'The task of the present is to correct our understanding of the past. And that task becomes the more urgent when the past cannot be corrected.'

This is a curious book, part novel and part biography/philosophical discourse.

The eponymous Elizabeth Finch is a lecturer whose thoughts and beliefs are laid before us by one of her former students, Neil, who appears obsessed with her.

After Elizabeth's death, Neil is left her diaries and papers and decides Elizabeth would like him to complete a book she had started on Julian the Apostate. This section constitutes the middle part of the novel.

It is a slightly dry piece, waxing on about monotheism and animal sacrifice among other things. Julian isn't someone I found myself warming to and perhaps this is deliberate on the author's part.

I was more interested in Elizabeth, who eschewed personal contact and never kept correspondence, yet left a clear impression on Neil and his fellow students.

Neil has a tendency to allow his feelings to interfere with his judgement and remains in Elizabeth's thrall throughout.

It felt to me as though Julian Barnes wanted to say something about how memory of a person changes over time and whether this memory is always truthful.

It is up to us to decide how we want to view Elizabeth Finch. She is complex and yet straightforward, a woman with clarity of thought who places each word with the precision of a surgeon's knife. For those who admire her, it is easy to place her on a pedestal. For those who don't, she may appear pretentious and self-absorbed.

This in itself begs the question of how we allow a person's influence on us to change over the years and whether learning new truths alters our perspective or simply reinforces our initial perceptions.

Whilst difficult to get into at first, the novel is ultimately rewarding. The middle section will probably cause the most issues, but I found this to be the key to understanding the narrative as a whole and in particular how Neil relates to Elizabeth.

I received an ARC of this book from Random House UK, Vintage, in return for an honest appraisal.

Elizabeth Finch is a teacher of an adult education course in culture and civilisation. Her curriculum is designed to guide her students into developing critical thinking and individual ideas. The story is told by Neil, a former student, who was starstruck by her passion and presence. The novel has a tripartite structure. The first part is an intro to Elizabeth Finch and the third supposedly an apogee to her original character and the lack of conclusion (of her character, of history, of life) is a way of concluding the novel. The middle section tells the story of Julian the Apostate, the last pagan Roman emperor before Christianity took full hold over the world. The connection to the main narrative is that Elizabeth Finch had a soft spot for this historical figure, believing that his death marked the time when history went wrong. ⁠
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Elizabeth Finch is supposed to be this special, one-of-a-kind, inspirational female persona, but all I could see was a barely sketched character. I understand what Barnes was going for: imbued with intellectualism and keeping her inner life a mystery, Elizabeth Finch should convey an aura of mysticism, of surrealist existence, the good outsider. However, the descriptions of Finch only paint a picture of a stiff woman with no charm. She's not unlikable, that's not where the problem lies; in fact, the opposite is true as Neil's obsession with her indicates. And it's also not that the female character, our major protagonist, is portrayed via a singularly male gaze, which nevertheless does exhibit some problematic points. No, it's simply that the ideation of the character does not translate well into the actual writing. One reviewer on the gram said the book is a great example of a case study of a character; well, for me it's the contrary. ⁠
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What I enjoyed was the second part of the book, which tells the story of Julian the Apostate. Barnes is known for his crafty historical investigations and insertions into the literary domain. So yes, this is what I liked. Ironically, I think for some (many?) this part may read as a prolonged and boring essay. ⁠
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Most of Barnes' recurring themes are to be found: high-brow education, history, middle-crisis in men, female-male relationships etc. Barnes has always been an important writer to me and I've been reading his books by default, but sadly I seem to have outgrown him in the last few years. His last couple of books didn't quite work the magic, and Elizabeth Finch seems to only highlight this for me.

Having said that, if you're new to Barnes, I highly recommend Flaubert's Parrot and A History of the World in 10½ Chapters, my favourite novels of his, as well as his memoir Nothing to be Frightened of.

Thanks to @vintagebooks and @netgalley for my advanced digital copy in exchange for an honest review.

I haven’t read any of Julian Barnes’s previous books and that now seems like a foolish omission. When I read that Elizabeth Finch bears more than a passing resemblance to Anita Brookner, I couldn’t resist. I may have been late to the party on Brookner but I’m now a devotee. It’s easy to see why the narrator Neil is captivated by EF’s non-nonsense brand of intellectual vigour. Her sense of self and disregard of others’ opinions is an inspiration.
I wonder whether I would have been so well disposed to the middle third of the book, an essay by Neil on Emperor Julian and his benign opposition to Christianity, had I not recently listened to Gore Vidal’s novel Julian. I like nothing better than reading about the early Church so I didn’t mind the wandering away from the main path of the book but I don’t think it would be everyone’s cup of tea.
I really like Barnes’s writing. It’s elegant and very readable so I was surprised to read in the Times that John Self thinks Elizabeth Finch may be harder going than most of Barnes’s books. Even more reason for me to get on with reading his back catalogue. Rigorous fun indeed.

