Items related to Levels of Life
Julian Barnes, author of the Man Booker Prize-winning novel The Sense of an Ending, gives us his most powerfully moving book yet, beginning in the nineteenth century and leading seamlessly into an entirely personal account of loss -- making Levels of Life an immediate classic on the subject of grief.
"synopsis" may belong to another edition of this title.
Review:
Praise for "The Sense of an Ending"
"A work of rare and dazzling genius."
--"The Telegraph"
"Mesmerising...the concluding scenes grip like a thriller- a whodunit of memory and morality."
--"Independent"
"Elegantly composed, quietly devastating."
--NPR Books
Acclaim from the U.K.
"Both a supremely crafted artefact and a desolating guidebook to the land of loss." --John Carey, "The Sunday Times"
"Spare and beautiful...a book of rare intimacy and honesty about love and grief. To read it is a privilege. To have written it is astonishing." --Ruth Scurr, "The Times"
"This complex, precise and beautiful book hits you in the solar plexus and leaves you gasping for air. . . . It's an unrestrained, affecting piece of writing, raw and honest and more truthful for its dignity and artistry, every word resonant with its particular pitch. It defies objectivity. Anyone who has loved and suffered loss, or just suffered, should read this book, and re-read it, and re-read it." --Martin Fletcher, "The Independent
"
"As the slim volume progresses, something not quite central to your vision builds, so that by the end you are blindsided by a quiet devastation. . . . "Levels of Life" would seem to pull off the impossible: to recreate, on the page, what it is like to be alive in the world." --Emma Brockes, "The Guardian"
Acclaim from the U.K.
"A luminous meditation on love and grief." --Jane Shlling, "The Telegraph"
"At times unbearably sad, but it is also exquisite: a paean of love, and on love, and a book unexpectedly full of life. . . . In time [this] may come to be viewed as the hardest test and finest vindication of [Barnes's] literary powers." --Rosemary Goring, "The Herald (Scotland)
"
"Both a supremely crafted artefact and a desolating guidebook to the land of loss." --John Carey, "The Sunday Times"
"Spare and beautiful...a book of rare intimacy and honesty about love and grief. To read it is a privilege. To have written it is astonishing." --Ruth Scurr, "The Times"
"This complex, precise and beautiful book hits you in the solar plexus and leaves you gasping for air. . . . It's an unrestrained, affecting piece of writing, raw and honest and more truthful for its dignity and artistry, every word resonant with its particular pitch. It defies objectivity. Anyone who has loved and suffered loss, or just suffered, should read this book, and re-read it, and re-read it." --Martin Fletcher, "The Independent
"
"As the slim volume progresses, something not quite central to your vision builds, so that by the end you are blindsided by a quiet devastation. . . . "Levels of Life" would seem to pull off the impossible: to recreate, on the page, what it is like to be alive in the world." --Emma Brockes, "The Guardian"
Acclaim from the U.K.
"A precisely composed, often deeply moving hybrid of non-fiction, 'fabulation, ' and straightforward reminiscence and contemplation." --Joyce Carol Oates, "The Times Literary Supplement"
"A remarkable narrative that is as raw in its emotion as it is characteristically elegant in its execution." - Eileen Battersby, "The Irish Times
"
"A book whose slimness belies its throbbing emotional power." - Leyla Sanai, "The Independent
"
"A luminous meditation on love and grief." --Jane Shlling, "The Telegraph"
"At times unbearably sad, but it is also exquisite: a paean of love, and on love, and a book unexpectedly full of life. . . . In time [this] may come to be viewed as the hardest test and finest vindication of [Barnes's] literary powers." --Rosemary Goring, "The Herald (Scotland)
"
"Both a supremely crafted artefact and a desolating guidebook to the land of loss." --John Carey, "The Sunday Times"
"Spare and beautiful...a book of rare intimacy and honesty about love and grief. To read it is a privilege. To have written it is astonishing." --Ruth Scurr, "The Times"
"This complex, precise and beautiful book hits you in the solar plexus and leaves you gasping for air. . . . It's an unrestrained, affecting piece of writing, raw and honest and more truthful for its dignity and artistry, every word resonant with its particular pitch. It defies objectivity. Anyone who has loved and suffered loss, or just suffered, should read this book, and re-read it, and re-read it." --Martin Fletcher, "The Independent
"
"As the slim volume progresses, something not quite central to your vision builds, so that by the end you are blindsided by a quiet devastation. . . . "Levels of Life" would seem to pull off the impossible: to recreate, on the page, what it is like to be alive in the world." --Emma Brockes, "The Guardian"
"Deeply stirring....The metaphoric intensity of what has come before gives Barnes's account of his grief a fierce and fiery kind of momentum." --John Freeman, "The Boston Globe"
