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3.54 AVERAGE
3.54 AVERAGE
Bryson's love letter to Britain. Felt a bit slap dash at the end, but I really enjoyed it. Armchair traveling at its best-- laugh out loud funny & informative .
Bill Bryson is a treasure! I loved (almost) every minute of his latest travel story. This time, Bill takes us with him on a series of walks along his imaginary Bryson line, between the two most distant parts of Great Britain. Having listened to several of his books, I could hear Bill speaking to me as I read - a strange sensation. I chuckled, smiled, and laughed all the way through.
I'm still unhappy with Bill for leaving Iowa (oh, wait, I did too!). But he clearly loves Britain, and he tells about the good and bad of this country with good humor - most of the time. I did get a little tired of a couple of his rants, but on the whole he is good-natured and funny and genuinely enjoys the places he visits. I came away wanting to jump on a plane and follow in his tracks, selecting my own "best of Bryson" tour.
I'm still unhappy with Bill for leaving Iowa (oh, wait, I did too!). But he clearly loves Britain, and he tells about the good and bad of this country with good humor - most of the time. I did get a little tired of a couple of his rants, but on the whole he is good-natured and funny and genuinely enjoys the places he visits. I came away wanting to jump on a plane and follow in his tracks, selecting my own "best of Bryson" tour.
I am like a grumpy, old(er) man ... I thought that of myself when listening to The Road to Little Dribbling. Just for a little while. Bill Bryson's grumblings about people, service or lack of service, and the general lack of proper grammar and punctuation are just some of the things we have in common. But then, I remembered that Bryson's older books, written in his 40s, were similar, so I will just call him, and myself, critical thinkers who are fed up with the lowest common denominator, and when noticing things are vocal about it.
Bill Bryson, you're one of a kind! How I love thee. I love your sense of humour and I am grateful to you for making me laugh out loud. I love your sarcasm; obviously living in the UK for over forty years has made you more sarcastic, because, let's be honest here, Americans are not known for their sarcasm. I love your appreciation of museums, trains, nature and your lack of pretences when it comes to expensive cars, clothes and other typical signs of affluence people like to display. I love how you're so interested in all sort of facts, many of them, obscure, and you resurrect some of the people that history had forgotten and that you bring to my attention facts and tidbits that I never thought I would find interesting. And yes, I love that your statements are supported by data, statistics and facts. I love that you're self-deprecating. You're one special kind of person. We need more people like you. Britain is lucky to have you. And we are lucky to have your books.
I know, this is not exactly a book review. I'll summarise: it's what you'd expect from Bryson. And thank XYZ for that (one of the sucky bits about being an atheist is that I can't find any supernatural beings to be grateful to). Ah, one thing I noticed is that Mr Bryson swears much more, or at least, I don't remember him cussing so much in previous books. I loved that as well. :-)
NB: I've listened to the audio for this, although I have the paperback on my bookshelf. Nathan Osgood was OK, I would have preferred Bill Bryson himself as the narrator. It was an excellent audio book as far as the production was concerned.
Bill Bryson, you're one of a kind! How I love thee. I love your sense of humour and I am grateful to you for making me laugh out loud. I love your sarcasm; obviously living in the UK for over forty years has made you more sarcastic, because, let's be honest here, Americans are not known for their sarcasm. I love your appreciation of museums, trains, nature and your lack of pretences when it comes to expensive cars, clothes and other typical signs of affluence people like to display. I love how you're so interested in all sort of facts, many of them, obscure, and you resurrect some of the people that history had forgotten and that you bring to my attention facts and tidbits that I never thought I would find interesting. And yes, I love that your statements are supported by data, statistics and facts. I love that you're self-deprecating. You're one special kind of person. We need more people like you. Britain is lucky to have you. And we are lucky to have your books.
I know, this is not exactly a book review. I'll summarise: it's what you'd expect from Bryson. And thank XYZ for that (one of the sucky bits about being an atheist is that I can't find any supernatural beings to be grateful to). Ah, one thing I noticed is that Mr Bryson swears much more, or at least, I don't remember him cussing so much in previous books. I loved that as well. :-)
NB: I've listened to the audio for this, although I have the paperback on my bookshelf. Nathan Osgood was OK, I would have preferred Bill Bryson himself as the narrator. It was an excellent audio book as far as the production was concerned.
I'm thinking about doing away with goodreads star ratings because books like this I really don't know how to rate.