Surprisingly this is quite a short book, particularly for Julian Barnes. As one would expect the quality and style of his writing are superb i learned a lot reading this book but it is not a form of escapism.

I really struggled to connect with this book in any way. I found much of it boring, and the character of Elizabeth Finch just not that interesting. I found the first section really lacking in intrigue, and the second section incredibly boring. I’ve never understood why authors throw in a load of factual/historical text as though the reader is as interested in a subject they’re an expert in. Author, we’re not. In part it felt more like some sort of essay than a novel, which is fine if you’re writing an essay, but this isn’t an essay. It’s like the story was lost in this book, it says plenty without really saying anything. It was a directionless ship lost out at sea. I don’t feel I truly got to know Elizabeth, just a version of her, and a dull version at that. Then there was the character of Neil, who just felt like a complete loser. Elizabeth Finch clearly made a big impact on this characters life, but maybe he’s the only ‘person’ who cares about this impact. Can you ever truly get to know someone by their written works? I guess it depends. I try to read each book with an open mind but it was a huge struggle to get through this one.

Mature student Neil falls for the wisdom of his tutor Elizabeth Finch. A philosopher with, some say, radical ideas but a huge inspiration for many and a friend to Neil for many years. After Elizabeth's death, Neil inherits her papers and is struck by obscure references to a mysterious 'J'. Finally he realises that this refers to Julian the Apostate and his life starts to come into order.
There are a number of critiques of this book saying it is not a novel, in many ways it is not but it is actually like a short novella split by a long histori-philosopical essay. It's also not to say that it doesn't work! The story involves concentration but does invite the reader to reflect as Neil does.

I think this is a bit like Marmite and people will either love it or hate it. In my case I did not care enough about Elizabeth Finch to keep reading to the end and the long sections on her area of expertise as a teacher - Julian the apostate - just made me want to stop reading, which after some perseverance (I hardly ever give up on books), I’m afraid I did. Appreciating the writing was not enough at the end of the day - a book needs to be compelling and draw you in - and this just didn’t..

With thanks to the author, publisher and NetGalley for an opportunity to read an advance copy.

For me, this novel just didn't work. It seems that Julian Barnes wanted to write something non-fiction, but tried to create a piece of fiction out of it. The novel ends up being uneventful and dull. I have given it 2 stars as Barnes clearly knows his stuff and is an excellent writer. This book just didn't capture me at all which was disappointing.

Thank you to Netgalley for the advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

I enjoyed this lovely little book about the eponymous Elizabeth Finch. Neil - the narrator - takes a class on Culture and becomes friends with the enigmatic Ms Finch. Although maybe “friends” is too strong a word. They meet for lunch once a month and Neil tries to find interesting topics of conversation to ensure the lunch continues and the meetings continue. Ms Finch is the original “does not suffer fools” person. Neil sends her postcards from his travels but she never mentions them. Once he asks her about a card he’d send from a famous pottery and she says “there is too much of his work in the world”. Beautifully dismissive.

EF dies and Neil is surprised to find he inherits all her papers. What to do with them?

A reverie on friendship, on honesty and on how we pretend with the important people in our lives. I loved it and will read it again in the future.

I was given a copy of this book by Netgalley

I'm a long time fan of Julian Barnes. The narrator, Neil, is a middle aged student who greatly inspired by his postgrad Culture and Civilizations professor Elizabeth Finch, or E.F. as she is referred to throughout. E.F. uses the Socratic method to impart knowledge to her students. The book takes a turn and puts significant focus on Julian the Apostate, “the last pagan emperor of Rome, who attempted to turn back the disastrous flood tide of Christianity” and in E.F's opinion was where history went wrong. Neil's admiration for E.F. is immense, but I found her development too ambiguous to see her greatness, or any real impact she had on his life. Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the advance copy of this book.

“Thou hast conquered, O pale Galilean; the world has grown grey from thy breath; We have drunken of things Lethean, and fed on the fulness of Death.” - from ‘Hymn to Proserpine’ by Algernon Charles Swinburne, 1866.

My thanks to Random House U.K. Jonathan Cape for an eARC via NetGalley of ‘Elizabeth Finch’ by Julian Barnes in exchange for an honest review.

The above quote is quite important to the narrative of Julian Barnes’ latest work of literary fiction. The titular character is a teacher whose course on ‘Culture and Civilisation’ challenges her adult students to develop their ideas and discover within themselves their ‘centres of seriousness’.

Elizabeth Finch (EF) is remembered by her former student, Neil, who following her death has been bequeathed her library and notebooks. As he examines this material he recalls his interactions with her including a friendship that had continued after the course ended.

