Rating: 
Summary: For the reader who wants more than just entertainment
Review: One of the most challenging pieces of fiction I have ever encountered, A History Of the World ranks amoung the few works i can reccomend unequivically to anyone interested in... well interested in anyting actually. If you're an avid reader these 300 odd pages will stand out from other writing in their brilliant depth of insight and the remarkable compassion and understanding they express towards the human situation. If you're merely a cognigent human being I implore you to let Barnes guide you through the big issues of what life on earth has meant over the last 5 or 6 millenia.When I say this book is genious, please don't interpret that to mean it's one of those fictional works you'll read straight through i a couple blissful hours. Although i'm sure it's possible to be affected by it in such a way, i wouldn't suggest such an approach to it's subjects. Take your time on this one; read it over a week or two and digest each chapter like an individual course to some magnificent courtly meal. Trust me, as the major themes come together you'll revel in the ways Barnes fits his salad and dessert chapters together for a delighfully complimentary meal with real value. Each chapter could easily exist on its own as a serious and compelling entity, but the real beauty of the work is the comprehensive message of it's 10 and 1/2 chapters. Barnes chooses the story of Noah's ark as the point departure for his fiction. Narrated by a stowaway woodworm, this intitial chapter takes a very different perspective of that historic journey. Later chapters range in sbject from a hostile terrorist hijacking to an imagined nuclear holcaust; from a treatise on the beauty of human love to a parting vision of a now democratic heaven. Against such backgrounds, we are privy to discussions on such topics as the quandry of when self preservation usurps moral integrity or the nature of art's ability to comment on tragedy or the wishful interpretations of "coincidence" born of religious faith... i could go on and on. Barnes reall outdoes himself. This is not one of the most fun books i have read, nor do i hold that against it. It was not intended to be such. It is however one of the most important works i have been blessed to read. Like I said before, it challnged me personally in ways most fiction does not. One final warning to Christians (of which i am one), Jews, Catholics, or anyone else who might find some selections contained in the book to border on blasphemy. Please remember that this is fiction; Barnes isn't claiming that heaven is really the place he describes in the closing chapter, nor do i believe he really contends that red headed people came form a liscentious encounter between Ham's wife and a red-haired monkey. He is just using such Biblical inconguities to explore the thematic histoy of the world. He recognizes his personal bias in the work's title: "A" History not "The" history. Still a pretty ambitious title, but one that in my opinion is backed up by an incredible work. Read it.
Rating: 
Summary: Makes you think
Review: Some people have said that this book is an intellectual read. It is, but its also very readable. The author has a fantastic sense of humour, and if you only read the chapter on Noahs Ark, you're in for a real treat. Other chapters are a little more hardgoing, but its worth it. Barnes takes myths, stories, paintings and so on as his inspiration and builds on them, adding a really human element to things which are otherwise hard to imagine. It makes you think, but not in an overly challenging way!
Rating:
Summary: A Fictional Non-Fiction Novelty
Review: The novelty inherent in Julian Barnes' A History of the World in 10 ½ Chapters is'in part'that it is not really a 'novel.' It is more of a comically tragic reminiscence of Joyce's Dubliners than your standard long-prose work, complete with protagonist, antagonist, and the typical one-plot, one setting structure. Its 10 ½ stories bluntly give us a non-revisionist's history of the world by traveling from a tale of 'unclean' woodworm stowaways upon Noah's Ark to Barnes' conception of Heaven. It is realist and fantastic at once, telling how it was, is, and is to be with such honesty, depth, and sensitivity that its classification should be a sort of jocular Capotesque non-fiction novel.
A History of the World's most curious feature is its division. Ten strikingly different stories and one half-chapter side-note are seem as if they are randomly slapped together until the reader starts to make the connections. The woodworms stowed away on the Ark are in a subsequent chapter tried for the destruction of church property and blasphemous offence against God when their progeny take residence in and consume the Catholic cathedral of Mamirolle. The trial sings with critique of man's distortion of the religious impulse and social commentary. The Ark comes up in nearly every chapter, establishing a sort of nautical theme tied together with the wreck of the Medusa, a 17th century French naval frigate and the theories of the modern human's ascent from the sea from an amphibious state. Barnes also maintains a religious theme throughout the work, adding a discussion of Jonah in the whale, a timely leap into Middle Eastern religion turned politics, and a philosophical treatise on the meaning and purpose of heaven. All of this is weaved together to form a mystical collage of human nature and history.
As one might surmise from the title, the ½ chapter is of great importance to the unity of the narrative. Entitled 'Parenthesis' these 19 pages of side note seem to be a larger version of the 'aside' in which the author speaks directly to the reader. Barnes includes this personal commentary to reveal the main theme of the work: an exploration of love and its value for the human species. Love is the only tool we have to beat down the history of the world and make life plausible, give it some meaning.
