Julian Barnes

England, England by Julian Barnes

My rating: 2 of 5 stars


"Picture an England where all the pubs are quaint, the Royals behave themselves (more or less), and the cliffs of Dover are actually white. Now imagine that the principal national treasures -- from Stonehenge to Buckingham Palace -- are grouped together on the Isle of Wight.

"This is precisely the vision that Sir Jack Pitman seeks to realize: a 'destination' where tourists can find replicas of Big Ben, Wembley Stadium, the National Gallery, Princess Di's grave, and even Harrods (conveniently located inside the Tower of London), and visit them all in the course of a weekend. As this land of make-believe takes on its own comic and horrible reality, Barnes delights us with a novel that is at once a philosophical inquiry, a burst of mischief, a hilarious romp, and a moving elegy about authenticity and nationality."

~~front flap

This book just wasn't my cup of tea. I didn't think it was hilarious, and the only philosophical inquiry I noticed was how fast people and nations would sell out to make a profit.

I'm afraid I couldn't recommend this book to anyone.

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