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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%)
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Avg. Customer Rating:  36 reviews
Sales Rank: 14828
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:
 Well written, engrossing January 10, 2007
3 out of 4 found this review helpful
Originally this was a bathroom read, but it is one of those stories that after 50 pages grabs you without being cheaply written through its gorgeous tone and deep characterisation.
I didn't know the story before, but it was not the most intense part of the book with Holmes' type investigation which was the only highpoint of the novel. Personally I think its a breath of fresh air when authors show the inner workings of not just one character.
It really is a lovely book, and I highly recommend it to cosily fill many hours.
 Skillful writing, fascinating reading December 29, 2006
4 out of 4 found this review helpful
Julian Barnes has justly earned critical accalim for his varied and original collection of fiction. 'Arthur and George' is a deserving addition to his body of work.
The novel is, on the surface, a skillful and intricate portrait of two Edwardian gentlemen: the world-famous Arthur Conan Doyle and the obscure solicitor George Edalji. The narrative follows their childhood, adolescence and professional careers, using landmarks such as first memories to indicate how formative experiences molded the very different characters of the grown men. The two characters' paths cross when George is convicted of and imprisioned for mutilating livestock and writing poison-pen letters (many of which are addressed to himself). Arthur intervenes and energetically spearheads a campaign to clear George's name.
The split narrative here is well used - allowing the reader to experience characters and events from the viewpoint of more than one person, thus highlighting the subjectivity of events and personality. It becomes difficult to hold opinions and judgements made early in the book as the ambiguities surrounding them unfold, and the reader's growing understanding of the complexity of event's is paralleled by the maturing understanding of the protgonists. Occasional subtle revisions of events by the narrator further highlight the unreliability of human recallection - the tendancy to redact our memories in order to make a clear picture out of messy events.
The novel does not provide the resolution that one would demand of a piece of detective fiction. Barnes' interest lies more in exploring how these two unlikely companions came together and briefly embodied the zeitgeist of an age - and how they then drifted apart, profoundly changed by the events that take place but to a (surprisingly) lesser extent by each other. In doing so he provides a tender exploration of personality and relationships - not so much individual relationships as the impact that interaction with others has on our nature in general.
Perhaps most gripping for some readers will be the fascinating character portrait of Conan Doyle, a man who both is and is not what we would expect from the author of - most famously - the Shelock Holmes stories. Conan Doyle emerges as a vigorous, well-intentioned and good man - but also a fallible man who has done some foolish things, made some bad decisions and devoted his life to causes that may not arouse the sympathy or even the understanding of modern readers. Barnes has not flinched from providing a frank and illuminating study of this enigmatic figure.
'Arthur and George' may not prove to be what some readers expect, but it is a piece of insightfully crafted fiction that deserves to be remembered and enjoyed in years to come.
A slow burner December 13, 2006
6 out of 6 found this review helpful
Arthur and George is a fine read, but it unwinds slowly and at the end I found myself wondering why it had taken so long to tell as a story. Interweaving the stories of Arthur (Conan Doyle) - and George (unknown Parsee solicitor living a modest, quiet life) - Julian Barnes has painstakingly re-constructed a mystery and mis-carriage of justice that occurred in Edwardian England. It is beautifully done, capturing the feel of the period well in terms of style and language, but towards the end it felt a little laboured, and almost ran out of steam. Nevertheless, it's a book worthy of serious attention, and certainly will have you gripped as events unfold.
Unforgettable December 9, 2006
1 out of 2 found this review helpful
Arthur & George is one of the best novels I have read this year. The balance of dialogue of the two main characters is incredibly well scripted, and the outcome of the novel is, though mostly known, excellently crafted.
A Lesson in Characterisation November 6, 2006
4 out of 6 found this review helpful
Arthur and George is a 'must' read for any author who feels the need to improve their characterisation and dialogue. By using a sort of 'tandem' viewpoint (where vp alternates) Julian Barnes creates (although, of course, the Arthur character is already well-known) the protagonists plausibly; he couldn't have done it otherwise, since they only meet on two occasions at most.
His treatment of Arthur's interview with the bigoted Chief Constable is a lesson in dialogue writing and character creation, and the background information about Arthur will be of great interest to all Conan Doyle fans. A thoroughly recommended read.
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