On one hand I whizzed through it and enjoyed the experience of reading it. On the other hand it wasn't life-changing, didn't tell me that much I didn't already know and at some points I found it a bit jarring. I do like Bill Bryson's writing but I feel as if he can be a bit judgemental with his opinions about people that he doesn't ever get the time to really know and he sometimes gives off a very superior air... what redeems it slightly (and avoids me feeling the same way about this as I did about A Year of Living Danishly by Helen Russell) is that I get the sense a lot of his comments are deliberately hyperbolic in order to get a laugh from the reader. Sometimes it genuinely works but other times I feel like he tries way too hard.
Either way, enjoyed it, probably not as much as Down Under. I wonder if he is getting grumpier in his books or I am getting more cynical.
On one hand I whizzed through it and enjoyed the experience of reading it. On the other hand it wasn't life-changing, didn't tell me that much I didn't already know and at some points I found it a bit jarring. I do like Bill Bryson's writing but I feel as if he can be a bit judgemental with his opinions about people that he doesn't ever get the time to really know and he sometimes gives off a very superior air... what redeems it slightly (and avoids me feeling the same way about this as I did about A Year of Living Danishly by Helen Russell) is that I get the sense a lot of his comments are deliberately hyperbolic in order to get a laugh from the reader. Sometimes it genuinely works but other times I feel like he tries way too hard.
Either way, enjoyed it, probably not as much as Down Under. I wonder if he is getting grumpier in his books or I am getting more cynical.
A curmudgeonly trip around the U.K., filled with bright asides, moments of hyperbole, and snappy observations. This follow-up to his Notes from a Small Island takes some easy shots, to be sure (who doesn't hate litter, people who don't clean up after their dogs, lying train schedules), but even still, his love of the country can't help but shine through.
3.75 stars, to be precise. With the COVID-19 isolation situation we currently face, I was struggling to find a book to read. I knew reading would be a great way to shut off and relax my brain, but didn’t know what mood I was in.
I hadn’t read Bill Bryson in a while - mixture of humour and serious talking points relating to global situations - so I thought I would give it a go.
Turns out, I was right, this was just what I needed to get back into reading. As a bonus, it fits an OWLs prompt for me in the Magical Readathon taking place this month.
Why the 3.75 stars then? I largely enjoyed, particularly the chapters on familiar areas - but I do think some remarks, jokes and references were lost on me generationally so I didn’t get the full benefit of this book.
I hadn’t read Bill Bryson in a while - mixture of humour and serious talking points relating to global situations - so I thought I would give it a go.
Turns out, I was right, this was just what I needed to get back into reading. As a bonus, it fits an OWLs prompt for me in the Magical Readathon taking place this month.
Why the 3.75 stars then? I largely enjoyed, particularly the chapters on familiar areas - but I do think some remarks, jokes and references were lost on me generationally so I didn’t get the full benefit of this book.
Bill Bryson's quirky, endearing and yes, grumpy, voice shines in this loving yet not at all coddling portrait of the spirit of England (and other wee bits of the UK). There was not an instant while reading this book where I was not smiling, laughing or lamentably agreeing. Bill Bryson is just amazingly awesome.
Bryson is not laugh out loud funny for me-more like chuckle out loud or smile a lot. He's a curmudgeonly kind of guy and his dry humor appeals to me. As an outdoorsy person, I love the descriptions of the importance of hiking in the UK. His descriptions of the lovely landscapes is a huge travel incentive for me. On the other hand, I'm not a big museum aficionado, but I ended up googling some : the gold helmet for example-intriguing. As an American, I understood his comparison of the two counties and have to agree to his assessment. Overall, I find I want to travel there to experience it myself, so Bryson should be knighted or something
I've been walking along the backroads of England for nine days with Bill Bryson. It's been a pleasant experience, mostly (though, be warned, if you plan to journey with this fellow that he goes off at the drop of a hat, and he has a rather foul mouth to go along with his rather foul temper). He stops in every tiny dot of a town and he tends to find each spot somewhat disappointing. He made much the same journey many years ago, and, like those of us of a certain age, seems to discover that the years have not been kind to most of rural England. It's not as easy to get to these little towns now. The food isn't quite as tasty. The souvenir shops have moved in. And so on. And so on. He's humorous, of course, and that's what keeps us enthralled. But there were many times along this journey that I wished he'd just go home if he was so disenchanted.
Bryson at this best. Complaining about this and that, and telling us what he really things about this and that. I wished I had tracked the movement on a map so I can really know what he was talking about. I also wish that he'd spent more time in Scotland. All to say, I enjoyed the book immensely. He's gotten to be an old foggy, which he was when he was younger but he'd not reached the time yet. Good time had by all reading it.