A love story to Europe. It's still a hard topic to read about seven years later but it's so relevant to todays politics. This was a nice collection that made me sad and angry. The world should be coming together, not breaking apart.

Strange to think that we're going to be leaving the EU when it has essentially given us so much.

The book is excellent, I am happy having read it, and learned about various author's perspective and thoughts of Brexit topic, covering both sides of opinions and referring to the feelings before and after the vote. The book gives an insight of writers and it's wonderful to read their personal opinions more than just a fiction written by them. Because of the short story structure of the book, these are easy to be read on the journey, each story gives a little aftertaste for readers own thoughts.

Most people when they speak about Brexit are very black and white on this subject. When i was sent this copy via NetGalley to review i must admit i inwardly groaned as Brexit just about bores the pants off most people as it has just become such a mess in politics.
This book is a mixture of essays, short stories and art work written by an eclectic mixture of writers, critics, journalists,artists,etc, and touches on their relationship with Europe and Britain and their viewpoint on Brexit, either for or against or unsure. I felt the majority of the book was pro staying and needed more balance. However i did enjoy a few of the stories my favourite being Richard Herring's skiing holiday in Austria which made me laugh out loud.
I think this book would appeal to readers more involved in politics and who are following Brexit avidly but not for me i'm afraid. Thank you #GoodbyeEurope #NetGalley for letting me read this in exchange for my own opinion.

Brexit will never not be a hot topic in British politics, and this book is probably one of a hundred that will come out over the next few years exploring our actual role in the EU and what we're losing now that we are leaving. This book is an amalgamation of the thoughts, memories and anecdotes of some of Britian's finest writers, artists and journalists- not all of whom necessarily were born here. If anything, there's more of an international perspective in this book about UK isolationism than in the actual Brexit campaign.

If you're looking for a book that analyses WHY half of the country decided to leave the EU, this is not the book for you. Or if you want to find out individual opinions towards Brexit. This is really a book where lots of intelligent people muse about their own dealings with Europe, mainly through their childhood or through experiences growing up. I can't say I enjoyed every single essay in this book, but there were moments that were thoughtful, insightful and interesting.

I would have liked to have seen more cartoons and images, seeing as most of the essays are based on text, rather than pictures. That sounds strange, but the cartoons in this book were definitely interesting. Overall, I did enjoy this book, but because only around half of the essays really captured my attention, I've given it a pretty average rating.

Goodbye Europe is a collection of pieces by various artists and writers of various backgrounds and focuses that looks at Britain’s connection to Europe and people’s feelings about being European post-Brexit. Perhaps inevitably, it is predominantly pro-Europe and pro-Remain, featuring a variety of personal recollections of times in Europe, thoughts on Brexit and national mentality, and the odd bit of fiction or humour.

Even for Remain-supporting readers, it is quite a strange experience to read it. Most people are sick of hearing about Brexit by now, or have been trying not to think about it any more than necessary for their own mental wellbeing. Many of the pieces are undeniably good, but there is something jarring—especially as a twentysomething reader—to hear how great it was to visit Europe in the 1970s and 80, or have the chance to live there. Perhaps it is a book for older people who can look back with a plethora of memories of Europe, rather than a desperate wish for those days not to be over.

One of the best piece is one by a fifteen-year-old who won a prize to be included in the collection, because it strikes a chord with how many young people felt about their future and their hopes and dreams after the referendum, especially those too young to vote. The humorous inclusions are good, too: like watching Have I Got News For You, repetitive news is good to find jokes in. Jacob Rees-Mogg seems to be in there to provide “balance” or as a kind of publicity stunt, particularly as it seems unlikely many people who strongly believe in leaving the EU would buy or read a collection of essays which are almost entirely pro-Europe.

The collection doesn’t feel like it has much hope for the future, though a few of the contributors have a stab at suggestions. The real audience for this book has got to be people with decades of memories of feeling European and visiting Europe, who want to enjoy thinkpieces and reminiscences that often look back to these times. It is fond, but for younger readers, it is like being told how great things were before you were born, or old enough to appreciate them.

An interesting and highly topical compendium of what being British as well as part of Europe means to us. Well written and some interesting and thought provoking pieces.