He finds in the notebook EF’s thoughts on Julian the Apostate, the last Pagan emperor of Rome and his historical consequences. He recalls that at the end of the year long course he had been too distracted by his marital problems to submit the required final essay. Elizabeth Finch had responded: ‘I am sure it is only temporary.’

He decides that in leaving her notebooks and library to him that she was suggesting that he complete her Julian project. Neil’s essay makes up Part 2 of the novel. While I knew a little about the Emperor Julian, I found the essay very thought-provoking in terms of highlighting the historical significance of Julian’s life and untimely death.

As likely is apparent ‘Elizabeth Finch’ is a literary novel that focuses upon philosophical and religious ideas. Perhaps not everyone’s cup of tea but I found the subjects explored fascinating.

The alternative history proposed if Julian had lived was provocative. The idea of their being no need for the Renaissance because the legacy of the Graeco-Roman world would have remained intact, including its scholarly libraries, certainly set my thoughts in interesting directions.

Overall, I found reading ‘Elizabeth Finch’ a cerebral experience. Added to this intellectual stimulation was the pleasure of reading Julian Barnes’ elegant prose.

Despite its modest length, this is at least two books in one. On the outside this is a study in the teacher pupil relationship. Narrator Neil is part of a group of adult undergraduates who take a course on 'Culture and Civilization' taught by the singular Elizabeth Finch. Years late Neil sifts through his memories to try and
understand the profound impact E F had on him and his classmates: both in he teaching and he uncompromising attitude to life C. EF was the most grown -up person I ever knew'). Nestled inside Barnes hommage to works like The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie and Educating Rita is another book entirely. At least a third is taken up with Neil's reconstruction of EF's central intellectual pursuit: the life of the Emperor Julian and his role in the transition of European culture from pagan polytheism to Christian monotheism.
A meditation on teaching and being taught, a critical historical essay, and a detective story of sorts - EF is several things. The first and last thirds are entertaining enough, but the big reveal that the middle section promises never quite happens. Although that may be the point. Despite EF's critics who take to the cultural battlefield, life and work do not sit so neatly in a one to one correlation. A book that needs to be read slowly, enjoying Barnes' always-reliable prose, and sifting carefully through the 400 pages worth of ideas stuffed into this 200 page novel.

This short novel is unlike anything I’ve ever read before. It is a real experiment with form, with the entire middle section being an academic essay on Julian the Apostate, the last pagan Emperor of Rome. Sounds bizarre I know, but it does make perfect sense in the context.

As a mature student, Neil takes a course on Culture and Civilisation. He becomes increasingly fascinated by his enigmatic and Socratic teacher Elizabeth Finch. During the course, he disappoints her by failing to submit an essay, although she is sure her disappointment is ‘only temporary’. The two become friends and meet regularly for lunch over the next 20 years.

After her death he discovers she has left him her library and notes, to do with as he will. At first, her notes seem random and incoherent, a jumble of academic and personal snippets that reflect her life. However, he soon realises that many of her notes link back to Julian the Apostate and he decides to continue her work and write the essay he should have written so many years before.

Julian has been imagined and reimagined myriad times over the millienia and a half since his death, so it is impossible to say what the real man was truly like. Barnes uses this idea to draw a parallel with Neil’s patchy knowledge of Elizabeth. Through his research he finds that others had totally differing views about ‘his’ EF and eventually he has to accept that he only knew a small part of her, if anything at all. This highlights the impossibility of ever objectively knowing another human being and is one of the main ideas I found fascinating in the novel.

This is certainly not a beach read or a gripping page turner and I had to read some sections more than once to clearly understand the point being made. The novel deals with a lot philosophical ideas and debates about history; the effect monotheism, especially Christianity, has had on society; the way long dead civilisations still have influence on modern life. It is undoubtedly clever and feels very academic in places but there’s something enticing about EF’s character, and that of Julian that drew me in. Overall, it is incredibly thought provoking and put ideas into my head that keep coming back to me several weeks after finishing the book.

This is a novel in three parts, and, I'm going to say, only a novel in the loosest sense really. More than anything else, it is a philosophical exploration of ideas around monotheism and what embracing Christianity has done to Western thinking around tolerance.

The titular Elizabeth Finch is an academic who gives lectures in Culture and Civilization to an adult class, and the narrator is Neil, one of her pupils. She is a teacher who divides her class - unconventional, in that she throws an idea out for discussion and refuses to pronounce on any right or wrong answers, but gently encourages rigour and depth of thought, challenging initial reactions. Charismatic, undoubtedly, in her timeless way. And for some of her pupils at least, she blows their mind. Her underlying philosophy is that of reason and tolerance, and in the lessons of history she unpicks where she thinks we departed from that approach. Her hero is Julian the Apostate, the last pagan Roman emperor who held out against Christianity and the rise of monotheism, and with it the rise of intolerance that, Elizabeth Finch believes, turned the tide of history.