"Stunning. . . . "Levels of Life" is deceptively compact but takes us deep. It is as intimate a book as Barnes has ever written, but its beauty--and art--comes from elegant restraint [and] a perspective never seen before." --Ellen Kanner, "The Miami Herald"
"A moving tribute to a love and lifelong partner, an examination of grief that personalizes universal emotion effortlessly and beautifully." --Alexandra Primiani, "New York Daily News"
"Barnes has distilled his grief--refined and compacted it--and the result is a powerful dirge and slender but shapely work of art." --Adam Begley, "The Daily Beast"
"A powerful meditation on things that lift us up--literally, as in hot air balloons, and emotionally, as in love--and things that bring us crashing to earth." --Heller McAlpin, NPR
"Searching, angry, plangent and beautiful. . . . Only a writer of Barnes's stature could sublimate personal pain into something artistically exquisite." --Malcolm Forbes, "Minneapolis Star Tribune"
"A tour-de-force masterwork. . . a stunningly intricate book that combines history, fiction and memoir in a hybrid form you're unlikely to forget." --Doug Childers, "Richmond Times-Dispatch"
"As eloquent as it is soul-shuddering. . . A book about the death of a spouse that is unlike any other--book or spouse--and thus illuminates the singularity as well as the commonality of grieving." --"Kirkus "(starred review)
"A precisely composed, often deeply moving hybrid of non-fiction, 'fabulation, ' and straightforward reminiscence and contemplation." --Joyce Carol Oates, "The Times Literary Supplement"
"A remarkable narrative that is as raw in its emotion as it is characteristically elegant in its execution." - Eileen Battersby, "The Irish Times
"
"A book whose
"An unforgettable book...Visceral, exquisitely crafted, thoughtful and heartbreaking." --Ellan Allfrey, NPR Best Books of the Year
"Deeply stirring....The metaphoric intensity of what has come before gives Barnes's account of his grief a fierce and fiery kind of momentum." --John Freeman, "The Boston Globe"
"Stunning. . . . "Levels of Life" is deceptively compact but takes us deep. It is as intimate a book as Barnes has ever written, but its beauty--and art--comes from elegant restraint [and] a perspective never seen before." --Ellen Kanner, "The Miami Herald"
"A moving tribute to a love and lifelong partner, an examination of grief that personalizes universal emotion effortlessly and beautifully." --Alexandra Primiani, "New York Daily News"
"Barnes has distilled his grief--refined and compacted it--and the result is a powerful dirge and slender but shapely work of art." --Adam Begley, "The Daily Beast"
"A powerful meditation on things that lift us up--literally, as in hot air balloons, and emotionally, as in love--and things that bring us crashing to earth." --Heller McAlpin, NPR
"Searching, angry, plangent and beautiful. . . . Only a writer of Barnes's stature could sublimate personal pain into something artistically exquisite." --Malcolm Forbes, "Minneapolis Star Tribune"
"A tour-de-force masterwork. . . a stunningly intricate book that combines history, fiction and memoir in a hybrid form you're unlikely to forget." --Doug Childers, "Richmond Times-Dispatch"
"As eloquent as it is soul-shuddering. . . A book about the death of a spouse that is unlike any other--book or spouse--and thus illuminates the singularity as well as the commonality of grieving." --"Kirkus "(starred review)
"A precisely composed, often deeply moving hybrid of non-fiction, 'fabulation, ' and straightforward reminiscence and contemplation." --Joyce Carol Oates, "The Times Literary Supplement"
"A remarkable narrative thato
Book Description:
"A work of rare and dazzling genius."
--"The Telegraph"
"Mesmerising...the concluding scenes grip like a thriller- a whodunit of memory and morality."
--"Independent"
"Elegantly composed, quietly devastating."
--NPR Books
Acclaim from the U.K.
"Both a supremely crafted artefact and a desolating guidebook to the land of loss." --John Carey, "The Sunday Times"
"Spare and beautiful...a book of rare intimacy and honesty about love and grief. To read it is a privilege. To have written it is astonishing." --Ruth Scurr, "The Times"
"This complex, precise and beautiful book hits you in the solar plexus and leaves you gasping for air. . . . It's an unrestrained, affecting piece of writing, raw and honest and more truthful for its dignity and artistry, every word resonant with its particular pitch. It defies objectivity. Anyone who has loved and suffered loss, or just suffered, should read this book, and re-read it, and re-read it." --Martin Fletcher, "The Independent
"
"As the slim volume progresses, something not quite central to your vision builds, so that by the end you are blindsided by a quiet devastation. . . . "Levels of Life" would seem to pull off the impossible: to recreate, on the page, what it is like to be alive in the world." --Emma Brockes, "The Guardian"
Acclaim from the U.K.
