false 100893 26 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 <I>England</I> in the hearts and minds of tourists looking for an "authentic" experience. But where to locate such an enterprise? 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 <I>the thing itself</I> begin to blur. Readers of Barnes have learned to expect the unexpected, and once again he more than lives up to the promise in <I>England, England</I>. But then, that was only to be expected. <I>--Alix Wilber</I> 2078781 1998 England, England total:494|5:47|4:154|3:196|2:81|1:16| 494 1617 688 44 4 2 false false Fri Aug 01 00:00:00 -0700 2008 Sun Dec 28 07:43:03 -0800 2008 Sun Dec 28 08:02:32 -0800 2008 more...]]> 3 1 false false Fri Nov 23 00:00:00 -0800 2007 Sun Mar 08 18:02:17 -0700 2009 Wed Mar 11 18:04:01 -0700 2009 more...]]> 4 0 false false Sun Aug 17 12:25:53 -0700 2008 Sun Aug 17 12:25:53 -0700 2008 more...]]> 2 0 false false Wed Jul 11 00:00:00 -0700 2001 Sat Apr 04 09:06:23 -0700 2009 Sat Apr 04 09:11:34 -0700 2009 more...]]> 4 0 false false Thu Feb 12 00:00:00 -0800 2009 Mon Feb 02 15:21:58 -0800 2009 Fri Feb 13 20:23:55 -0800 2009 Arthur and George recently and really liked it). Well fleshed out characters, a wonderfully absurd premise, and one of the most finely crafted relationships I've read in a long time.

more...]]> 2 0 false false Sun Mar 01 00:00:00 -0800 2009 Sun Mar 08 01:51:29 -0800 2009 Sun Mar 08 01:57:27 -0800 2009 I read this book because I like Julian Barnes, but this wasn't my favorite. Probably could appreciate this satirical book more if you are British.
A Booker Prize finalist.]]> 3 1 false false Fri Jul 01 00:00:00 -0700 2005 Fri Aug 03 16:43:50 -0700 2007 Fri Aug 03 16:47:14 -0700 2007 more...]]> 1 0 false false Thu Jan 01 00:00:00 -0800 1998 Thu Mar 26 13:22:16 -0700 2009 Thu Mar 26 13:22:16 -0700 2009 3 0 false false Sat Oct 31 05:04:37 -0700 2009 Sat Oct 10 05:20:20 -0700 2009 Sat Oct 31 05:04:37 -0700 2009 more...]]> 3 0 false false Tue Mar 01 00:00:00 -0800 2005 Fri Mar 13 22:40:48 -0700 2009 Fri Mar 13 22:42:09 -0700 2009 4 1 false false Wed Aug 01 00:00:00 -0700 2007 Fri Aug 31 14:30:10 -0700 2007 Sat Sep 01 09:17:19 -0700 2007 more...]]> 4 0 false false Thu Jul 01 00:00:00 -0700 1999 Sat Sep 29 07:24:44 -0700 2007 Sat Sep 29 07:25:05 -0700 2007 more...]]> 2 0 false false Sat Sep 01 00:00:00 -0700 2007 Mon Jul 09 20:48:12 -0700 2007 Thu Sep 27 14:02:54 -0700 2007 more...]]> 4 0 false false Sat Mar 01 00:00:00 -0800 2008 Thu Jul 09 18:49:42 -0700 2009 Thu Jul 09 18:55:23 -0700 2009 3 0 false false Mon Jan 12 14:22:52 -0800 2009 Mon Jan 12 14:23:21 -0800 2009 4 0 false false Wed Apr 01 00:00:00 -0700 2009 Tue Aug 04 18:40:33 -0700 2009 Tue Aug 04 18:41:45 -0700 2009 3 0 false false Sun Mar 01 00:00:00 -0800 2009 Sun Jun 28 13:33:11 -0700 2009 Sun Jun 28 13:34:05 -0700 2009 5 0 false false Fri May 11 08:07:34 -0700 2007 Fri May 11 09:19:10 -0700 2007 more...]]> 2 0 false false Mon Jul 20 00:00:00 -0700 2009 Sat Jul 18 05:03:48 -0700 2009 Mon Jul 20 17:57:01 -0700 2009 3 0 true false Sun Jul 01 00:00:00 -0700 2007 Thu Feb 08 06:19:39 -0800 2007 Fri Aug 03 01:47:22 -0700 2007
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It took me forever to finish the book. It's OK, it picks up a little b...more...]]>