Imagine an England 13where all the pubs are quaint where the Windsors behavethemselves mostly where the cliffs of Dover are actually white and whereRobin Hood a... » 

Imagine an England 13where all the pubs are quaint where the Windsors behavethemselves mostly where the cliffs of Dover are actually white and whereRobin Hood and his merry men really are merry. This is precisely what visionarytycoon Sir Jack Pitman seeks to accomplish on the Isle of Wight adestination where tourists can find replicas of Big Ben half size PrincessDis grave and even Harrods conveniently located inside the tower ofLondon.Martha Cochrane hired as one of Sir Jacks resident nopeople ably assistshim in realizing his dream. But when this land of makebelieve gradually getshorribly and hilariously out of hand Martha develops her own vision of theperfect England. Julian Barnes delights us with a novel that is at once aphilosophical inquiry a burst of mischief and a moving elegy aboutauthenticity and nationality. «