"A luminous meditation on love and grief." --Jane Shlling, "The Telegraph"
"At times unbearably sad, but it is also exquisite: a paean of love, and on love, and a book unexpectedly full of life. . . . In time [this] may come to be viewed as the hardest test and finest vindication of [Barnes's] literary powers." --Rosemary Goring, "The Herald (Scotland)
"
"Both a supremely crafted artefact and a desolating guidebook to the land of loss." --John Carey, "The Sunday Times"
"Spare and beautiful...a book of rare intimacy and honesty about love and grief. To read it is a privilege. To have written it is astonishing." --Ruth Scurr, "The Times"
"This complex, precise and beautiful book hits you in the solar plexus and leaves you gasping for air. . . . It's an unrestrained, affecting piece of writing, raw and honest and more truthful for its dignity and artistry, every word resonant with its particular pitch. It defies objectivity. Anyone who has loved and suffered loss, or just suffered, should read this book, and re-read it, and re-read it." --Martin Fletcher, "The Independent
"
"As the slim volume progresses, something not quite central to your vision builds, so that by the end you are blindsided by a quiet devastation. . . . "Levels of Life" would seem to pull off the impossible: to recreate, on the page, what it is like to be alive in the world." --Emma Brockes, "The Guardian"
Acclaim from the U.K.
"A precisely composed, often deeply moving hybrid of non-fiction, 'fabulation, ' and straightforward reminiscence and contemplation." --Joyce Carol Oates, "The Times Literary Supplement"
"A remarkable narrative that is as raw in its emotion as it is characteristically elegant in its execution." - Eileen Battersby, "The Irish Times
"
"A book whose slimness belies its throbbing emotional power." - Leyla Sanai, "The Independent
"
"A luminous meditation on love and grief." --Jane Shlling, "The Telegraph"
"At times unbearably sad, but it is also exquisite: a paean of love, and on love, and a book unexpectedly full of life. . . . In time [this] may come to be viewed as the hardest test and finest vindication of [Barnes's] literary powers." --Rosemary Goring, "The Herald (Scotland)
"
"Both a supremely crafted artefact and a desolating guidebook to the land of loss." --John Carey, "The Sunday Times"
"Spare and beautiful...a book of rare intimacy and honesty about love and grief. To read it is a privilege. To have written it is astonishing." --Ruth Scurr, "The Times"
"This complex, precise and beautiful book hits you in the solar plexus and leaves you gasping for air. . . . It's an unrestrained, affecting piece of writing, raw and honest and more truthful for its dignity and artistry, every word resonant with its particular pitch. It defies objectivity. Anyone who has loved and suffered loss, or just suffered, should read this book, and re-read it, and re-read it." --Martin Fletcher, "The Independent
"
"As the slim volume progresses, something not quite central to your vision builds, so that by the end you are blindsided by a quiet devastation. . . . "Levels of Life" would seem to pull off the impossible: to recreate, on the page, what it is like to be alive in the world." --Emma Brockes, "The Guardian"
"Deeply stirring....The metaphoric intensity of what has come before gives Barnes's account of his grief a fierce and fiery kind of momentum." --John Freeman, "The Boston Globe"
"Stunning. . . . "Levels of Life" is deceptively compact but takes us deep. It is as intimate a book as Barnes has ever written, but its beauty--and art--comes from elegant restraint [and] a perspective never seen before." --Ellen Kanner, "The Miami Herald"
"A moving tribute to a love and lifelong partner, an examination of grief that personalizes universal emotion effortlessly and beautifully." --Alexandra Primiani, "New York Daily News"
"Barnes has distilled his grief--refined and compacted it--and the result is a powerful dirge and slender but shapely work of art." --Adam Begley, "The Daily Beast"
"A powerful meditation on things that lift us up--literally, as in hot air balloons, and emotionally, as in love--and things that bring us crashing to earth." --Heller McAlpin, NPR
"Searching, angry, plangent and beautiful. . . . Only a writer of Barnes's stature could sublimate personal pain into something artistically exquisite." --Malcolm Forbes, "Minneapolis Star Tribune"
"A tour-de-force masterwork. . . a stunningly intricate book that combines history, fiction and memoir in a hybrid form you're unlikely to forget." --Doug Childers, "Richmond Times-Dispatch"
"As eloquent as it is soul-shuddering. . . A book about the death of a spouse that is unlike any other--book or spouse--and thus illuminates the singularity as well as the commonality of grieving." --"Kirkus "(starred review)
