Barney's Version (Vintage International) Paperback – 4 May 2010

I actually didn't know anything about Barney before I read this book or how to thatch a roof and having read the book I can now thatch a roof on my own!

I totally enjoyed it.Very brilliant and all the characters very alive.A book I 've read a second time.

Barney Panofsky, the not-so-lovable, yet so endearing, main character and purportedly the narrative's author, takes one by the hand and won't let one go until he has told one all about his three wives. As a result his whole life comes into light in achingly funny flashes interspersed with witty remarks and comments which can at times be sarcastic as well as ironic, directed at other characters in the novel as well as at himself. As if this were not enough, one soon discovers that one eagerly awaits the solution to a mystery that haunts the novel from its very start. The suspense is intense as the novel unravels but the solution is not clear, therefore leaving the readers guessing unsuccessfully until the end. Yet, even then one has the feeling that the revelation comes as if by chance, nevertheless giving the satisfaction of a certain justice. The narrative is so realistic that one is completely taken in it and one is found empathising with the characters as if they were real. Barney in Richler's hands becomes an excellent storyteller: one which no reader will want to leave until the very end; one which will leave every reader enchanted long after the last page is read and the book closed

Good, efficient ordering and delivery

This book is in beautiful condition it looks unread. Thank you. Would buy from this seller again happily.

it was held up in customs, therefore a late delivery but just rec'd it today and all is as expected.

I read this as a result of seeing the film. I watched the film simply because I love Paul Giamatti. The book is - as is always the case - so much more than the film. Beautifully observed and marvellously rich, Richler weaves a tremendous tale that is - essentially - a memoir. Very funny, very moving, very addictive. I loved it!

To be fair, this book is probably more well known than other work by Richler due to the fact that it is his final novel. I have to say, I myself have always liked Solomon Gursky a little bit better, but if you want to start reading this author, this is a great place to start.Barney's Version plays out in the same universe as all Richler's other books, so there will be a couple of names that you will recognize from Duddy Kravitz and Solomon Gursky (although most other books reference them as well). We read Barney's take on his life as he tells us everything that has happened to him, starting with his humble beginnings and ending at his peak. What makes this book special is the fact that as a reader, it feels as if Barney is your friend and he tells you honestly why so many people seem to hate him. This is an interesting take on a story. It becomes clear that there are a lot of people in Barney's world that do not like him or use him, whilst he seems to be a honest and amicable man. However, Richler doesn't let Barney of the hook so easily and towards the end of the book, you are so heavily invested in Barney and his clan that you don't want the book to end.Richler is not that well known outside of Canada, but if you stumbled on this title, please buy it. You will not be disappointed.