This is Julian Barnes!
Neil, a man who tries hard to describe an inspiring woman, is his college teacher of a course on Culture and Civilisation, Elizabeth Finch.
Neil remembers her from his youth, he has her papers now and is trying to write something about Elizabeth Finch.

This is precisely a story that only Julian Barnes may tell!
And this time I understand Elizabeth Finch, or probably I only think so. This time I liked her, her belief and philosophy eas, the mysterious and independent way she was.

So why 4-star?
This is not a book to recommend to everyone; in part one, we have a promising start about Elizabeth Finch, then part two is a dry discussion of the history, which may Julian Barnes's perspective of what knows or believes about it.

Though I enjoyed the audio narrator by Justin Avoth, however, was a little hard for me to follow part two, as a non-native English reader. But, I liked this story of Elizabeth Finch, and the history part may be engaging more for other people.

Thanks to RB Media via NetGalley for the ARC, I have given my honest review.

I love Julian Barnes, so never regret the chance to read his work. Elizabeth Finch is a character study without much plot, the MC is an actor who regales his adoration for his professor, the eponymous Elizabeth Finch.. How does memory or history influence and inform our lives? How well can we ever know another person? These are some of the questions that arise throughout Elizabeth Finch. A short read, one I suspect many will find dry, but for me, Barnes’ prose is always a gift.

Julian Barnes is a master of creating the engaging yet off-putting character of the self-centered, aloof yet likeable, emotionally immature Englishman. Neil, the narrator, is a twice divorced, bumbling, barely employed adult student, who takes a class on Culture and Civilization by the brilliant, stoic Elizabeth Finch. This begins his lifetime platonic infatuation with “EF” consisting of thrice to quarterly lunches and periodic lettters. When EF dies, Neil takes up what he imagines is her unspoken task for him, a book about Julian the Apostate.

The novel is a book within a book, with Neil’s and EF’s writings and research about the 4th century pagan Roman ruler squatting in the middle of Neil’s pre- and post-death analysis of EF’s personal life.

Yes. It was as boring as it sounds. There was no real story line, no growth on Neil’s part, no revelations regarding Elizabeth Finch. However, I was interested in Julian the Apostate, and I didn’t mind when Neil shared his research. And, of course, Barnes can write, and there was real intelligence and lovely turns of phrase in the novel. But it felt more like listening to someone defend their thesis paper, than anything resembling a novel.

I was really excited to listen to the audiobook an read something by this author. However it was not my cup of tea. The story felt as if I was reading a Wikipedia article or just talking with someone extremely boring. I think that the idea was great though the execution of it was definitely not what I was expecting and have serious trouble keepin my attention on the book. However the narrator of the audiobook did a fantastic job and I am looking forward to listen to more books performed by him.

DNF. I just could not get into this one. The writing was very academic and intellectual and made it hard for me to get into the story. This style may appeal more to a different reader. I listened to the audiobook which was well-narrated. Thank you to the publishers for providing this ebook/audiobook ARC.

"She stood before us, without notes, books, or nerves."

This is the first sentence of Julian Barnes's new novel and the introduction of Elizabeth Finch, a writer and an adult education teacher. "She was, quite simply, the most grown-up person I have met in my life. Perhaps I mean the only grown-up person." according to her favorite student and the novel's narrator Neil.

Neil is fascinated by Elizabeth's persona. Eventually, he persuades her to meet for lunches every few months, and this unusual relationship continues for 20 years, never progressing behind their intellectual meals that follow the established formula. Neal is a failed actor and a failed husband; his children call him "the King of Unfinished Projects." And yet it seems that Elizabeth Finch will be one "project" he finishes. Thanks to her, he learns about Julian the Apostate, who was the last pagan Roman emperor. After Elizabeth dies, Neal inherits all of her papers, journals, and books. He decides to write about Julian the Apostate, an intriguing ruler who, as much as he tried, couldn't stop the coming of Christianity. The essay makes part 2 of the novel, about 50 pages. In part 3, he struggles with a question – who was that charismatic woman? Meeting with Elizabeth's brother and talking to her students, Neal doesn't learn much, just details he cannot explain. Who was the mysterious man she was seen with? And – surprise! - she was an excellent swimmer although he and other students couldn't imagine her wearing beachwear.

Recently, I read another novel on a similar subject, by another great British writer and Julian Barnes' friend, Ian McEwan. In his "Lessons', Miriam, a music teacher, affects the narrator's life as much as Elizabeth impacts Neal's. Thanks to Elizabeth, our narrator, being by nature, not an intellectual man, becomes involved in deep research on Julian the Apostate. He doesn't want to be like people about whom Elizabeth said, "They choose to understand nothing."

