Levels of Life cover art

Levels of Life

 Preview
Try Premium Plus free
Pick 1 audiobook a month from our unmatched collection - including bestsellers and new releases.
Listen all you want to thousands of included audiobooks, Originals, celeb exclusives, and podcasts.
Access exclusive sales and deals.
£8.99/month after 30 days. Renews automatically. See here for eligibility.

Levels of Life

By: Julian Barnes
Narrated by: Julian Barnes
Try Premium Plus free

£8.99/month after 30 days. Renews automatically. See here for eligibility.

Buy Now for £8.99

Buy Now for £8.99

Confirm Purchase
Pay using card ending in
Switch payment method
By completing your purchase, you agree to Audible's Conditions of Use and authorise Audible to charge your designated card or any other card on file. Please see our Privacy Notice, Cookies Notice and Interest-based Ads Notice.
Cancel

About this listen

”You put together two things that have not been put together before. And the world is changed…”

Julian Barnes's new book is about ballooning, photography, love and grief; about putting two things, and two people, together, and about tearing them apart.

One of the judges who awarded him the 2011 Man Booker Prize described him as “an unparalleled magus of the heart”. This book confirms that opinion.

©2014 Audible, Inc. (P)2014 Audible, Inc. Art & Literature Authors United States Heartfelt Inspiring Thought-Provoking

Listeners also enjoyed...

 Cross Channel cover art
Talking It Over cover art
The Razor's Edge cover art
Flaubert's Parrot cover art
The Noise of Time cover art
The Lemon Table cover art
A History of the World in 10 1/2 Chapters cover art
Nothing to Be Frightened Of cover art
Follow Your Heart cover art
The Man in the Red Coat cover art
Arthur & George cover art
Kindred cover art
A Prayer for Owen Meany cover art
The Sense of an Ending cover art
Metroland cover art
Afloat cover art
All stars
Most relevant  
Julian Barnes never fails to delight. insightful, intuitive - masterful observation of being human.

Brilliant as ever

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
Entertaining musings on the technical and psychological changes in humanity's ability to view itself heralded by the invention and combination of photography and aeronautics. Then follows a deeply personal detailing of the writer's experience of romantic love, loss and grief. Beautiful and sad, and powerfully moving.

Entertaining, informative, beautiful, sad, moving

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
brilliant and heart rending. words are inadequate, yet I am deeply touched by the author's.
Beautifully written and beautifully read.
And combined, it seems with rare scholarship. Thank you. KB

Superb

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
A novel and touching book, the likes of which I’ve never read before.

I came across this book by chance in a sale and was totally unprepared for what was to come, leaving my somewhat thrown by the first act (no spoilers).

Such was my unpreparedness that I almost gave up but, being a third through, I persevered. I am glad I did because I was treated to an insight into grief and loss that I didn’t know I needed as much as I did.

A novel and touching book, the likes of which I’ve never read before

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
I did enjoy this short book and the final section dealing with the loss of his wife was both touching and fabulous. I hold back on my rating however as the initial set up, all about balloon flight, went on far too long for me. I know that's Julian's style but this time, as I say, it felt too long a preamble.

Well written but not his best

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
Julian Barnes draws the reader easily into his books and his own reading of his writing is captivating. The final section was an exploration of personal grief, in these days without the comfort of a belief in an afterlife. Very moving.

Captivating

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
I selected this book on a whim not knowing quite what to expect primarily on the basis that I loved Julian Barnes' previous book Flaubert's Parrot and this was on sale at the bargain price of one pound (I don't mind admitting that I like a bargain). It starts off as an intriguing history of the pioneers of ballooning in nineteenth century France before the author gets distracted and starts to talk about his love for his late wife. The beauty of this book, narrated by the author, is the heartfelt way that he talks of his personal all consuming grief. It would take a hard person not to be moved by this writing.

Extraordinary writing about ballooning and grief

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
Mr Barnes writes a good book took me a while to get into it but that was possibly me having listened to light weight stuff before but once on the right wave leghnth really enjoyed it recommend it

enjoyable loved his narration

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
So very, very well written! Well crafted in three parts. The first two parts are facinating. The third part is one of the most honest and powerful I have ever read.

A surprising and powerful novel, and I plan to read it again.

The heights and depths- exquisite

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
A meditation on personal grief that is moving, witty and poignant. A wonderful writer sharing deeply.

Beautifully done

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
See more reviews