Episode 99: The Sense of an Ending by Julian Barnes
This week, Josh and Dietrich discuss their latest book club entry: "Sense of an Ending" by Julian Barnes. With a surprising level of feedback from listeners, the pair talk about the way the book examines our memory of our own experiences, the nature of forgiveness, and the controversial portrayal of a major character. In addition, Josh plows through the worst and some of the best of The Wheel of Time series as the 20 year epic draws close to an end, and Dietrich has a mountain of books to plow through, including a remarkable new fantasy series, a science fiction political thriller, a nightmarish father-son collaboration, and more. Finally, they wrap up with Josh having the opportunity to view some of the most remarkable films of all time. You can send questions or comments to questions@thelibrarypolice.com.
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What We've Been Reading0:00 to 48:54
The Knife of Dreams by Robert Jordan The Gathering Storm by Robert Jordan and Brandon Sanderson Live by Night by Dennis Lehane In The Tall Grass by Joe Hill and Stephen King The KingKiller Chronicles by Patrick Rothfuss The Android's Dream by John Scalzi The Sense of an Ending by Julian Barnes |
Media for Readers48:54 to 1:32:02
In less than 150 pages, Julian Barnes manages to pack more into a story than most authors do in five hundred. Josh and Dietrich discuss the fascinating Sense of an Ending, reflecting on the way Barnes looks at memory and the lies it tells us. We also look at multiple reader emails, discussing a controversial response by a character, the question of whether the protagonist is an unreliable narrator, and whether the ending works as a whole. |
Off The Bookshelf |