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Title: England, England by Julian Barnes ISBN: 0-375-70550-3 Publisher: Vintage Pub. Date: 11 April, 2000 Format: Paperback Volumes: 1 List Price(USD): $13.00 |
Average Customer Rating: 3.41 (27 reviews)
Rating: 5
Summary: Serious, yet witty and humourous - a great read
Comment: Julian Barnes didn't impress me much with his first book, "Metroland", so it was with some scepticism and doubt that I started on his 1998 Booker Prize nominated "England, England". The prognosis was good after reading the first short section entitled "England" and any reservations I had quickly lifted. Though this promising introduction proved relevant, it didn't quite point to the direction the novel was headed for. What ensues is an engaging mix of some pretty serious ideas, brilliantly executed. Barnes' craft, his razor sharp wit and sense of humour reminds me very much of Martin Amis, another luminous contemporary novelist with an uncompromising yet dazzling style. Here, in "England, England", Barnes uses satire to present, analyse and explore the modern day obsession with "replicas", the advantages of which over their sources have been touted without any genuine understanding of its implications. Sure, "originals" are a true slice of life and therefore, messy, smelly and unpredictable. Replicas, on the other hand, are neat, run like clockwork, and given to stage management for optimum commercial effect. But they're sterile and false and the antithesis of life itself. Notice how the actors in the Isle of Wight (England, England) grow unruly, break down, or start to invent human forms of activity after the loss of contact with the real world. Ironically, Martha, the damaged heroine, learns a few hard lessons from her real life interaction with the likes of Paul and Sir Jack. Barnes punctuates his tale with hilarious surprises along the way. These little flourishes only serves to whet your appetite. But he delivers each time and...how ! The last instalment is an absolute coup de grace, an elaborate painting (almost) of the future of old England. The effect is both poignant and ambivalent and to be relished by the reader. "England, England" is serious fiction of the first order. It is thematically rich, full of humour and wit, and a joy to read. I cannot recommend it highly enough.
Rating: 4
Summary: Amusing and worth reading (unless you're English!)
Comment: I bought England, England after watching an interview with Julian Barnes on French television. The commentator made it clear that, in her view, the English had received the book badly, being upset that somebody could mock their monarchy and their traditions. Being Manx (which is British, but NOT English) I couldn't wait to get my hands on the book, and sat feeling smug as the postman arrived.
I wasn't disappointed. Barnes lets rip at commercialisation, and at the outdated English acceptance of things they feel to be beyond their control. He portrays England as a Disneyland, with the prince (guess which one!) as one of the buffoon Mickey Mouse characters. Good for him - he hit that one right on the nose!
Whether or not the English didn't like England, England, I can't say (there are plenty of non-Monarchists over there), but the book was a worthy read and kept me giggling and guffawing for some days. Barnes' characterizations are somewhat mixed (some good, some less so) but his portrayal of 'Sir Jack' makes up for any shortcomings in that particular department.
Rating: 4
Summary: Margarine v. Butter
Comment: While some may take this to be a one-joke book (wooing an international tourist economy by recreating all of England's most famous, market-tested landmarks into a more manageable, mini-England on the Isle of Wight), I find it to be a clever lens through which the reader can observe and consider the foibles of modern Western (not just British) society. On the way it raises many interesting questions: What is the role of memory in personal and national identities? Why and how do we seek to exercise control over others? How are we shaped by the roles we assume (regardless of our motives for accepting these roles)? When is what we choose to believe about reality more powerful than reality itself? And let's not forget, What is the role of sex in history?
While this book by Julian Barnes does not have any of the understated poignancy that I enjoyed and expected to find after reading FLAUBERT'S PARROT, it is clever and engaging in its own way. A fun read if you can handle the artifice.
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Title: A History of the World in 10 1/2 Chapters by Julian Barnes ISBN: 0679731377 Publisher: Vintage Pub. Date: 27 November, 1990 List Price(USD): $13.00 |
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Title: Flaubert's Parrot by Julian Barnes ISBN: 0679731369 Publisher: Vintage Pub. Date: 27 November, 1990 List Price(USD): $12.00 |
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Title: Love, etc. by Julian Barnes ISBN: 0375725881 Publisher: Vintage Pub. Date: 11 June, 2002 List Price(USD): $12.00 |
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Title: Cross Channel by Julian Barnes ISBN: 067976755X Publisher: Vintage Pub. Date: 11 February, 1997 List Price(USD): $12.00 |
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Title: Before She Met Me by Julian Barnes ISBN: 0679736093 Publisher: Vintage Pub. Date: 27 October, 1992 List Price(USD): $13.00 |
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