Interesting people, the English. I have an English friend who claims that he has no accent when he speaks - others do, the Irish, Scottish, Welsh, but not the English – their accent is pure. Jonathan Coe’s novel is the third in a loosely connected trilogy, focusing on a number of working class friends who attended a selective grammar school in Birmingham (The Rotters’ Club) and by the events of this outing have reached their mid to late fifties, cynical, somewhat disillusioned, but still open to surprise at what their compatriots can throw at them. Middle England – that label for self-satisfied, opinionated, middle class, middle aged Englishmen and women – or the Midlands, the area around Birmingham describing itself as the heart of England? Coe’s eloquent, episodic volume traces events from the Banking crash of 2007 right up to the post-Brexit vote debate. This a bitter-sweet story, its chief characters often incredulous at quite what their fellow countrymen have inflicted on the nation. It is often very funny – not least in the scenes when a Cameroon press officer attempts to justify Tory policies to a mildly left-wing journalist. Most of all it possesses an impotent melancholy, if not a tangible fear for what is to become of England. What I say is: what about the rest of us? This is not a British problem – it’s an English one.

A very funny fictional look at the last nine years in Britain. It very cleverly reminds you of events that at the time seemed huge, but you have forgotten about the minute the next thing happens. It really captures the mood, the division, the passion and the heartache of the nation, and does it in a way that at times, are laugh out loud so strangers look at you weridly on the bus funny.

I was really looking forward to reading this book as I love The Rotters club and enjoyed it’s sequel. However I was left feeling a little disappointed in it. It just petered out and had quite a low key conclusion. I expected it to have a bit more clout.

I was sent a copy of Middle England by Jonathan Coe to read and review by NetGalley. This is an enjoyable easy read that is the epitome of ‘Middle England’ - Middle Class, Middle Aged and somewhat Middle of the Road. While being largely character based the novel’s main purpose seems to be a platform for politics, most especially Brexit. The book is both amusing and informative but I feel it will appeal to rather a niche audience. A shame really as the writing is good and the plot certainly has its moments!

‘Adieu to old England, adieu.’ Shirley Collins’ haunting folk song bookends Jonathan Coe’s new novel, starting with a funeral and ending with the prospect of new life, covering the tumultuous period of 2010 to the present day. Is this an elegy for a lost England or a novel for our times? I admit to being perplexed by my reaction to this, so my review will undoubtedly reflect that. I so wanted to like the book more than I actually did, and whilst I have huge admiration for Coe as a writer, and whilst there are some excellent parts of the novel, it left me frustrated at times, and at others downright irritated. Be warned, the title is a massive clue: this is such an England-centric novel the rest of the UK doesn’t get a look in. There is cursory mention in one sentence of the Scottish independence referendum, and if you are looking for anything Welsh and Irish then forget it. Middle England, or Deep England: this is a novel about country versus city, of monoculture versus multiculturalism, of older generations versus younger. And, of course, this is about Brexit - from an English point of view and in all of its bitter, argumentative, divisive forms. For me, it felt like Coe was trying too hard to make his points. Sometimes less is more, and as the metaphors and symbolism piled up I got slightly exasperated. Brexit divides the country? Check. So, relationships break down. Day of Brexit vote means an end to something? Check. So, one of the characters dies. Non white-middle-class representation in the characters? Check. Everyone has a friend or colleague from a different background. North-South divide? Check. Cue lots of moving to and fro between London and ‘the north’. And so on… However, saying all that, the book does have some laugh-out-loud comic moments (let’s just say one involves a wardrobe) and there are set-piece moments which show Coe to be a startlingly good novelist (the chapter which covers the various central characters’ reactions watching the 2012 Olympic opening ceremony is inspired writing). There is clearly an underlying sense of resentment and anger from Coe at the Brexit result and the divisions it has stirred up. The ending of the book does offer some hope for the future, yes, but at what cost? It involves most of the characters either moving cities or even moving abroad. Is that really the answer? It might be OK if you are white middle-class, but for the rest of the country? How do they/we deal with the mess? Perhaps the best image from the book is that of 2 children’s entertainers dressed as clowns having a punch up in somebody’s kitchen while discussing Brexit. Politically, that sums it all up on both sides. This is a decent book, but not – for me – a great one. Proverbial curate’s egg. Is it too soon to write a Brexit novel when the ramifications are still unfolding? Perhaps, perhaps not. I recommend the book for sure, because Coe is a genuinely good writer. 4 stars in some parts, 2 in others, so overall a 3 star from me is the best I can do.