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Flaubert's Parrot [Paperback]

Julian Barnes (Author)
4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (20 customer reviews)

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Customer Reviews

4.7 out of 5 stars
20 reviews
4.7 out of 5 stars
Most helpful customer reviews
4 of 4 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars Quaint, quirky, literate ,& ultimately, vastly entertaining Feb 14 2002
By David J. Gannon
Format:Paperback
This may be the most unusual book I've ever read.

Sort of a philosophical treatise on art, writing, Flaubert, the French, compulsion and love presented under the guise of a very arcane literary detective story.

Barnes is a very quixotic and imaginative writer with a definitely skewed view of the world and an engaging and witty writing voice. The musings of the narrator are well formed and allow the reader move along at a brisk pace. It helps that Flaubert himself was a wacky and iconoclastic figure-one of those people we've all heard of but don't really know anything about unless you are some sort of 19th century French literature freak.

This was the first Barnes novel I read and it was so good I have been slowly working my way through his other books, which has proven to be an altogether delightful experience. All of his novels are good-this one stands out from the pack.

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2 of 2 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars What color are Loulou's wings? Aug 5 2001
By D. P. Birkett
Format:Paperback
You have to have read Madame Bovary (or maybe Cliff's notes on Madame Bovary) to understand the plot. You don't have to have read "Un Coeur Simple" but you probably will after reading this. It's not until three-quarters of the way through that you suddenly realize there's a plot. Until then it's a series of very clever biographical essays about Flaubert. Then you understand why the narrator it obsessed with Flaubert. Then you get equally clever essays about the nature of love and grief. Wonderful insight into the poignancy of bereavement combined with sharp and erudite wit. It may be too erudite and clever for some. It demands a certain amount of francophilia and anglophilia, and understanding phrases like "I might let the TLS have it." I'd always thought it was Nabokov, not Starkie who accused Flaubert of getting mixed up about the color of Emma's eyes. I think he did get get mixed up about the color of Loulou's wings in Un Coeur Simple- at least in the English translation I read.
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5.0 out of 5 stars informative fiction Mar 24 2013
By elizabeth green
Format:Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase
Lots of facts mixed up with fiction It is a must to read alongside Madame Bovary. An eye for detail all the way through and compelling analysis.
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Most recent customer reviews
5.0 out of 5 stars Brilliant! My J Barnes Fav!
I wish I had enough of that literary critic vocabulary and style to convey how wonderfully rich FLAUBERT'S PARROT is. Read more
Published on Oct 25 2007 by Kirtland Peterson
5.0 out of 5 stars Clever Introduction to Flaubert
This idea-driven novel is filled with brilliant observations, especially in the later chapters, that make me want to read Flaubert. Read more
Published on May 23 2001 by Ethan Cooper
5.0 out of 5 stars Deeply Felt, Highly Literate, Highly Entertaining
Julian Barnes's novel/fictional biography/fictional autobiography, "Flaubert's Parrot" is a magnificent work. Read more
Published on April 14 2001 by mp
5.0 out of 5 stars Lovely exploration of narrative, time, and life...
A previous reviewer found the use of "clever" literary techniques by the author too much. On the contrary, they form the center of the novel--the possibility of finding... Read more
Published on Feb 14 2001 by Roger T. Whitson
4.0 out of 5 stars Who would of thought?
Who would of thought some dead French guy from the mid 1800's could be so interesting? I read this book on the recommendation of my brother but with the stipulation I read... Read more
Published on Jan 14 2001
5.0 out of 5 stars Nothing But Net
This is not the book that landed The Booker Prize for Mr. Barnes. I have read the novel that did win, "England, England", and I feel this is every bit as good. Read more
Published on Dec 12 2000 by taking a rest
5.0 out of 5 stars In Search of Unfathomable Truth
At the first sight this book is a story of an elderly English doctor Geoffrey Braithwaite who tries to reconstruct the life of the great French writer Gustave Flaubert in order to... Read more
Published on Dec 1 2000 by Andrew Karbovsky
2.0 out of 5 stars Too tricky
I think that Barnes concentrated too much on being a clever little literary expert and that overshadowed the actual novel. Read more
Published on April 27 2000 by kimp
2.0 out of 5 stars This bok is very hard to read and enjoy.
I don't see why this book gets high marks. To me it is inconsequential, un-entertaining, confusing... It's like throwing a ball in the air and waiting for it to drop back. Read more
Published on Oct 6 1999
5.0 out of 5 stars Marvellous
A wonderful book, the emotional core of which sneaks up on you from between the lines. The book's more academic moments are interesting as such yet are deeply enriched by... Read more
Published on Sep 28 1999
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