''Talking It Over'' is a novel by

Julian Barnes Julian Patrick Barnes (born 19 January 1946) is an English writer. He won the Man Booker Prize in 2011 with ''The Sense of an Ending'', having been shortlisted three times previously with ''Flaubert's Parrot'', ''England, England'', and ''Arthu ...

published in 1991, it won the

Prix Femina The Prix Femina is a French List of literary awards, literary prize awarded each year by an exclusively female jury. The prize, which was established in 1904, is awarded to French-language works written in prose or Verse (poetry), verse by male ...

Étranger the following year. It concerns a

love triangle A love triangle is a scenario or circumstance, usually depicted as a rivalry, in which two people are pursuing or involved in a romantic relationship with one person, or in which one person in a romantic relationship with someone is simultaneo ...

in which each of the three people concerned (and occasionally others) take it in turns to tell the story from their perspective using first person narrative. Stuart and Oliver have been best friends since school but are opposite in character. As Stuart is marrying Gillian, Oliver falls in love with her and plots to win her reciprocal affection. The story is continued in the novel '' Love, etc'' set 10 years later.

Film Adaptation

In 1996 ''Talking it Over'' was adapted into a French film also called ''Love Etc.'' starring

Yvan Attal Yvan Attal (; ; born ) is a French actor, scriptwriter and film director. Life and career Born in Tel Aviv, Israel, to History of the Jews in Algeria, Algerian-Jewish parents, he grew up in the outskirts of Paris. His acting debut was in Éri ...

, Charles Berling and

Charlotte Gainsbourg Charlotte Lucy Gainsbourg (; born 21 July 1971) is a British and French actress and singer. She is the daughter of English actress and singer Jane Birkin and French singer Serge Gainsbourg. After making her musical debut with her father on the ...

References

External links

The Complete Review
* {{Julian Barnes Novels by Julian Barnes 1991 British novels Jonathan Cape books British novels adapted into films First-person narrative novels Novels with multiple narrators