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dua_liepard 's review for:
England, England
by Julian Barnes
funny
reflective
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Interesting read! Definitely glad I read it. Barney’s always has gorgeous prose. This is also a really interesting examination of England’s changing place in the world and faltering national identity.
Growing up rurally, I really appreciated the distillation of English-ness because it was very nostalgic.
That said, I didn’t have a clue what was going on for the first 70 pages or so and it started quite boring.
The premise is that a rich businessman essentially buys the Isle of Wight and converts into a tourist resort of everything English so that visitors don’t have to bother visiting the mainland.
There’s some interesting themes of replica v original, and changing identity based on performing roles. I also quite liked the ideas of retreating back into the past to regain a sense of identity that the mainland does.
A rewarding read, but not one I’d widely recommend!
Growing up rurally, I really appreciated the distillation of English-ness because it was very nostalgic.
That said, I didn’t have a clue what was going on for the first 70 pages or so and it started quite boring.
The premise is that a rich businessman essentially buys the Isle of Wight and converts into a tourist resort of everything English so that visitors don’t have to bother visiting the mainland.
There’s some interesting themes of replica v original, and changing identity based on performing roles. I also quite liked the ideas of retreating back into the past to regain a sense of identity that the mainland does.
A rewarding read, but not one I’d widely recommend!