History isn't what happened. History is just what historians tell us. There was a pattern, a plan, a movement, expansion, the march of democracy; it is a tapestry, a flow of events, a complex narrative, connected, explicable. One good story leads to another'.And we the readers of history, we scan the pattern for hopeful conclusions, for the way ahead. And we cling to history as a series of salon pictures, conversation pieces whose participants we can easily reimagine back into life, when all the time it's more like a multi-media collage, with paint applied by decorator's roller rather than camel-hair brush (240).
Because of the confusion of sentient existence, 'Our random mutation [love] is essential because it is unnecessary.' (238) We don't NEED it, that's why it means something and how it empowers us.
Simply stated, Barnes' novel (alright, I admit, it is a novel'however NOVEL) wants us to be more conscious of what a blessing it is to be a sentient, thoughtful beings capable of reading novels. It wants us to not get tied up in 'historical facts' and to realize that we can get more out of a fictional account of history which admits to this condition than from revisionist histories around the world that disguise themselves in FACT. Or maybe, it just wants us to read it and enjoy it.
Rating:
Summary: A Fictional Non-Fiction Novelty
Review: The novelty inherent in Julian Barnes� A History of the World in 10 ½ Chapters is�in part�that it is not really a �novel.� It is more of a comically tragic reminiscence of Joyce�s Dubliners than your standard long-prose work, complete with protagonist, antagonist, and the typical one-plot, one setting structure. Its 10 ½ stories bluntly give us a non-revisionist�s history of the world by traveling from a tale of �unclean� woodworm stowaways upon Noah�s Ark to Barnes� conception of Heaven. It is realist and fantastic at once, telling how it was, is, and is to be with such honesty, depth, and sensitivity that its classification should be a sort of jocular Capotesque non-fiction novel.
A History of the World�s most curious feature is its division. Ten strikingly different stories and one half-chapter side-note are seem as if they are randomly slapped together until the reader starts to make the connections. The woodworms stowed away on the Ark are in a subsequent chapter tried for the destruction of church property and blasphemous offence against God when their progeny take residence in and consume the Catholic cathedral of Mamirolle. The trial sings with critique of man�s distortion of the religious impulse and social commentary. The Ark comes up in nearly every chapter, establishing a sort of nautical theme tied together with the wreck of the Medusa, a 17th century French naval frigate and the theories of the modern human�s ascent from the sea from an amphibious state. Barnes also maintains a religious theme throughout the work, adding a discussion of Jonah in the whale, a timely leap into Middle Eastern religion turned politics, and a philosophical treatise on the meaning and purpose of heaven. All of this is weaved together to form a mystical collage of human nature and history.
As one might surmise from the title, the ½ chapter is of great importance to the unity of the narrative. Entitled �Parenthesis� these 19 pages of side note seem to be a larger version of the �aside� in which the author speaks directly to the reader. Barnes includes this personal commentary to reveal the main theme of the work: an exploration of love and its value for the human species. Love is the only tool we have to beat down the history of the world and make life plausible, give it some meaning.
History isn�t what happened. History is just what historians tell us. There was a pattern, a plan, a movement, expansion, the march of democracy; it is a tapestry, a flow of events, a complex narrative, connected, explicable. One good story leads to another�.And we the readers of history, we scan the pattern for hopeful conclusions, for the way ahead. And we cling to history as a series of salon pictures, conversation pieces whose participants we can easily reimagine back into life, when all the time it�s more like a multi-media collage, with paint applied by decorator�s roller rather than camel-hair brush (240).
Because of the confusion of sentient existence, �Our random mutation [love] is essential because it is unnecessary.� (238) We don�t NEED it, that�s why it means something and how it empowers us.
Simply stated, Barnes� novel (alright, I admit, it is a novel�however NOVEL) wants us to be more conscious of what a blessing it is to be a sentient, thoughtful beings capable of reading novels. It wants us to not get tied up in �historical facts� and to realize that we can get more out of a fictional account of history which admits to this condition than from revisionist histories around the world that disguise themselves in FACT. Or maybe, it just wants us to read it and enjoy it.
Rating:
Summary: History as Novel
Review: There are ten wonderful and oddly connected stories in this book, each told in a different voice and set in a different milieu. Each stands on its own as a provocative work, each with virtuoso narrative flow. Yet, as I read this book, I had the feeling that the stories, great as they are, don't really form a connected work. Then, in his chapter "Parenthesis", Barnes explains why. "The history of the world? Just voices echoing in the dark; images that burn for a few centuries and then fade; stories, old stories that sometimes seem to overlap; strange links, impertinent connections. ...And while we fret and writhe... we make up a story to cover the facts we don't know or can't accept; we keep a few true facts and spin a new story round them. Our panic and our pain are only eased by soothing fabulation; we call it history."