"A precisely composed, often deeply moving hybrid of non-fiction, 'fabulation, ' and straightforward reminiscence and contemplation." --Joyce Carol Oates, "The Times Literary Supplement"
"A remarkable narrative that is as raw in its emotion as it is characteristically elegant in its execution." - Eileen Battersby, "The Irish Times
"
"A book whose
"An unforgettable book...Visceral, exquisitely crafted, thoughtful and heartbreaking." --Ellan Allfrey, NPR Best Books of the Year
"Deeply stirring....The metaphoric intensity of what has come before gives Barnes's account of his grief a fierce and fiery kind of momentum." --John Freeman, "The Boston Globe"
"Stunning. . . . "Levels of Life" is deceptively compact but takes us deep. It is as intimate a book as Barnes has ever written, but its beauty--and art--comes from elegant restraint [and] a perspective never seen before." --Ellen Kanner, "The Miami Herald"
"A moving tribute to a love and lifelong partner, an examination of grief that personalizes universal emotion effortlessly and beautifully." --Alexandra Primiani, "New York Daily News"
"Barnes has distilled his grief--refined and compacted it--and the result is a powerful dirge and slender but shapely work of art." --Adam Begley, "The Daily Beast"
"A powerful meditation on things that lift us up--literally, as in hot air balloons, and emotionally, as in love--and things that bring us crashing to earth." --Heller McAlpin, NPR
"Searching, angry, plangent and beautiful. . . . Only a writer of Barnes's stature could sublimate personal pain into something artistically exquisite." --Malcolm Forbes, "Minneapolis Star Tribune"
"A tour-de-force masterwork. . . a stunningly intricate book that combines history, fiction and memoir in a hybrid form you're unlikely to forget." --Doug Childers, "Richmond Times-Dispatch"
"As eloquent as it is soul-shuddering. . . A book about the death of a spouse that is unlike any other--book or spouse--and thus illuminates the singularity as well as the commonality of grieving." --"Kirkus "(starred review)
"A precisely composed, often deeply moving hybrid of non-fiction, 'fabulation, ' and straightforward reminiscence and contemplation." --Joyce Carol Oates, "The Times Literary Supplement"
"A remarkable narrative thato
"Shattering. . . . Simultaneously wise, funny and devastating. . . . A fascinating discourse on love and sorrow." --"The New York Times Book Review"
"Elegant. . . . Deeply stirring. . . . Barnes's account of his grief [has] a fierce and fiery kind of momentum. Within a few pages it is aloft." --"The Boston Globe"
""Levels of Life" would seem to pull off the impossible: to recreate, on the page, what it is like to be alive in the world." --"The Guardian" (London)
"Wonderful. . . . Not a grief memoir so much as a grief meditation. . . . Short, crisp, measured, and deeply felt." --"The New York Review of Books
"
"A rumination on grief and the alchemical power of love." --"O, the Oprah Magazine"
"This is the most inventive and honest portrayal of grief we've read. . . . Barnes approaches memoir, a genre that too often errs on the side of sentimental, with complete grace." --"The Huffington Post
"
"Powerful. . . . 'Sorrow is a kind of rust of the soul, ' Barnes quotes Samuel Johnson. "Levels""of Life" boldly and beautifully buffs the corrosion." --NPR
"Artistically exquisite. . . . A penetrating, absorbing and deeply moving study of love, heartbreak and the process of mourning." --"Minneapolis Star Tribune
"
"A powerful dirge and slender but shapely work of art." --"The Daily Beast
"
"Evocative and moving. . . . "Levels of Life" is a magically sad work, a record of loss that is also a record of life, whose shared stories heighten one another." --"The Brooklyn Rail
"
"Stunning. . . . Deceptively compact but takes us deep. . . . Still grieving, still longing himself, Barnes, like Nadar from above in his hot air balloon, has given us a perspective never seen before." --"The Miami Herald
"
"A tour-de-force masterwork." --"Richmond Times-Dispatch
"
"Spare and beautiful. . . . A book of rare intimacy and honesty about love and grief. To read it is a privilege. To have written it is astonishing." --"The Times" (London)
"Eloquent. . . . A precisely composed, often deeply moving hybrid of non-fiction, 'fabulation, ' and straightforward reminiscence and contemplation, is a gifted writer's response to the incomprehensible." --"The Times Literary Supplement" (London)
"Profound. . . . Harrowing. . . . Anyone who has loved and lost can't fail to be moved by this devastating book." --"The Independent" (London)
"Arresting. . . . Barnes writes with astonishing precision about mourning and grief, those areas of human experience so often camouflaged with evasion and silence." --"The Daily Telegraph" (London)
