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3.54 AVERAGE
3.54 AVERAGE
Love Bill and also how he's gotten grumpier with old age (as have I). This book fell a little short and he kind of repeated himself with some of his delicious random tidbits, but overall would rec.
Hilarious, laugh out loud type of book.
As an American living in Britain I enjoyed anytime he visited a place I have been, or witnessed an experience I have seen. Would rate 4 stars.
For anyone else? 3 stars.
Over all: 3.5 stars
I definitely plan on reading more books by him however.
As an American living in Britain I enjoyed anytime he visited a place I have been, or witnessed an experience I have seen. Would rate 4 stars.
For anyone else? 3 stars.
Over all: 3.5 stars
I definitely plan on reading more books by him however.
I love Bill Bryson, and have read many of his books. His great writing is present here, but it is overshadowed in many places by his constant name calling and belittling. I get it, Bill, that you think some people are stupid and annoying, but I don't really need to read repeated fantasies of you injuring them. To me this seemed like Bryson has enough clout as an author that he can write whatever he wants, and he could have used more thoughtful editing with this book. There were still parts I enjoyed, but I think in the future I will be more excited to read Bryson's historical books where he puts less of his own opinion, and pass by his travelogues like this.
funny
lighthearted
medium-paced
I just like the way Bill Bryson writes...he goes off on tangents, makes me laugh out loud, has the knack of taking some little incident in a hotel in Austin and makes it fit into a book all about England.
I am a big fan of Bill Bryson's books. Or maybe I should put that in the past tense. This book is well written but the author comes across as a grumpy old man throughout its pages. He also diverts from the actual premise of the book onto subjects that are unrelated entirely, apparently just so he can complain.
Part travelogue, part history, part comedy. A nice mix of educational and entertaining.
Read my full review here: https://mightypensharpsword.wordpress.com/2020/08/16/remember-when-we-could-travel-at-least-we-have-books-the-road-to-little-dribbling-book-review/
Read my full review here: https://mightypensharpsword.wordpress.com/2020/08/16/remember-when-we-could-travel-at-least-we-have-books-the-road-to-little-dribbling-book-review/
A torn review: things I liked in 'Notes from a Small Island' continue, but things I didn't like become magnified. The main complaint I had was generalisations and stereotyping, and in this book, they become borderline offensive. It's a bit like banter: if you have already established a relationship with the person you'll know they're joking, if you haven't... well. Moreover, I picked up on the fact that even the first book was fairly lopsided when it comes to what areas are visited - this one even more so, Northern Ireland is missed altogether, and Scotland is given one chapter of 15 pages. Wales gets 15 pages too...
I still liked the interesting facts about Britain, the feeling of being there and travelling alongside Bill Bryson, and the fact that he looks into both the past and the present of the places he visits and what has influenced their development. He speaks at length about the changes in rate of tourism in beachside towns in the UK, the appreciation of outdoor areas, as well as the modernisation of different trades.
It was more than the 2 stars of 'it was okay', I genuinely liked this book, but equally I am probably being forgiving because the subject is close to my heart. I like in the UK, I like the quirks, the historical richness, the diversity, I just wish Bryson would be more appreciative of this diversity.
I still liked the interesting facts about Britain, the feeling of being there and travelling alongside Bill Bryson, and the fact that he looks into both the past and the present of the places he visits and what has influenced their development. He speaks at length about the changes in rate of tourism in beachside towns in the UK, the appreciation of outdoor areas, as well as the modernisation of different trades.
It was more than the 2 stars of 'it was okay', I genuinely liked this book, but equally I am probably being forgiving because the subject is close to my heart. I like in the UK, I like the quirks, the historical richness, the diversity, I just wish Bryson would be more appreciative of this diversity.
This is a slightly disappointing instalment in Bryon's travels. It still has many passages in his wonderful style, a friendly sideways glance at so much of the world, but there's also a number of times it just doesn't feel the same. He wanders into rant territory too often, maybe he's trying to be edgy, but this edge didn't sit easily with me - there's a bitterness that feels out of place. And with a running theme of how the world is less sophisticated than it was in his earlier book, [b:Notes from a Small Island|28|Notes from a Small Island|Bill Bryson|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1479653223s/28.jpg|940892], it seems ironic and disappointing that he appears to have decided to dramatically increase the amount of swearing in his writing - I'm not someone offended by such language by principle, but I am disappointed to find someone who has literally written books on the English language take such an easy option.
And that is the crux of my disappointment with the whole book, it feels too easy. The opening pages explain this book essentially came about as a cynic sequel to cash in on his earlier work, and at times it truly feels it. Yes, Bryson can still weave a wonderful tale out of minutiae and his trans-Atlantic life allows some superb perspectives and contrasts, but the thing I always enjoyed most about Bryson's writing was the sense that he wrote from genuine enthusiasm and affection - too often this feels like he was going through the motions, and he merrily uses random tangents and asides to simply fill the gaps from his whirlwind tour.
A book that does offer new pieces of classic Bryson, but too many cranky rants meant I often felt that I wanted to put this down and pick up one of his earlier books instead. A reasonable enough book on Britain, but far from classic Bryson.
And that is the crux of my disappointment with the whole book, it feels too easy. The opening pages explain this book essentially came about as a cynic sequel to cash in on his earlier work, and at times it truly feels it. Yes, Bryson can still weave a wonderful tale out of minutiae and his trans-Atlantic life allows some superb perspectives and contrasts, but the thing I always enjoyed most about Bryson's writing was the sense that he wrote from genuine enthusiasm and affection - too often this feels like he was going through the motions, and he merrily uses random tangents and asides to simply fill the gaps from his whirlwind tour.
A book that does offer new pieces of classic Bryson, but too many cranky rants meant I often felt that I wanted to put this down and pick up one of his earlier books instead. A reasonable enough book on Britain, but far from classic Bryson.
2.5 stars. Wow it took me a long time to get through this! An easy read but not exactly gripping- though I'm not sure I'm ever going to find non-fiction gripping. It was light- hearted with some interesting anecdotes about British people and history. I laughed out loud a few times, but these were reasonably few and far between. The first half of the book in particular, Bryson came across as a bit grumpy-e.g. being unnecessarily rude to a MacDonalds employee just because he offered him chips with his burger. I don't know if he was less grumpy in the second half or if I just got used to the style because some of his comments were still border-line politically incorrect. I had warmed to Bryson by the end and felt his love for the UK. However the coverage of Scotland (and the North in general) was pitiful- about 10 pages in a 500 page book. (bonus points for mentioning North Berwick though!) I can understand him just writing about what he knows but really this should not have been labelled a book about Britain. Overall it was mildly enjoyable but repetitive. I feel I've read enough not to rush out and buy Notes from a Small Island anytime in the immediate future.