that only seem to be included to prove to the reader what a clever man he is. I was pleased to find that there was little of this in 'Arthur and George.' He focuses on the characters instead of trying to play the annoying game of intellectual one-upmanship.
Overall I would recommend this book, just be warned that it is by no means a light read.
A Wonderful Evocation of Two Lives March 21, 2007
4 out of 4 found this review helpful
In Arthur and George, Julian Barnes conjures a bygone age and brings it vividly to life. He tells the story of two very different men and their respective quests for truth. In these pages, George Edalji emerges from his customary role as a footnote to the story of Arthur Conan Doyle and becomes a fully-realized human being, fervently loyal to his belief in rational thought and the rule of law. That loyalty is put to the test time and after as his story unfolds. The parallel and ultimately intersecting narrative is of Doyle himself about whom at least two first-rate biographies - one by John Dickson Carr in the forties and another recent volume by Daniel Stashower - have been written. But never has he come more alive than he does in the pages of Barnes's marvelous book. A man of staunch convictions, Doyle is sometimes driven to unwittingly forsake truth, but never his fervently-held moral code. In these pages, Barnes has managed to summon his spirit as no clairvoyant could ever hope to do.
Simply brilliant! March 14, 2007
5 out of 6 found this review helpful
I read this 500 page book in 5 days and I can honestly say it is the best book I've read in years.Apart from the mystery,which keeps you turning the pages,the humanity Barnes draws from the story and it's charcters leaves one with a feeling that the reader really knows and feels for these people (real as they were) despite all their imperfections.
There are no pat answers to anything,not the mystery,nor the characters,or their behaviour.Despite life being shown to be as complex as it really is, the book itself could not be simpler to read.I was reminded strongly of Graham Greene inasmuch as here are complex characters and important ideas,but presented in such a way as to be readily understandable to virtually any reader.The book may not change you life,but it might reaffirm your belief in modern fiction.Simple yet powerful.A brilliant achievement.
Highly recommended!If I could give it 6 stars I would,it deserves every one of them.
Compelling, layered storytelling March 13, 2007
2 out of 2 found this review helpful
I've been a big fan of Julian Barnes ever since Metroland, his first novel, and have enjoyed all of his writing since then. This is another excellent addition to his canon - a reconstruction of a historical incident that reminded me many times of David Lodge's "Author, Author". That book was 'about' an episode in the life of Henry James (coincidentally, both James and Arthur Conan Doyle - the hero of this book - independently met one of the 20th century's most famous and prolific authors before she began writing).
Barnes employs a similar style here, often using the present tense to move events along in a more immediate fashion, guiding the reader authoritatively but gently, with a confident touch. Doyle's life is juxtaposed against that of George Edalji, a humble solicitor who suffers a miscarriage of justice. The details of the case and the way Doyle tries to help are interesting, but the undercurrents which are set moving beneath the surface of the story are perhaps more thought-provoking: the nature of proof, love, self-denial, belief and other important things. I liked it very much, but didn't find it as immediately resonant as his "A History Of The World In 10 1/2 Chapters", which is one of my favourite books. Hence only four stars.
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