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Talking It Over
Talking It Over | Julian Barnes
4 posts | 7 read | 4 to read
Shy, sensible banker Stuart has trouble with women; that is, until a fortuitous singles night, where he meets Gillian, a picture restorer recovering from a destructive affair. Stuart's best friend Oliver is his complete opposite - a language teacher who 'talks like a dictionary', brash and feckless. Soon Stuart and Gillian are married, but it is not long before a tentative friendship between the three evolves into something far different. Talking it Over is a brilliant and intimate account of love's vicissitudes. It begins as a comedy of errors, then slowly darkens and deepens, drawing us compellingly into the quagmires of the heart. An interplay of serious thought and dazzling wit. . . . It's moving, it's funny, it's frightening . . . fiction at its best. New York Times Book Review
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Ambl1966
Talking It Over | Julian Barnes
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Pickpick

So Stuart lives with Gillian and he has a best friend Oliver (née Nigel). Stuart is a banker and makes money, Oliver is clever and doesn‘t. Oliver is really not as clever as he thinks he is. Anyway it‘s a story of jealously and betrayal told from their points of view, with a few others thrown in for good measure. I thought when I ‘reread‘ that I knew the story but I was pleasantly surprised by how surprised I was by it.

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Billypar
Talking It Over | Julian Barnes
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Pickpick

Like a reality TV show if it were scripted by Oscar Wilde. The three leads alternate in speaking directly to the reader to explain their side of an unconventional love triangle (and one of them talks like he's Humbert Humbert which is entertaining and a little weird). Maybe the least romantic book you could find, but it poses interesting questions about attraction, love, marriage, and fidelity. A bit depressing, but has some dark humor to enjoy.

jmofo What a write up! 🧐 6y
Velvetfur I need a book for the Litsy reading challenge 'bingo square' for 'a book with a love triangle' so I've stacked this! It's the first one I've heard of to fit that square, ha! 6y
Billypar @jmofo Thanks! ☺️ 6y
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Billypar @Velvetfur Perfect! Yeah- one of those where it's hard to know beforehand to pick the book. ❤️🔼❤️🔼 6y
CarolynM I really liked this one but I've never got around to reading the sequel, so thanks for the reminder🙂 6y
Billypar @CarolynM I did not even know there was a sequel- I would be curious what happens with the characters in 10 years so I will have to check it out. 6y
47 likes2 stack adds6 comments
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Billypar
Talking It Over | Julian Barnes
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#BonjourMadame #SeptemberDanes
The parent of an MC in my #currentread is French and cautions us not to view all French wisdom equally.
@Kalalalatja @Cinfhen

Kalalalatja Good pick! 6y
vivastory I read Sense of an Ending a couple of weeks ago. I thought it was a masterpiece. 6y
Billypar @vivastory When I picked this one up, I'd never even heard of Barnes, it was just on a whim. Then the thing happened where after I suddenly saw Sense of an Ending everywhere, so I'm really curious to try it! 6y
37 likes3 comments
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HotCocoaReads
Talking It Over | Julian Barnes
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You've got to be responsible for your own happiness - you can't expect it to come flopping through the door like a parcel.

10 likes1 stack add