Mention Epithetical Books Nothing to Be Frightened of
Title | : | Nothing to Be Frightened of |
Author | : | Julian Barnes |
Book Format | : | Paperback |
Book Edition | : | Special Edition |
Pages | : | Pages: 244 pages |
Published | : | October 6th 2009 by Vintage (first published 2008) |
Categories | : | Nonfiction. Autobiography. Memoir. Philosophy. Biography. Death. Writing. Essays |
Julian Barnes
Paperback | Pages: 244 pages Rating: 3.81 | 3703 Users | 530 Reviews
Narrative During Books Nothing to Be Frightened of
NATIONAL BESTSELLERA NEW YORK TIMES BEST BOOK OF THE YEAR
A memoir on mortality as only Julian Barnes can write it, one that touches on faith and science and family as well as a rich array of exemplary figures who over the centuries have confronted the same questions he now poses about the most basic fact of life: its inevitable extinction. If the fear of death is “the most rational thing in the world,” how does one contend with it? An atheist at twenty and an agnostic at sixty, Barnes looks into the various arguments for, against, and with God, and at his own bloodline, which has become, following his parents’ death, another realm of mystery.
Deadly serious, masterfully playful, and surprisingly hilarious, Nothing to Be Frightened Of is a riveting display of how this supremely gifted writer goes about his business and a highly personal tour of the human condition and what might follow the final diagnosis.
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Original Title: | Nothing to Be Frightened Of |
ISBN: | 0307389987 (ISBN13: 9780307389985) |
Edition Language: | English |
Rating Epithetical Books Nothing to Be Frightened of
Ratings: 3.81 From 3703 Users | 530 ReviewsNotice Epithetical Books Nothing to Be Frightened of
You know, when you have that friend - the one you met years ago, when they were quite a bit older than you, and now you know them better you can understand properly how much more of the world they've seen than you have. And every so often, you'll find yourself in the same city as them, and you'll take them out for dinner or a coffee, and you'll ask them a question, something innocuous like "So what have you been up to, then?" and they'll talk. And then, the conversation moves further away fromi almost like your book. almost. it's a fun synthesis of a bunch of death related topics, there're some great historical and personal anecdotes, tons of interesting hypothetical situations and philosophical either/ors... but i object to your britishness, y'know? that whole mannered and clever and cautious thing...? this is death, man! the end! finito! skull and crossbones! grim reaper! "nothing more terrible, nothing more true!" sure, there are gems throughout, but ultimately your book about
For years I avoided Barnes: I blame Martin Amis and Ian McEwan for reaching a point in their career where they were just marking time, and my stupidity for lumping Barnes in with them. Plus, the subject matter: it's fair to assume that maybe this is a gap-filler, a publisher suggestion for an idea-impoverished author etc.Happily, this is Barnes' best book, of those things of his I finally got round to. He is the best of that generation of English writers, I think. Stylistically he is peerless.
10/10Julian Barnes is nothing if not ironic for while he boldly states, or calmly reassures us that there is nothing to be frightened of, there's a lot that he fears for himself ...As one who wouldnt mind dying as long as I didnt end up dead afterwards, I can certainly make a start on elaborating what my fears about dying might be. I fear being my father as he sat in a chair by his hospital bed and with quite uncharacteristic irateness rebuked me You said you were coming yesterday before
I generally dont read other peoples reviews of books before I write my own I worry that I will end up so affected by their review that I will never know if what I have to say after reading them will really be my reaction to the book or to their review worse, of course, is to then go on to write a review that says much the same as they have said while thinking of them as my own thoughts. But for some reason I read what one of the best reviewers on this site had to say about the book:
I dont believe in God, but I miss Him. Julian Barnes, Nothing to Be Frightened ofMy first thought when I read this articulate and searching meditation on death was the incredible courage and determination of Julian Barnes in confronting his fear of mortality. It took him two years from 2005 to 2007 to consolidate his thoughts and pen his own tortuous wrangling with being an agnostic and dealing with a daily preoccupation with his fear of death. It is a tough subject matter to dwell upon but
" I don't believe in God, but I miss him " - a strong beginning, which attracts attention, expressing in a few words a very specific modern attitude : we enjoy the freedom of thought that we have gained over the last decades, but it scares us the spiritual void he brought with it . Barnes's sarcastic-comic is present throughout the entire volume : " Death folowed by ressurection - the climax of an happy-end tragedy ". Modern people don't like to die, it's not that anyone ever like it, but the
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