A quintessentially British writer, Julian Barnes has always been an astute chronicler and critic of the English lifestyle. Such novels as Metroland and Talking It Over, while primarily about human interaction, are also about the platonic relationship between the British and the stodgy, repressed, humbled, and ultimately noble nation to which they pledge allegiance. With England, England, however, the author takes his first real stab at satire, and, as Barnes proved with his hilarious collection of British-themed essays (Letters From London), the guy is willing to bare his fangs. And what better target to satirize than English culture en toto? Not just about tea-swilling businessmen or the Royal Family, England, England lovingly and wittily exploits England as the butt of a big joke: Call it "Cruel Britannia." A savvy and snotty fop of an entrepreneur decides to build a theme park on the Isle Of Wight that condenses all of what makes England England into an easily digested, readily accessible, and highly profitable hodgepodge of architecture and history. Buckingham Palace, Big Ben, and other English landmarks are recreated, and figures like Robin Hood and his band of Merry Men roam about. Dr. Johnson stars in his own dinner-theater production, while authentically bad English food is served up for all to savor. The novel's clever premise is at once utterly unlikely yet oddly plausible, but sadly, satire does not suit Barnes well. It takes a lot of ambition to tackle such a broad subject, and he would seem just the right writer to accept the challenge, but it all somehow spins out of his control. Eventually, the book falls to a relatively crass level, confusing Barnes' intriguing take on the notion of authenticity and memory with his mogul protagonists' banal machinations. Disturbing, disgusting scandals become chips in a power play that derails the plot, while the park itself predictably degenerates into chaos along the lines of the disasters that befell the classic faux realities of Westworld and Jurassic Park. As expected, England, England does boast a strong female character, in this case Martha Cochrane, a cynical and disarmingly cold post-feminist not unlike the protagonist of Barnes' Staring At The Sun. Unfortunately, cast amid a half-dozen unlikable twits, her strong traits lose their appeal.