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Description

Winner of the Man Booker Prize for Fiction 2011 Arthur and George grow up worlds apart in late nineteenth-century Britain. Arthur is to become one of the most famous men of his age, while George remains in hard-working obscurity. But as the new century begins, they are brought together by a sequence of events that made sensational headlines at the time as The Great Wyrley Outrages. With vivid imagination, Julian Barnes brings this long forgotten case to life, and explores the inner workings of these two very different men.

Reviews

"From the first paragraphs we know ourselves to be in the hands of a major novelist and are borne forward by a compelling narrative, beautifully controlled, which combines the satisfactions of biography, social history and the excitement and ratiocination of a real-life detective story. This novel is Barnes at his best." The Times 20050709 "As ever, Barnes serves up a master-class in character observation, lavishing attention on the minutiae of personality, the subtle and conflicting impulses that drive men and women. Barnes seems equipped to write with humour and elegance about anything he turns his attention to." Financial Times 20050730 "A fine literary detective novel and a rich evocation of a somewhat troubled England on the cusp of modernity." Mail on Sunday 20050717 "A beguiling and enormously readable novel." Independent 20050715 "Clearly a wonderful book...Barnes's best yet." Evening Standard 20050704