Bookseller Reviews
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What is love, what is happiness....
I absolutely loved this tender, beautifully written story about first love, how it affects us throughout our lives.
The reminisce of a one and only love i... READ MORE
A love story with a difference
Julian Barnes is one of our finest authors and I have loved the majority of his books; if you've read him before (particularly 'The Sense of an Ending') yo... READ MORE
Poignant and Profound
A profoundly moving and mesmerising reminiscence about life and love sees Julian Barnes at his best.
Paul's story - the only story worth telling - concern... READ MORE
A Hall of Mirrors novel by the great master, Barnes. Amazing !
Paul, at the age of 19, falls in love with a married woman. By doing so he "braves" scandal and social convention. Initially this earns him some kudos amon... READ MORE
Synopsis
Would you rather love the more, and suffer the more; or love the less, and suffer the less? That is, I think, finally, the only real question.
First love has lifelong consequences, but Paul doesn't know anything about that at nineteen. At nineteen, he's proud of the fact his relationship flies in the face of social convention. As he grows older, the demands placed on Paul by love become far greater than he could possibly have foreseen. Tender and wise, The Only Story is a deeply moving novel by one of Britain's greatest mappers of the human heart.
Publisher information
- Publisher: Vintage Publishing
- ISBN: 9781784708313
- Number of pages: 224
- Dimensions: 196 x 129 x 18 mm
- Weight: 202g
- Languages: English
Customer Reviews
View allBewitching
Definitely my favourite of Julian Barnes’s works for a long time - almost up there with his superb 2005 novel Arthur & George. Barnes writes about memories... READ MORE
Beautiful and tragic
It is a heartbreaking story about 19-year old Paul and 48-year old Susan! This novel is a dissection of their love and their life together lived unhappily ... READ MORE
A bit tiresome
I was sent a copy of The Only Story by Julian Barnes to read and review by NetGalley.
At first I was seduced by the author’s beautiful way of writing and t... READ MORE
Disappointing
I enjoyed the first part of this novel chronicling the love between 19 year old Paul and 48 year old Susan, and the upset this caused in 1960's suburbia. H... READ MORE
The First Story might have been a more appropriate title?
I read this book in one sitting on a plane from London to Miami in January. I have never managed to do this before. Perhaps it was the strength of the in-f... READ MORE