A review by monikapuff
England by Julian Barnes
3.0
Might be because I am sick of Barnes at the moment, but I think this is the most disgusting novel I have read in the last 4 years of my studies. It's cheap, it's 'scandalous' but in an ugly, ugly way. I am open minded, and not much things make me go 'eeew yuck god damn it' but this...
I understand that it is a satire and a farce, but this is just no up my alley. I get the structural part of the novel, and perfect usage of Baudrillard's theory of simulacra, and that is the only reason I give this three stars. And Martha, she kicks ass. Really. The first part was nice, and the last one, mostly because it was pretty much regular Barnes, questioning everything, the truth, memory, identity and those are the things I apreciate his writing.
Paul is a ball-less bastard, Sir Jack is just... a joke. I despise him and things he stands for.
I understand that it is a satire and a farce, but this is just no up my alley. I get the structural part of the novel, and perfect usage of Baudrillard's theory of simulacra, and that is the only reason I give this three stars. And Martha, she kicks ass. Really. The first part was nice, and the last one, mostly because it was pretty much regular Barnes, questioning everything, the truth, memory, identity and those are the things I apreciate his writing.
Paul is a ball-less bastard, Sir Jack is just... a joke. I despise him and things he stands for.