This is a short novel, and with beautiful language, Julian Barnes tells just enough to leave us thinking about a mystery that people present when we try to understand them. Will this book evoke the memory of our favorite teacher? Will it make us reflect on what's important in life? In any case, we should choose to understand.

I can't believe I'm not recommending a Julian Barnes book. I've been awaiting it so anxiously, especially since I was one of those who loved The Sense of an Ending, that I'm baffled by "Elizabeth Finch". I keep thinking, " What's wrong with me?" as I wonder when this book is going to start, when its reason for being will be revealed, when I will get to share in what it is about Elizabeth Finch, the human, that so captivated Neil, the story's narrator.
I do hope others will be able to decode this book for me so I can go back and enjoy it, but for now: it's a sort of love/admiration story written by a middle-aged man about an adult class teacher of "Civilization". I would have enjoyed her class no doubt, but I can't see why anyone would seek even after her death to unwrap that fascination. Then, when Neil inherits Elizabeth's journals and papers, I figured, "NOW we get to solve the mystery of Elizabeth Finch!". No...now begins a summary of the life of Emperor Julian the Apostate. Ever the optimist, I thought, "Now we get to find out the amazing connection among Elizabeth, Neil, and Julian!". I must have missed it. The writing is elegant, Elizabeth is intriguing to a degree, but I never discovered what the "aha" factor was. I do hope someone else finds it!

Content 3 stars, 4 for an audiobook format because it makes this book more accessible and easier to read.

I love Julian Barnes and his writing. The two of his novels I appreciate the most are: The Sense of an Ending and The Noise of Time. But I have read nothing like this before. Julian Barnes combines historical facts, theology, and philosophy in a fictional novel about Elizabeth Finch.

Elizabeth Finch, or EF, is a charismatic professor who teaches adult students. The narrator, Neil, is a student in her “Culture and Civilization” class. He finds her very intriguing, even “seductive, but not in any conventional way.” Even when he finishes his classes, they remain in contact and meet for lunch every three years in a span of twenty years.

I liked the first part of the novel the most. In the middle, we can read an essay about Julian The Apostate’s life, and this part was a bit off-putting for me. Here, my interest in this novel fell a bit. And the third part continues the narrator’s exploration of EF.

Elizabeth Finch is a novel about platonic love and admiration for one person. This novel generally deals with biography - EF’s, Julian The Apostate's, and partly also narrator’s. The theological part discussed in this novel is not particularly interesting to me. Although this novel is very good and imaginative, it is also complex. Overall, it is not a novel for general readers. I’m guessing that author never meant it to be this way. So a lower average rating wouldn’t surprise me at all. As I mentioned, this novel is not a lightweight read, and I struggled a bit with some parts while reading just an ebook. But the audiobook format improved this a lot.

I was lucky to receive ARC and ALC and partly listened to an audiobook and read an ebook together. Both formats are very good, but those who would find this novel overwhelming could find an audiobook a better option. Readers who want to reread and dissect the novel or its parts will find an ebook or physical copy best. Both formats together are also an excellent choice.

Thanks to Recorded Books for the ALC and this opportunity! This is a voluntary review and all opinions are my own.

Nobody writes about love like Julian Barnes, and the forces that cause the attraction in his eyes are far from conventional. The core of this book is a decades old fascination the narrator has for the intellectual prowess of a professor whom he encounters in an adult class on Culture and Civilization. Unlike The Only Story, in which there is a long standing affair between a man and a woman decades older than he, there is no physicality to the relationship between Neil and Elizabeth, which doesn't take away from its effect on his life. However, unlike my favorite Barnes, The Sense of an Ending, the characters didn't take shape for me, and there was little tension or revelation. Plus, there was contained a lengthy dissertation on the importance of Julian the Apostate that made my eyes cross and made me feel inadequate in a way I would at some plays by Tom Stoppard, in which intellectual gymnastics take the place of illumination.

The format of this book is unlike anything I've read before, but the synopsis was simple enough: Neil, our narrator, describes his unusual but platonic relationship with Professor Elizabeth Finch. He's a student in her class aimed at adults titled "Culture and Civilization." This fondness last well beyond her death, and Neil enlists friends and old journals to learn more about the woman who made such an impact on himself.

The book takes several different directions, and it requires a reader to keep on their toes. The narrator did an excellent job of capturing Neil's voice and moving the story along. I always enjoy when a writer shows me something different, and this book certainly lived up to that.

First of all I am a big fan of British literature and Julian Barnes. This was a nice little read. I found it very interesting from start to finish and highly recommend if you like his writing style although it isn't for everyone. In Elizabeth Finch, there is a story within a story so if that isn't your cup of tea then I would pass on this one. However, I thought it was fascinating.