Barney's Version Book Review

Hey, so why not?

Apparently I can cut and paste book reviews I've done into my blog. So, let's give it a try.

If anyone else has read this, I'd appreciate a line if you want to talk about it. I seem to be missing what people liked about it.



Barney's Version by Mordecai Richler
My rating: 1 of 5 stars

I really liked 'Solomon Gursky was Here' although Richler writing does tend to isolate readers of the non-jewish persuasion (such as myself). I picked up Barney's Version and had a few problems with it; it could definitely have used a preface explaining the context. I think it would have been much stronger in my opinion if the afterword (written by his son) was actually the foreword.

Possible spoilers;

I really hated the corrective footnotes. Although it is eventually explained it was Barney's son adding them after a supposed legal discussion as to editing Barney's autobiography, it read like lazy copy editing, as if Richler's publisher wasn't allowed to do any editing. It's not until later is it established that Barney's mind is slipping and these are part of the character development as to the crux of the 'did he or didn't he' regarding Boogie's disappearance.

Then to have the last paragraphs basically create another possibility without any other hints throughout the story was a weak cop-out.

Barney isn't likable, and pretty much Richler writes every Jewish stereotype in existence into his character and the secondary ones as well. His snide observations of Quebec and Toronto cultures come off as just that. It's an okay book but nowhere as excellent as Solomon Gursky.

Recommend only to hard-core Richler fans.

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