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mackieco's review against another edition
4.0
This was a fun book of personal vignettes about the UK. It's perfect for reading in waiting rooms or when you just have 5 minutes to spare.
gerdaha's review
2.0
This wasn't for me. While some essays were interesting and made me look up what else the author wrote, many were either too dry, too nebulous or sometimes just too poorly written for my taste.
raehink's review
4.0
Various contributors share their sentimental favorite "icons" of rural England -- moors, red phone boxes, the weather, villages, butcher shops, the shipping forecast, sheep, pubs, cathedrals, the Green Man -- it's all here. Delightful.
aliasecosse's review
2.0
Nice collection of mini essays about the quintessentially English things. I just felt that it was a bit long and not for me. Also British and English are not interchangeable... So in a book all about English-ness there should not be mentions of other British places.
skyereads's review
5.0
This is not a Bill Bryson book (thankfully) he only wrote one essay in here. It is a collection of essays on 'English Icons' of the atypical variety, by various writers, poets, artists and public figures including immigrants. It focuses primarily on the countryside, but also features several urban and architectural 'icons.' You will not find the Tower, Buckingham Palace or double decker buses in here (thankfully) but things like; holloways, birdsong, mist, cider orchards, moors, limestone, viaducts and churchyards - all things that are bound up in my experience of and love for England. Reading this brought back so many memories and sensations. My only criticism is that the essays were too short, I could read whole books on some of these topics! (though maybe not cricket..)
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