Pulse

Starred review from February 21, 2011
Companionship—the search for, the basking in, and the loss of—binds Barnes's first-rate collection of short stories, his first since 2004's The Lemon Table. In a lesser author's hands, a single story composed almost entirely of dialogue—let alone four of them—would collapse under the pressure of carrying off such a task and still moving along the narrative. But Barnes proves himself an erudite fly on the wall in his "At Phil and Joanna's" series, which involves the postdinner conversations of a group of London friends discussing everything from the 2008 election to marmalade, sex, and testicle operations—and each character comes alive despite the slightest hints of description and exposition. Vernon in "East Wind," on the other hand, takes the notion of observing a step too far during an awkward courtship with a German waitress in a seaside town. Though their circumstances couldn't be more different, the characters in "Sleeping with John Updike," "Gardeners' World," and "Harmony" all find themselves at one time or another content in the knowledge of the space they share with a friend, spouse or healer, yet it is when this companionship is just out of reach, as in the dryly witty "Trespass," or snuffed out, as in the poignant title story, that Barnes shines brightest.

Starred review from February 15, 2011

Elegance and versatility—those familiar Barnes strengths define this latest story collection from the distinguished British author. 

Six of these 14 stories are about contemporary relationships; another four are miscellaneous; and there's a quartet called "At Phil & Joanna's," presenting four separate evenings of dinner-table conversation. The same hosts and guests form a group of upper-middle-class Londoners; well-fed, well-lubricated, kicking back. Their collective profile is fun-loving, casually erudite, liberal and bawdy. The conversation ranges from dog poop and prosthetic testicles to Latin tags and climate change to an overview of sex and love. Barnes artfully calibrates their dialogue so that it transcends brittle repartee to convey warm conviviality and humanist concern. Two of the relationship stories ("East Wind" and "Trespass") feature male protagonists looking for a mate. In ways both funny and painful, they fumble their approaches to women. Two others are not quite so successful; "Sleeping with John Updike" fails to live up to its risqué title, while in "Gardeners' World," marital problems are obscured by horticultural detail. Their partial failure is more than redeemed by "Marriage Lines," a wrenching study of a young widower's grief, and the powerful title story about two marriages. The narrator's admiration for his parents' enduring intimacy grows as his own marriage crumbles. To diversify the collection, Barnes moves back in time."Carcassonne" is a piquant inquiry into erotic attraction; the great Italian liberator Garibaldi figures prominently. Further back, in 18th-century Vienna, a most unusual doctor seeks to cure the blindness of a musical prodigy. The formal narration fits the period like a glove ("Harmony"). Most memorable, though, is "The Limner." Long ago, a humble artist traveled on horseback, seeking commissions to paint portraits. Wadsworth was also a deaf mute. He is stiffed by a pompous bureaucrat, but nonetheless gives his undeserving sitter the dignity he craved. It is a moving affirmation of true dignity.

Another impressive addition to an already impressive oeuvre.   

(COPYRIGHT (2011) KIRKUS REVIEWS/NIELSEN BUSINESS MEDIA, INC. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.)

December 1, 2010

Apparently, there's a lot of good, sharp conversation in this third collection from the witty and incisive Barnes (he's done 14 books in all). For one thing, the characters can be seen gathering over dinner to share insights--and maybe some salacious gossip. From Flaubert's Parrot to Arthur & George, Barnes is a delicious read; fun for all.

Copyright 2010 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

April 1, 2011
After the phenomenal scope of his novel Arthur & George (2006) and a book of essays about death, Barnes returns to the short story. In his third collection, his gift for deft, acerbic dialogue is finely honed, most enjoyably in a quartet of dinner-party stories. Friends dissect the Euro question, the 2008 U.S. presidential election, global warming, and the British passion for marmalade. Gender divides figure prominently throughout the book, surfacing to provocative effect in a complex tale about marriage that skewers another British tradition, gardening as a blood sport. In the second half of the collection, Barnes mixes historical and modern settings to explore the senses. The Limner is a wry and astute tale about a deaf, itinerant portrait painter. Harmony is a shivery, old-fashioned tale of a blind musical prodigy. Complicity, a keenly funny and surprisingly sweet love story, revolves around touch. Taste is the theme of Carcassonne, an urbane tale linked loosely to the amours of Garibaldi. And in the graceful title story, smell is emblematic of intimacy. Barnes tales are shrewd, piquant, and moving.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2011, American Library Association.)