Barney's Version belongs in the very front ranks of Jewish comic novels, a crowded field to begin with...Barney's Version is a rambling social satire, a breathless romp through the second half of the 20th century, and finally the celebration of a complicated and sensual life that is, if not well-lived, then certainly lived to the fullest

The funniest book of the year, and maybe the saddest...Mordecai Richler never [wrote] with greater voice or more puckish verve. Barney Panofsky is his mouthpiece, truth, lies and lousy memory are his aces, every card in the deck is a picture, every rasp shoots an arc of grievance: bile with style... You will love it, laugh with it, and treasure it

A delightfully curmudgeonly mock memoir, describing the life of one Barney Panofsky, a boozy Montreal Jew, from Paris atelier-bound aspirant to writer circa 1950 to present...An enticing, intelligent and bloody funny non-PC read

The novel is richly comic until its tragic end, when what has been a largely between-the-lines wisdom moves to the centre stage of a story that is ultimately about ageing and mortality

The narrator of Richler's new novel is as much a figure of satire as a satirist. He is a complex, endearing, at times plain frightening old reprobate and one of Richler's finest creations... Richler is magiserially in command of his material

It takes skill to produce a wildly funny, satiric virtuoso performance in the voice of a man unaware that he is on the brink of an abyss

An unflinching portrait of a man in decline. Barney Panofsky is one of Richler's finest creations. He smokes too many cigars, drinks too much whisky and has a life of dashed hopes to reflect on as he approaches old age. He is also the alleged murderer of his best friend- something resolved in a fine twist

A comic masterpiece

If you are looking for something light and provocative for the beach this is a great little number

an engaging, warm-hearted novel'

[A] comic masterpiece

Comic, satisfying, thought-provoking, addictive

It's his supreme skill in mastering a lengthily interwoven chronicle, the evolution of such a range and variety of pin-point characters, the wit and the cultural ambition that give the novel a unique place in English Literature.

The London Train is an intelligent and gently manipulative story of human weakness and lies... Wicked but delightful

Hadley offers first-class views on the psychological scenery of 21st-century Britain

A passionate, hilarious look at mid-twentieth-century Britain.

Something I know I love ... Anthony Powell's A Dance to the Music of Time, which I could read endlessly.

I’m bowled over, hooked and, hurrah, there are 11 more volumes to go as Jenkins grows up. Terrific.

A highly accomplished debut, this is a chilling portrait of racial tension, social immorality, betrayal and love, and also an atmospheric examination of the end of innocence.

The writing is strong and though the sections featuring Gay's earlier life lose momentum, the story picks up pace when the girls' paths become entwined and the conclusion is compelling and thrillingly macabre.

This fictional account of a true story gives a darkly shocking version of the events surrounding this tragic case.

Brilliantly melds a factual post-war murder into a dark fictional tale