England, England. [Hardcover]

Julian. BARNES (Author)

Product Details

• Hardcover
• Publisher: Sydney: Jonathan Cape; First Australian edition. edition (1998)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0679309764
• ISBN-13: 978-0679309765
• Product Dimensions: 8.5 x 5.6 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.1 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 3.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (41 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #7,431,887 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Julian Barnes is the author of nine novels, including Metroland, Flaubert's Parrot, A History of the World in 10 ½ Chapters, England, England and Arthur and George, and two collections of short stories, Cross Channel and The Lemon Table.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

28 of 29 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars A novel idea, but not a great novel., August 4, 1999

By 

A. Hickman (Blagoevgrad, Bulgaria) - See all my reviews

This review is from: England, England (Hardcover)

A character in a Graham Swift novel complains that England is degenerating into a "high-class" Disneyland. In "England, England," Julian Barnes takes that none-too-original idea as the germ for his satire on modern-day Blighty. The problem is that a novel idea does not always add up to a great novel. I was actually reminded more of H. G. Wells' "Tono-Bungay" than of anything by Swift when I read this novel, and the potential is there for a pointed satire on "Cool" Britannia. However, the satire in "England, England" never really develops. I had the feeling, when I got to the end, that the middle third of the novel was missing. I am a great fan of Julian Barnes and have never before felt that any of his novels were underwritten. This time, however, I was left wanting more. Sir Jack Pitman, the book's most interesting character, is caught in flagrante about halfway into the book and practically disappears from its pages, leaving Barnes to focus on the near-colorless Martha Cochrane, who, as the little girl that grew beans competitively and worked jigsaw-puzzle maps of Britain, is meant to represent the salt of her native earth. Unfortunately for Barnes' readers, she lacks piquancy altogether. There are lots of laughs along the way, including a set piece involving a latter-day Dr. Johnson, who takes his role as the Great Cham in Sir Jack's theme park to heart and develops a commercially unhealthy fatalism, but the whole of "England, England" is much less than the sum of its parts.

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars All for money, September 28, 2004

By 

David A. Riley (Orange, CA USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: England, England (Paperback)

England is in decline and rather than deal with reality, Sir Jack Pitman (who appears to me to be based on Robert Maxwell) decides to take over the Isle of Wight and create a Disney style England as an independent state. The state of course is for tourists and the pursuit of money, offering the complete England in a sanitised and scaled down version with first class accomodation and no need to travel around to see it.

During the course of the book Sir Jack has the upper hand, loses it through blackmail, is humiliated and then gains it again through bribery, all in hilarious fashion.

Barnes utilizes dry wit and satire most effectively to tell his tale, exposing powerful corporate heads as meglomaniacs, amoral and of course corrupt beings with no soul. Nothing much new in that of course, except for the exceptional skill that Barnes employs doing so.

However as you move through the book you begin to compare the modern high speed world with a now bygone simple age. I found the comparison compelling and while I am not prepared to give up my computer and flat screen tv I confess to being a little wistful about a slower and simpler life.

I have no hesitation in recommending Mr Barnes, give him a try and I don't think you will regret it.

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars What Happened?, April 30, 2000

By 

S. Wheeler (San Jose, CA United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: England, England (Paperback)

Like some other reviewers, I wonder if the middle of this novel got lost somewhere between writer and publisher. The idea itself was fascinating, especially since I just returned from Las Vegas where you can visit several European cities, Egypt, Rome, New York and probably other venues I missed. That part of the book was well done.

But what happened to the people? All kinds of interesting characters were introduced and then completely dropped. None of their stories were developed, which was disappointing.