This idea about history is certainly true. But it does create a book, fine though it is, that doesn't build narrative power from chapter to chapter. This would be a serious flaw in a lesser writer. But with Barnes, my verdict is highly recommended.
Rating:
Summary: Barnes at his best
Review: This book affirms that Julian Barnes is a clever, creative and challenging author. He uses ten stories and an essay, bound by recurring images and themes, to weave a penetrating commentary on human history. Barnes deals with weighty themes (love, happiness, disappointment, self-deception, et cetera) and offers little comfort for his fellow observers of the human condition. He does not spare the scalpel in dissecting religion, nationalism and other forces that have driven humanity. However, his beautiful writing and superb sense of humour still make the book a real pleasure to read. As in his other books, Barnes here too produces an exceptional number of passages whose beauty and/or wisdom make me stop and re-read.
One could argue about whether this is a true novel or a book of thematically-linked short stories. And some of the stories are more readable or significant than others. But, on the whole, I found this a book to savour. It demands concentrated attention and constant reflection, but the effort is well worth the while. Read it, and share an exceptionally perceptive author's take on human history. You may well see many things in an altogether new light, starting with Noah' ark and the lowly woodworm...
Rating:
Summary: A work of genius
Review: This is not a normal book. No plot, no storyline. But truly exceptional. I originally bought it on a whim and, expecting it to me more conventional, I nearly gave up after a couple of chapters. What a disaster that would have been! This book analyses the human condition very subtly. Each chapter stands alone, but they are linked and several themes develop. Each reader will gain different things from this book, so I will resist giving my own report, except to mention the half chapter... It is an essay on love that captures the beauty and the pain exquisitely. I have twice bought this book for broken-hearted friends solely for this half chapter, and both found it hugely helpful. Barnes' writing style is thoughtful but immensely readable. He writes as a reporter, detached but unavoidably involved in his subject matter. Im tempted to suggest that this book should be standard reading in high schools, but in reality it is better suited to those who have lived a little. A book for those reaching 30, the true coming of age. Buy it and treasure it!
Rating:
Summary: A worm's eye view of history
Review: This was one of my favourite books of the year. It is often difficult to decipher exactly what Julian Barnes is getting at in his writing as he likes to present a detatched, intellectual view of the world with many different points of view incorporated in his immaculately constructed prose. A History of the World is, in essence, a series of essays describing various dispirate angles of history from the little man's perspective. Never is this done better than in chapter one, a brilliant and original short story describing the voyage of Noah's ark from the mouth of a stowaway woodworm.
Other parts I enjoyed was the short chapter on love, an exemplary piece of prose that can only come from the mind of a great thinker who has pondered deeply what it is to be in love. Three superb short stories deconstructing the myth of Jonah and the whale, a comic tale of a Titanic survivor and a ship carrying Jewish refugees on a futile voyage around the States were particularly memorable in different ways. And for a prime example of the pure intellectual strand of Barnes' writing, sample his essay on art history concerning a portrait of 'The sinking of the Medusa'. You will never pass by a picture with a cursory glance again.
I am aware that Barnes insists this work is a novel, claiming that 'things in it thicken and deepen' but I think it is essentially a collection of original and thought provoking essays. A worms eye view of history.
Rating:
Summary: Barnes' Innovative Novel Challenges Tradition
Review: Warning: Fundamentalist Christians who treasure their Bible, taking every word literally, pronouncing its absolute truth, and key to salvation should stay away from A History of the World in 10 ½ Chapters! The Bible is Julian Barnes' playground. Did you ever wonder about the creation myths of Genesis, the story of Jonah and the whale, and the nature of truth in religion and in history? Well, it appears that author Julian Barnes has wondered about these things to a large extent, prompting and inspiring him to write A History of the World in 10 ½ Chapters. The reader knows that Mr. Barnes is a naughty boy (but side-splittingly hysterical) when he paints Noah, savior and Patriarch of humanity, as an incompetent discriminating drunkard in the very first chapter (not to mention, he has some very creative uses for a unicorn). Nothing is sacred here. Barnes is indirectly addressing several deep and pressing issues of human existence through these uniquely different but beautifully interwoven ten chapters (the exquisitely crafted and philosophic underpinnings of the half chapter serve as an explanation and key to the connection of themes). The genius of the half chapter lies in its placement (after the eighth chapter). Barnes' writing style is entralling as well as hilarious, captivating us, driving us mad to find the connections. He drives home the point that history is not always clear cut when told from various subjective voices. An expert at reading between the lines, Barnes deconstructs the myths of the Old Testament, namely that of Jonah and Noah, transforming them into engrossing and hilarious alternate accounts of what "traditionally" transpired. This novel is unique in its structure, connecting each successive story (all different and dealing with a separate time in history) by some small fascinating detail. Barnes adopts several different points of