England is replicated in a theme park on the Isle of Wight inJulian Barnes’ satirical postmodern novel, which the author describes as ‘a semi-farce’."(O)ne of the oddest novels you are likely to read this year. It's what they call a romp but it is written in anger."  -Andrew Marr, The ObserverAs every child knows, you can fit the whole of England on the Isle of Wight. The grotesque, visionary tycoon Sir Jack Pitman takes the saying literally and does exactly that. On the premise that most tourists are interested only in the top attractions and are as satisfied with a replica as with the real thing, he constructs on the island ‘The Project’, a vast heritage centre containing everything ‘English’, from Buck House to Stonehenge, from Manchester United to the White Cliffs of Dover."Mr Barnes has crafted not only a very funny satire about England and the world. He has also skillfully dissected the discomforting ways in which we all have grown to accept, and even depend on, illusion."-Jay Hershey, Wall Street JournalJulian Barnesis the author of 13 novels, including The Sense of an Ending, which won the 2011 Booker Prize. He wrote two Sunday Times bestsellers - The Noise of Time and The Only Story. He has also written three books of short stories, four collections of essays and three books of non-fiction, including the Sunday Times number one bestseller Levels of Life and The Man in the Red Coat, which was shortlisted for the 2019 Duff Cooper Prize. In 2017 he was awarded the Légion d’honneur.