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3.54 AVERAGE
3.54 AVERAGE
Funny and fun to read, but a bit on the long side. There's only so many descriptions of pub meals and lovely views I can take.
funny
informative
slow-paced
Very funny at times, but genre wasn’t quite my thing.
I’ve enjoyed several of Bill Bryson’s books, but this one struggled to keep my attention much like Fitzgerald struggles to keep my attention. Sometimes you don’t need 4 paragraphs to be witty, Bill. I got as far as page 38, paragraph 2 where he says “The world is full of s****y things that never should have happened. Look at Sean Hannity.” I’m sure he meant it as funny, and I have no particular opinion on Hannity, but I cannot tolerate disparaging another human on the basis of their existence.
Given that he has clearly become a crotchety old man, I’ll likely not read or recommend anymore of Bryson’s future books.
Given that he has clearly become a crotchety old man, I’ll likely not read or recommend anymore of Bryson’s future books.
I really enjoy Bryson's humor and after living in England for 4 years much of what he had to say resonated with me. I found this book to be a lot of fun.
Bryson's humor has always been on the snarky, amused at the human race, side. Which is fine. I have loved his Australia book (can't think of the title right now) and A Walk in the Woods.
But this one is just unpleasantly whiny. It's like taking a more-or-less aimless walk with an old codger who can only carp about how wondering this or that place or thing was 25 years ago and how horrible it is now. I understand that he's trying to say this about his perception of the "falling down" of England, but it's not what I was looking for in a book I chose for the amusement factor.
To be honest, I didn't really finish it. I got about two-thirds of the way and decided that if I want to hear senior citizens gripe about how great it used to be, I have plenty of real-time friends who can do that quite well. :)
But this one is just unpleasantly whiny. It's like taking a more-or-less aimless walk with an old codger who can only carp about how wondering this or that place or thing was 25 years ago and how horrible it is now. I understand that he's trying to say this about his perception of the "falling down" of England, but it's not what I was looking for in a book I chose for the amusement factor.
To be honest, I didn't really finish it. I got about two-thirds of the way and decided that if I want to hear senior citizens gripe about how great it used to be, I have plenty of real-time friends who can do that quite well. :)
One of my all time favourite books is Notes from a Small Island, a book full of laugh out loud moments and a very clear insight in to British humour and character. The sequel is, perhaps, less engaging but still brilliant. Why is it less engaging? I think, in part, because Bryson has become older and more cynical as he freely admits. The complaints rumbling through the book about customer service and government incompetence and neglect make some parts of the book sound quite curmudgeonly. However, you cannot really disagree with anything he says. We are richer in financial terms - this was written before the upheavals of the last couple of years - but we have fewer amenities than we did when we were the sick man of Europe in the 1970s. We are neglecting huge parts of the country, overdeveloping others and becoming a far less happy and likeable place. In all of this he is utterly correct, but it means that the book frequently takes on a regretful tone that is at odds with the breezy good humour of the original. That said, Bryson is always brilliant to read and this book is no exception.
Witty, insightful and quite often laugh-out-loud funny, this book was a pure delight. Bill Bryson never disappoints!
Formulaic but enjoyable. Slightly irritating that Bill devotes about two thirds to the south of England, and his observations are getting increasingly crankier, but he's still a fundamentally lovable guy.
Having said that, it's time to play Bryson Bingo. Bill's going to a new town? 1 point for each of these observations. The town with the fewest points wins.
"Little Dribbling used to be the world's largest manufacturer of suet pudding. You wouldn't think to look at it now..."
"The last time I visited Little Dribbling, it was a charming, if a little dull coastal town. Now the centre is scarred by a huge multistorey carpark. Half the shopfronts are closed and my favourite pub has been replaced with a Burger King. There is no bookshop."
"Little Dribbling is a handsome village with an attractive town centre and characterful old streets. It has a pleasant selection of bookshops."
"I spent half an hour attempting to negotiate a pedestrian crossing..."
"I had a refreshing cup of coffee..."
"Little Dribbling has a cathedral, and let me tell you, it's absolutely gorgeous..."
"Little Dribbling's post office was built by H. Ernest Ketterwauld. Ketterwauld was an interesting chap who apparently suffered from syphilis and remained celibate until his mid-sixties, at which point he had a change of heart and went off to have an affair with a Dutch milkmaid called Agatha. Ketterwauld's house is marked by a little blue plaque."
"Little Dribbling is also home to Clement Attlee's grave, in an unassuming corner of the local churchyard."
"Dispirited by the prospect of an evening wandering around a desolate town centre, I retired to my hotel early."
"I had a nice Indian meal and rather one too many beers."
"I spent some time arguing with a retail employee..."
Still, you've got to love Bill Bryson.
Having said that, it's time to play Bryson Bingo. Bill's going to a new town? 1 point for each of these observations. The town with the fewest points wins.
"Little Dribbling used to be the world's largest manufacturer of suet pudding. You wouldn't think to look at it now..."
"The last time I visited Little Dribbling, it was a charming, if a little dull coastal town. Now the centre is scarred by a huge multistorey carpark. Half the shopfronts are closed and my favourite pub has been replaced with a Burger King. There is no bookshop."
"Little Dribbling is a handsome village with an attractive town centre and characterful old streets. It has a pleasant selection of bookshops."
"I spent half an hour attempting to negotiate a pedestrian crossing..."
"I had a refreshing cup of coffee..."
"Little Dribbling has a cathedral, and let me tell you, it's absolutely gorgeous..."
"Little Dribbling's post office was built by H. Ernest Ketterwauld. Ketterwauld was an interesting chap who apparently suffered from syphilis and remained celibate until his mid-sixties, at which point he had a change of heart and went off to have an affair with a Dutch milkmaid called Agatha. Ketterwauld's house is marked by a little blue plaque."
"Little Dribbling is also home to Clement Attlee's grave, in an unassuming corner of the local churchyard."
"Dispirited by the prospect of an evening wandering around a desolate town centre, I retired to my hotel early."
"I had a nice Indian meal and rather one too many beers."
"I spent some time arguing with a retail employee..."
Still, you've got to love Bill Bryson.
adventurous
funny
informative
medium-paced