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3.79 AVERAGE
3.79 AVERAGE
Notes From a Big Country is a compilation of weekly columns that Bill Bryson, an American, wrote on returning to his home country after living 20 years in England. Bryson uses his wry sense of humor to recount his culture shock- his pleasant surprise at not paying for water at restaurants, his awe of the garbage disposal, his love affair with the fast disappearing American diner. Having gone through a similar bout of culture shock after five years in Germany, I related to many of his stories.
More than a random mish-mash of amusing anecdotes, each chapter (three pages each) paints the picture of a man equally proud and bemused by his country. Bryson praises the friendliness of Americans saying “ people received us as if the one thing that had kept them from total happiness to this point was the absence of us in their lives” and alternately criticizes the US, observing that “you are less likely to go to prison for kicking an old lady down the stairs than you are for being caught in possession of a single dose of any illicit drug”.
It’s an easy read, funny and entertaining. Don’t think it’s all humor though, sometimes it gets a little depressing seeing the United States through the eyes of a man who can’t quite reconcile the rosy America of his youth to the flawed country with which he is confronted.
More than a random mish-mash of amusing anecdotes, each chapter (three pages each) paints the picture of a man equally proud and bemused by his country. Bryson praises the friendliness of Americans saying “ people received us as if the one thing that had kept them from total happiness to this point was the absence of us in their lives” and alternately criticizes the US, observing that “you are less likely to go to prison for kicking an old lady down the stairs than you are for being caught in possession of a single dose of any illicit drug”.
It’s an easy read, funny and entertaining. Don’t think it’s all humor though, sometimes it gets a little depressing seeing the United States through the eyes of a man who can’t quite reconcile the rosy America of his youth to the flawed country with which he is confronted.
I liked certain chapters much more than others, but found this to be both comedic and informative regarding culture and attitudes in America. I particularly liked his pieces on walking, the prevalence of shopping, and attitudes around prescription drugs.
funny
lighthearted
reflective
fast-paced
I've read [b:Made in America: An Informal History of the English Language in the United States|10541|Made in America An Informal History of the English Language in the United States|Bill Bryson|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1388209927l/10541._SY75_.jpg|412584] and started [b:Notes from a Small Island|28|Notes from a Small Island|Bill Bryson|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1479653223l/28._SY75_.jpg|940892] about 3 times and never managed to get past the first chapter (not sure why, I always get distracted and move on). This popped up at the library so I thought why not?
Bryson is an engaging writer but I feel I'm probably about 20 years too young for this, or at a different end of the curmudgeon scale, or just reading it 20 years too late. While I have a deeply seated British propensity for moaning (one of the joys of my life), I found that most of Bryson's observations here felt rather obvious. Perhaps this is just the era it was written - it feels dated now, obvious and old hat. At the time? It was probably rather witty and novel. I'm pretty sure he beat Eddie Izzard to the aircraft life vest whistle joke. Saying that, his comments and summation of the climate change situation and various politics (gun control especially) are still (sadly) relavent.
His writing conjured a mild wry amusement, occasionally causing a smile to escape onto my face, more often eliciting an internal, 'huh' response of recognition at the situation described. Not bad and I can see why he has fans. I think I'd rather some of his other travel books for the different style.
Bryson is an engaging writer but I feel I'm probably about 20 years too young for this, or at a different end of the curmudgeon scale, or just reading it 20 years too late. While I have a deeply seated British propensity for moaning (one of the joys of my life), I found that most of Bryson's observations here felt rather obvious. Perhaps this is just the era it was written - it feels dated now, obvious and old hat. At the time? It was probably rather witty and novel. I'm pretty sure he beat Eddie Izzard to the aircraft life vest whistle joke. Saying that, his comments and summation of the climate change situation and various politics (gun control especially) are still (sadly) relavent.
His writing conjured a mild wry amusement, occasionally causing a smile to escape onto my face, more often eliciting an internal, 'huh' response of recognition at the situation described. Not bad and I can see why he has fans. I think I'd rather some of his other travel books for the different style.
Definitely not as good as Bryson's travel writing. He's so curmudgeonly, I was shocked to learn he was only in his 40s when he wrote this. He's the sort of man who takes pride in being a complete idiot about all domestic matters, and the sort of white person who sees the world as a peaceful, prosperous place. This book was written pre-9/11, pre-second Gulf War, pre-recession, and it hasn't aged well.
An interesting series of shorter pieces originally published as a newspaper column. The stories start out cute and funny and then turn sort of bitter towards the end.
funny
Bill Bryson is one of my favorite comedic writers and here's his collection of essays from when he returned to the USA after twenty years of living in the UK. Lots of fun essays on the post office, motels, diners, the corner drug store, small towns, etc but may be dated for younger readers. But I'm old enough to remember all of it and I really enjoyed this collection.