Love, Etc - Hardcover

Barnes, Julian

3.71

3,911 ratings by Goodreads

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0224061097 ISBN 13: 9780224061094

Publisher: Jonathan Cape, 2000

View all copies of this ISBN edition:

In Talking It Over Gillian was married to Stuart. Then Stuart's best and oldest friend Oliver fell in love with her and married her in his turn. Each spoke directly to the reader, giving their side of the story. In Love, Etc., using the same technique, Julian Barnes revisits Stuart, Oliver and Gillian, ten years after they last spoke to us. Oliver and Gillian are settled into a comfortable marriage, they have a child, Gillian is successful, Oliver is not. When Stuart returns from America, rich, divorced, a successful entrepreneur, the scene is set for the wheel to turn once more.

Darker and deeper than Talking It Over, Love, Etc. is a compelling exploration of a contemporary love triangle, wise, funny and brilliantly observed.

"synopsis" may belong to another edition of this title.

Product Description:

Publisher: Jonathan Cape
Date of Publication: 2000
Binding: hard back
Edition: First UK Edition
Condition: As New/As New
Description: 0224061097 Not first printing though.

Review:

Oliver, Stuart and Gillian have been friends and lovers. It's ten years since they last met, and a lot has changed. For a start, Oliver has married Gillian, and Stuart, his erstwhile best friend, hates him for it. Not just because Stuart was once married to Gillian but because he still loves her. His last memory of Gillian was of seeing her, covered in blood, after a vicious row with Oliver, and he has never relinquished his vow to rescue her. Under the guise of repairing old friendships--"all blood under the bridge"--mild-mannered Stuart insinuates himself into their life, offering advice, support, even giving Oliver a job. As Oliver is manoeuvred into a crippling depression, Stuart unveils his deadly masterplan.

In Love, etc., the sequel to Talking It Over, Barnes adopts the same technique he used previously, allowing his characters to speak their innermost thoughts and secrets directly to the reader. The result is a bewitchingly intimate excursion into a taut triangle of betrayal and jealousy. With painstaking detail, he creates a vibrant portrait of modern love--as funny as it is cruel, as absurd as it is deep. Few contemporary writers can portray Middle England, with all its temptations, so darkly.-- Matthew Baylis

"About this title" may belong to another edition of this title.