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3.54 AVERAGE
3.54 AVERAGE
Another wonderfully entertaining and fact filled book my Mr. Bryson. I thoroughly enjoyed traveling along with him!
I have enjoyed some of Bill Bryson’s books. This one, however, left me feeling less than satisfied. The book started out with his usual sense of humor but quickly escalated to sounding more like complaining. It was not my favorite.
The author takes a roughly North to South trip across Great Britain writing about his experiences as a traveler in his adopted home. Bryson intersperses his contemporary travel notes with comparisons with his previous experiences years before in the same locales and interesting historical notes for the area. Bryson does a great job of making you feel like you are (or could be) traveling with him and makes you want to experience these people and places too (well most of the time. Bryson does come across as a little more cranky than he was in his older travel books, but I have to wonder if he actually is more cranky or if modern England is just more frustrating than it used to be (his recollection of the last time his wife let him order at McDonalds is a perfect example). Not as many laugh out loud moments as some of the other Bryson travel books that I've read but still a satisfyingly entertaining read.
informative
slow-paced
adventurous
funny
informative
lighthearted
slow-paced
This was my first Bryson book. I liked it but it was not quite what I had expected; it was entertaining and witty but I expected more of a "trek" than a collection of short trips. I have had a number of earlier books on my "to read" list for some time, and look forward to reading them soon.
Not as good as some of his earlier travelogues, but still lots of fun. 3.5 really.
Laughed out loud about 100 times. Oh Britain, you wonderful place.
4 stars be cause Bill Bryson is cantankerously witty in describing the often outlandish history of Britain.
2 stars because I wish he had described what the towns and countryside more. I have never been to the U.K. so I was looking for more clarity in what the country looks like.
3 star combined total.
2 stars because I wish he had described what the towns and countryside more. I have never been to the U.K. so I was looking for more clarity in what the country looks like.
3 star combined total.
Why his editor didn’t take him by the elbow and lead him away from a few of his out of touch and at least mildly problematic grumblings is beyond me. Other than that, though, there’s a good deal of the wry observations and fun facts I enjoy.