"High art, essential reading. It is as powerful and well-articulated as Joan Didion's harrowing and classic discussion of losing her husband, "The Year of Magical Thinking." Barnes manages to be moving precisely because he leaves so much unsaid. His silences are eloquent." --"Daily Mail
"
"Moving, heartfelt, exact and telling. . . . A remarkable narrative that is as raw in its emotion as it is characteristically elegant in its execution." --"The Irish Times
"
"At times unbearably sad, but it is also exquisite: a paean of love, and on love, and a book unexpectedly full of life. . . . In time [this] may come to be viewed as the hardest test and finest vindication of [Barnes's] literary powers." --"The Herald" (Scotland)
Shattering. . . . Simultaneously wise, funny and devastating. . . . A fascinating discourse on love and sorrow. "The New York Times Book Review"
Elegant. . . . Deeply stirring. . . . Barnes s account of his grief [has] a fierce and fiery kind of momentum. Within a few pages it is aloft. "The Boston Globe"
"Levels of Life" would seem to pull off the impossible: to recreate, on the page, what it is like to be alive in the world. "The Guardian" (London)
Wonderful. . . . Not a grief memoir so much as a grief meditation. . . . Short, crisp, measured, and deeply felt. "The New York Review of Books
"
A rumination on grief and the alchemical power of love. "O, the Oprah Magazine"
This is the most inventive and honest portrayal of grief we ve read. . . . Barnes approaches memoir, a genre that too often errs on the side of sentimental, with complete grace. "The Huffington Post
"
Powerful. . . . Sorrow is a kind of rust of the soul, Barnes quotes Samuel Johnson. "Levels" "of Life" boldly and beautifully buffs the corrosion. NPR
Artistically exquisite. . . . A penetrating, absorbing and deeply moving study of love, heartbreak and the process of mourning. "Minneapolis Star Tribune
"
A powerful dirge and slender but shapely work of art. "The Daily Beast
"
Evocative and moving. . . . "Levels of Life" is a magically sad work, a record of loss that is also a record of life, whose shared stories heighten one another. "The Brooklyn Rail
"
Stunning. . . . Deceptively compact but takes us deep. . . . Still grieving, still longing himself, Barnes, like Nadar from above in his hot air balloon, has given us a perspective never seen before. "The Miami Herald
"
A tour-de-force masterwork. "Richmond Times-Dispatch
"
Spare and beautiful. . . . A book of rare intimacy and honesty about love and grief. To read it is a privilege. To have written it is astonishing. "The Times" (London)
Eloquent. . . . A precisely composed, often deeply moving hybrid of non-fiction, fabulation, and straightforward reminiscence and contemplation, is a gifted writer s response to the incomprehensible. "The Times Literary Supplement" (London)
Profound. . . . Harrowing. . . . Anyone who has loved and lost can t fail to be moved by this devastating book. "The Independent" (London)
Arresting. . . . Barnes writes with astonishing precision about mourning and grief, those areas of human experience so often camouflaged with evasion and silence. "The Daily Telegraph" (London)
High art, essential reading. It is as powerful and well-articulated as Joan Didion s harrowing and classic discussion of losing her husband, "The Year of Magical Thinking." Barnes manages to be moving precisely because he leaves so much unsaid. His silences are eloquent. "Daily Mail
"
Moving, heartfelt, exact and telling. . . . A remarkable narrative that is as raw in its emotion as it is characteristically elegant in its execution. "The Irish Times
"
At times unbearably sad, but it is also exquisite: a paean of love, and on love, and a book unexpectedly full of life. . . . In time [this] may come to be viewed as the hardest test and finest vindication of [Barnes s] literary powers. "The Herald" (Scotland)
"
Shattering. . . . Simultaneously wise, funny and devastating. . . . A fascinating discourse on love and sorrow. The New York Times Book Review
Elegant. . . . Deeply stirring. . . . Barnes s account of his grief [has] a fierce and fiery kind of momentum. Within a few pages it is aloft. The Boston Globe
Levels of Life would seem to pull off the impossible: to recreate, on the page, what it is like to be alive in the world. The Guardian (London)
Wonderful. . . . Not a grief memoir so much as a grief meditation. . . . Short, crisp, meas...
This short, unconventional book is probably the most moving that Julian Barnes has ever written
"About this title" may belong to another edition of this title.
- PublisherCenter Point Pub
- Publication date2014
- ISBN 10 1628990066
- ISBN 13 9781628990065
- BindingLibrary Binding
- Number of pages127
- Rating
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Levels of Life
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ISBN 13: 9781628990065
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