The Only Story is an in depth look at a May December romance where the man (boy) is almost thirty years younger than the woman. It has a memoir feel to it. The well written prose can only go so far as to keep our interest. The usual cold British feel doesn’t help our lack of emotional response to the characters. The collapse of the marriage affair from alcoholism is merely sad. This was my first Julian Barnes novel. I am grateful to have experienced his voice but I can’t give a 100% recommendation. ( )

This book was a disappointment after Sense of an Ending. Two characters were mainly presented, both of whom were quite flawed, and unfortunately, spent most of the book rationalizing their flaws rather than living much of their lives. The protagonist, who starts the book as a 19-year-old college student in an affair with an alcoholic twice his age, may have had a fairly well lived life, but the details are not shared with his. He is constantly searching for the correct meaning of love and does not find it. He did spend much of his life enabling his lover's alcoholism. There was also much repetition of much of the tediousness and TMI of Sense of an Ending. ( )

Vero, sincero e dolente. Di come la sventatezza della gioventù non possa fare a meno di confrontarsi con traumi che si sono sedimentati da tempo e che nel tempo ulteriormente si svilupperanno. Una riflessione sull’amore, sul crescere e sulla visione in prospettiva della propria vita. Barnes va in profondità e sa guardare da dentro e da fuori. ( )

Julian Barnes has gotten very good at writing stories like this - short(ish) books that offer the summary of almost a whole life, considering one part of it in more detail than any other part, and that part usually revolving around love and a difficult love story (c.f. "The Sense of an Ending"). He zooms in, zooms out, places things in context, and leaves you with much to ponder. ( )

The Only Story by Julian Barnes has been on my shelf for over a year and it's one of my very few hardcover books.
It tells the story of Paul Roberts, who at nineteen, falls in love with Susan Macleod, a married woman of forty-eight. He starts spending a lot of time at her house being hated and liked by her toxic husband and daughters until he and Susan move to London together, leaving their families behind to live the life of “his” dreams. The rest of the book shows how their relationship and their personalities change overtime. The narrator is Paul and he discusses the impact this relationship, his first love, has on his ideas and thoughts throughout his life.
.
.
I liked the book because it is a different take on the trope. I have not read a lot of books which covers romantic relationships between people with a large age gaps and this was new for me. The narration changes from first person to second to third as the story goes on, showing his detachment from his lover and the memories. It was pretty brilliant in expressing how his emotions changed with age. My favourite was part three.
.
.
I did not like it for a number of reasons. The narrator is not very captivating. I felt like Susan, even though she is a major character, was not given a voice and for this exact reason, I was not able to connect with her character. In my opinion, the author did not leave a lot for our interpretation and imagination. Towards the end he explained the narrator's thoughts and analyzed the dynamics between all the characters. I like it better when I am challenged to think and come to a conclusion when I read. This was different, but a little boring for me. I felt like I was being spoon-fed.
.
.
Overall, it was not a bad read. From what I have heard about Sense of an Ending, this does not seem to be Barnes' best work. ( )