Another book by Jonathan Coe that's well written but not very enjoyable. I think that it's because it really is a heart of England story, and he does it well but the heart of England is a bit rotten. Not completely, and he doesn't make out that it is, but we quite rightly spend a lot of time with some unpleasant right wing racists, and the series of episodes that he chooses as a slice through English history are all in some way about patriotic fervour - VE Day, the Coronation, the Investiture of Charles as Prince of Wales, and so on.
I remember quite a few of these myself - especially the Investiture, the wedding of Charles and Di, and Di's funeral. Recalling them didn't bring me any pleasure.
Looking forward to another Coe book with a subject that I can get behind, because I do like his writing.
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