The first third of the book was the most interesting part to me. EF, as her students call her, is almost a Miss Jean Brodie figure, but without the fascism. She is unflappable and out of time. The narrator Neil stays in touch with her after the end of the course, dining out with her three times a year. When she dies, she leaves him all her papers, to do with as he chooses. He chooses to write an essay about Julian the Apostate, tracing fluctuating opinions of him in history and literature. This essay forms the middle section of the book.

The final section takes us back to Neil himself, as he tries to dig deeper into what made EF tick by revisiting the little of her life that was public, going back to his fellow students, and cultivating a friendship with her brother. And in so doing, he comes to an accommodation with his own life which has not been an unmitigated success (his daughter calls him the King of Unfinished Projects).

Although not a long book, this is not one to read in a hurry. The quality of the writing is faultless, and the themes aren't spoon-fed. As with most of Julian Barnes' books, the ideas take centre stage and for this reason they don't always work very well as novels. For me, the key takeaways centred on a philosophy of tolerance, based on learning to think rigorously for oneself and accommodating the views of others. Neil describes EF as a romantic Stoic, completely unsentimental about her life, with no expectations of happiness or good fortune, and with admirable self-possession and a sharp and active mind. She is a fascinating character, apparently based in the author's good friend and author in her own right Anita Brookner. If you want an undemanding beach read this novel is definitely not for you. But if you have ever wondered why the world we live in is intolerant and judgemental, and whether history has any bearing on your own life, then delve in and decide for yourself.

Having read and enjoyed some of the authors other books I was keen to find out what this new one would be like, but unfortunately I just couldn't get into enough. The first and third parts are told by the narrator and introduce us to (although we never actually meet her) his old tutor EF and the middle part is the narrator's essay on Julian the Apostate.. I struggled with the way the middle section interrupted my flow of hearing about EF but all the while hearing so much about her, yet not really feeling like I got to know enough about her. There are many whom really enjoyed this book so I'm going to say it just wasn't one that suited me. Many thanks however to the publishers for my opportunity to read this advance copy.

I’d like to thank Netgalley and the publisher for giving me this ARC to read and review truthfully.

I had high hopes for this book but I just could not get into it. I felt there was too much narrative and not enough character development. I didn’t finish this one. I really don’t like giving bad reviews but I just didn’t like it.

Having read other books by Julian Barnes I do like his style of writing - his subject matter varies so much.
Parts 1 and 3 I found fascinating - Elizabeth Finch is a fascinating character who I wanted to know more about - as did Neil - but she was a very private person. What we do learn about her is endearing to say the least. As Neil spent time meeting up with Elizabeth after the course over a period of years I felt he should have imparted more about her.
Part 2 was interesting but took us away from Elizabeth, which left me feeling cheated.
Many thanks to Netgalley/Julian Barnes/Random House UK for a digital copy of this title. All opinions expressed are my own.

I find it fascinating and loved the style of writing. i think it's a sort of conte philosophique adapted to our age and I found myself reflecting on the questions discussed in the book.
I also appreciated the essay about Julian, one of my favorite historical characters, but I would have preferred it was at the end of the book.
It was a riveting and intellectually satisfying experience and I enjoyed the storytelling and the characters.
Recommended.
Many thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for this ARC, all opinions are mine

This curious read is a tale about a man, Neil’s fascination with his teacher, Elizabeth Finch, and Julian the Apostate - Roman emperor and a notable philosopher. Neil, a former student who took Elizabeth Finch's Culture and Civilisation class when he was in his mid-thirties, unpacks the notebooks she has left him in her will and remembers her inquisitive mind and her passion for reason.

This is a short tale and not really what I was expecting it to be. That said, I still found Elizabeth Finch an absorbing read, written with fluency and offering food for thought. I'm sure it will appeal to many.

I received a complimentary copy of this novel at my request from Random House UK, Vintage, Jonathan Cape via NetGalley. This review is my own unbiased opinion.

Elizabeth Finch by Julian Barnes is an immersive story of the relationship between an unconventional adult lecturer and one of her students and his excavation of her research material relating to a Julian the Apostate who was pivotal historical figure.

Elizabeth Finch is a stoic and clinically truthful adult lecturer; she answers all students questions considerately and considers their points of view before providing her own insightful analysis. Her influences are researched later in the narrative by student Neil and he then becomes absorbed in the historical battle of Christianity against Paganism and the life of Roman emperor Julian the Apostate. Not all students however see Elizabeth in the same light as Neil discovered during his research.

Elizabeth Finch is a door-opener on the life and research of Julian the Apostate and his place in history as recorded by his contemporaries and latterly by interested students and writers. Not sure if there are parallels to be drawn between Julian and EF as Neil refers to Elizabeth but there are philosophical lessons on how history is recorded.

A powerful satisfying story full of unforgettable characters.