view throughout the novel and connects various people's lives throughout history using motifs (often religious ones). In addition to its structure, Barnes' creativity and originality flourishes in this piece of work. Using a stowaway on Noah's Ark to "set the record straight" is ingenious. With a keen eye for detail (showcased in the chapter entitled "Shipwreck"), Barnes illustrates throughout the novel, humans obsession with the purity of race. He begins with Noah separating the clean from the unclean animals on the Ark and shows this trend throughout history. In one instance he details the plight of the Jews just before World War II, fleeing Nazi Germany in desperation only to be turned away by all countries. The humanity and dignity of the individuals is completely ignored by the Committees who negotiate the prices of their freedom as if the refugees were cattle. The novel takes an intelligent, satirical, and humorous approach to a completely subjective, materialistically cold, and remorseless account of history. He questions the "fabulated God-eyed version" of historical truth. Barnes challenges the molds of binary oppositions (clean/unclean, American/British, Indian/White, etc.) and challenges the reader to view history with a more scrutinizing eye. Whose version of the truth are we hearing? This is central to Barnes' philosophy of an objective truth. And in the end, as John and Paul said, "All You Need Is Love." Love is intricately connected with truth in that it allows for a clearer vision of reality, therefore allowing for a more objective view of history. As Barnes says, even though love may fail us, it teaches us to "stand up to history, to ignore its chin-out strut At times, Barnes becomes tangled in his own beautifully crafted web of language, making it cumbersome for the reader to continue (arm yourself with a dictionary). Otherwise, this is a witty, thought provoking, and insightful novel which demands a reading. ." This novel deserves 4 1/2 stars.
Rating:
Summary: A Novel, or just a Novel Idea?
Review: When thinking about this story by Julian Barnes, I have found the issue of whether or not these ten and a half chapters constitute a novel impossible to avoid. My understanding of the narrative tool known as the novel is that it provides a writer with space--space to show life as it is, as it was, as it is hoped to be, and as it is imagined. The novel also presents the writer with a unique opportunity to show a situation from a number of perspectives. In The History of the World in 10 1/2 Chapters, Barnes has decided to present the human condition in relation to history as revolving around the repitition of certain ideas and images: woodworm, the raft of the Medusa and its representation by Gericault, Noah and his Ark, bitumen, love, and the cyclical nature of history are just some of these recurrences. If this novel were about a topic other than history--or rather dominated by a topic other than history--I would paste upon it the label of ten and a half short stories (sometimes essays) loosely connected at times by a similar phrase (such as "the clean and the unclean"), or creatures (such as woodworm). But this is a story about the history of the world and its relationship to humanity. The topic dictates the form. The half chapter, Parenthesis--thought I don't know why it is placed where it is between Chapters 8 and 9--explains the rhyme and reason of Barnes's endeavor. Parenthesis provides some of the most powerful insights and moments in the entire work, while giving (after eight chapters of doubt) an explanation for the choice of form: "History isn't what happened. History is just what historians tell us. There was a pattern, a plan, a movement, expansion, the march of democracy; it is a tapestry, a flow of events, a complex narrative, connected, explicable....images that burn for a few centuries and then fade; stories, old stories that sometimes overlap; strange links, impertinent connections."(240). This is exactly what Barnes does in his work. He takes seemingly disparate tales and weaves and constructs them around a few central facts, fabulations, conjectures, and images. Parenthesis ends with an eloquent statment of how humanity can be more than mere slaves to history: "And so it is with love. We must believe in it, or we're lost. We may not obtain it, or we may obtain it and find it renders us unhappy; we must still believe in it. If we don't, then we merely surrender to the history of the world and to someone else's truth" (244). Love is the answer--the one thing that can empower humanity over history. The half chapter, for all of its excellent insights into love, suffers from serious drag at a number of points; however, this drag is somewhat alleviated by the accomplishment of the section's language and thought. The story is an enlightening experience due to the high skill Barnes possesses in creating characters and their worlds, and then going about that difficult task of writing a unique story from different perspectives revolving around the same facts, fabulations, and truths. Barnes's work is also a feast of technical proficiency. The young writer, who may very well be put off by Barnes's style of writing, will no doubt find a great benefit in reviewing the devices employed throughout the work. The chapters abound with the use of fist and third person, sometimes even occuring in the same chapter (The Survivor). And yes, even that rare beast known as point of view in the second person makes an appearance, thought it is brief (no Bright Lights, Big City here, just high competence in moving from one perspective to another). Of course, a reader must deal with Barnes's caustic attitude towards religion, where he often downplays or ignores its importance to community and sprituality; however, there is validity in his arguments, especially when it comes to the crippling effects of fundamentalism and how charity often overshadows spirtuality. This is a novel well worth the effort.
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