England, England (Paperback)

~ (Author)

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

Imagine being able to visit England--all of England--in a single weekend. Big Ben, the Houses of Parliament, Stonehenge and Hadrian's Wall, Harrods, Manchester United Football Club, the Tower of London, and even the Royal Family all within easy distance of the each other, accessible, and, best of all, each one living up to an idealized version of itself. This fantasy Britain is the very real (and some would say very cynical) vision of Sir Jack Pitman, a monumentally egomaniacal mogul with a more than passing resemblance to modern-day buccaneers Sir Rupert Murdoch or Robert Maxwell: "'We are not talking theme park,' he began. 'We are not talking heritage centre. We are not talking Disneyland, World's Fair, Festival of Britain, Legoland or Parc Asterix.'" No indeed; Sir Jack proposes nothing less than to offer "the thing itself," a re-creation of everything that adds up to England in the hearts and minds of tourists looking for an "authentic" experience. But where to locate such an enterprise? As Sir Jack points out,

England, as the mighty William and many others have observed, is an island. Therefore, if we are serious, if we are seeking to offer the thing itself, we in turn must go in search of a precious whatsit set in a silver doodah.

Soon the perfect whatsit is found: the Isle of Wight; and a small army of Sir Jack's forces are sent to lay siege to it. Swept up in the mayhem are Martha Cochrane, a thirtysomething consultant teetering on the verge of embittered middle age, and Paul Harrison, a younger man looking for an anchor in the world. The two first find each other, then trip over a skeleton in Sir Jack's closet that might prove useful to their careers but disastrous to their relationship. In the course of constructing this mad package-tour dystopia, Julian Barnes has a terrific time skewering postmodernism, the British, the press, the government, celebrity, and big business. At the same time his very funny novel offers a provocative meditation on the nature of identity, both individual and national, as the lines between the replica and the thing itself begin to blur. Readers of Barnes have learned to expect the unexpected, and once again he more than lives up to the promise in England, England. But then, that was only to be expected. --Alix Wilber --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

From Publishers Weekly

The brilliantly playful author of Flaubert's Parrot and Cross Channel brings off a remarkable coup. He has imagined, with his customary wit, an England created especially for tourists, located on the Isle of Wight and equipped with all the essential elements of Englishness in their idealized form: Beefeaters, simple country policemen, village cricket matches, a Tower of London thoughtfully provided with a Harrod's store, reproductions of Robin Hood and his band, a Battle of Britain fought by period Spitfires every day, plenty of pubs and, of course, a miniature Buckingham Palace (the real king and queen have been put on salary and officiate at ceremonies as required). This is all the idea, and devising, of Sir Jack Pitman, one of those overwhelming robber barons of whom English novelists seem so fond. Heroine Martha Cochrane (who has been touchingly introduced in a brief opening chapter as a child) goes to work for him, and soon rises in his organization. Much of the book is a sparkling display of inventiveness as Barnes spoofs Englishry, big business and the fact that most tourists would sooner see an imitation in comfort than the real thing with some difficulty. Martha and her lover blackmail Sir Jack, who is caught in one of those bizarre sexual shenanigans that seem to appeal only to the English, and take over the ersatz England. Then the tables are turned, Martha is thrown out, and the book saunters into an exquisitely poignant coda that envisions a real England that has in effect withdrawn from the contemporary world to lovingly evoked rustic roots. The grace with which the novel's cynical laughter is made to shades into an emotion both dark and quiet is the product of writerly craft at a high pitch. Impossible to characterize adequately, but a rich pleasure on several very different levels, this surprising novel was a strong Booker candidate last year.
Copyright 1999 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 288 pages
• Publisher: Vintage (April 11, 2000)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0375705503
• ISBN-13: 978-0375705502
• Product Dimensions: 8 x 5.2 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 11.2 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (38 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #431,797 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

  Popular in this category: (What's this?)

  #19 in

  Books > Literature & Fiction > Authors, A-Z > ( B ) > Barnes, Julian

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

27 of 28 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.

7 of 7 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)

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.

7 of 7 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)

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.