Flaubert's Parrot by Julian Barnes

This is a peculiar book, for sure. It is classified as a novel, but the plot is sketchy and fragmented. The narrator is a retired doctor who is an amateur expert on the French author Gustave Flaubert, who wrote Madame Bovary. While touring museums devoted to Flaubert, he comes upon two different stuffed parrots purported to be the inspiration for one of the author's greatest short stories. He becomes obsessed with discovering which parrot is the "real" one, and in the search process reveals details about his own life which seem to mirror the events in Madame Bovary.

The majority of the book is given over to a recounting by the narrator of events from Flaubert's life, including quotes from his letters to friends and lovers, and quotes about him from people who knew him and from critics. One chapter contains three different chronologies of Flaubert's life, each offering a different viewpoint, even though covering the same facts. Another chapter is a playful "Dictionary of Accepted Ideas" about Flaubert. Still another chapter is an examination, with a list of discussion questions to be answered.

This all coils together to make observations on such subjects as how art mirrors life and vice versa; on literary criticism and critics; on the futility of ever really knowing the "truth" about another person.

Barnes is clever and witty. I learned some very interesting information about Flaubert. I admire the author's skill in accomplishing his purpose. But I did not like the book that much. I must confess that I prefer my novels to have more plot and less intellectual preening. I felt all along that the author's main effort was to impress with how clever and knowledgeable he is.

Recommended for more "high brow" readers who appreciate novels on a strictly intellectual level.