Review: Metroland by Julian Barnes

Oh Julian Barnes, how I have a love-hate relationship with you.

My readers may remember my glowing review of Barnes' brilliant A History of the World in 10 1/2 Chapters, a book so hard to define when it comes to form and genre, it makes for a completely unique reading experience. On the other hand, there's Flaubert's Parrot, which is really Barnes' master thesis thinly disguised as a novel that everyone seemed to love and I couldn't get past the few first pages - though, in the spirit of full disclosure, I never really gave it a chance either.

So although I have great respect for the man, I don't approach Barnes' novels easily. In the case of Metroland, it is a mostly superb reading experience (and a relief in that). A coming-of-age novel about a boy, Christopher, from the suburb of London called Metroland, who with his best friend Toni escapes the monotony of home by reading French writers and philosophers is adorable and profound and grounded in a very realistic depiction of adolescence and young adulthood.

There are three parts of the book. The first, set in Metroland, finds the 16 y.o. characters dreaming of adulthood; the second finds the protagonist living it up in Paris during his college years; the third sees him back in Metroland, with a wife and a daughter. It is also this third part where the real conflict begins, with Toni feeling betrayed for Christopher's normative life choices while he is still obsessing about art and philosophy and being a free spirit.

Since there is no plot to speak of (and the novel is in fact a collection of vignettes), I guess the reader will naturally gravitate to their favorite section of the book based on the time period they cover. I myself enjoyed the adolescent part, but absolutely loved Christopher's years in Paris, where we read about his sexual awakening and first love(s). I also found the conflict between him and Toni surprisingly poignant and gripping, which gave the book an overall nostalgic, somewhat sad, feel. I could have gone without some of the cutesy, boys-will-be-boys type writing in the overlong first part, as well as some slightly homophobic comments, but all in all, I am very happy with Metroland - it is a really good, poignant novel, though it is definitely no History.

RATING: 4/5

Trivia Bit #1 - There is a film adaptation of the book, starring Christian Bale, and it seems like a colossally bad idea. Naturally, I got my hands on a copy and will hopefully watch it soon and post about it.

Trivia Bit #2 - I am obsessed with the Russian cover of the book, because: a) it is obviously marketed as a YA novel, which it obviously isn't, and b) it features the English model and musician George Craig (of Burberry and One Night Only fame; he also dated Emma Watson) on the cover, for no apparent reason.

Review: Ms. Taken Identity by Dan Begley

I have recently seen many book bloggers praise Dan Begley for writing a chick lit book. I find this really strange, since Ms. Taken Identity is not a chick lit novel. Yes, it is true that Begley's protagonist writes a novel about fashion, makeovers and women. But Dan Begley himself has written something far more rarer, especially for an American writer - an easy-to-read book about life, women and relationships written from a man's point of view, also known as a lad lit novel.

Ms. Taken Identity is about Mitch Samuel, an academic whose life is not the way he wants it to be. His dissertation on the subject of Chaucer's The Canterbury Tales is moving too slowly, he has a new student who is bugging the hell out of him, his girlfriend broke up with him. On top of that, the manuscript for his serious, epic novel has been turned down everywhere. Soon enough, a serendipitous moment unites Mitch with Katharine Longwell, the best-selling chick lit author, to whom he spins a story about a fictional cousin who has just finished a book. Smitten by Mitch, Katharine offers to help Mitch's cousin get the book published, and now it's up to him to write the novel in record time. Things get even more complicated when he goes about trying to understand women by taking dance classes and one woman in particular catches his eye.

In its genre, Begley's debut novel is a great read. It is obviously no literary fiction, but it is a fun, exciting ride from start to finish. The author breathes life into his characters - Mitch is a bitter academic in need of a personality makeover. Even when he does atone for his actions, he does not lose that fun, sarcastic note he has had since the very start. Also, the character of Katherine is a lot of fun to read, as she is a two-dimensional character at first, until Mitch realizes she may not be so trivial at all, which is when we can see there is certain depth to who she is and what she does.

The most impressive thing about Ms. Taken Identity, however, is the way Begley blurs the lines between the genres. Using the stereotypical chick lit elements, he writes a lad-lit novel, thus making us wonder if Mars and Venus are really that far away from each other. There is a little bit of Nick Hornby here, especially when it comes to posing as a different person as a result of your own insecurities, as well as Tony Parsons, most evidently in scenes between Mitch and his estranged father. However, Ms. Taken Identity is a work of Dan Begley - a witty, talented writer, whose debut novel suggests that he is not far away from becoming American lad lit royalty.

RATING: 5/5

Thanks to Dan Begley and Melissa Bullock.