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3.69 AVERAGE
3.69 AVERAGE
adventurous
funny
lighthearted
medium-paced
This is now quite outdated so probably not recommended for anyone wishing to travel around britain in 2024. I admire the writing style but can’t forgive Bryson for his savagery of Oxford and Liverpool. He also seemed to just aimlessly wander around bleak concrete towns and was surprised that this wasn’t an enlightening experience.
The man is FUNNY but I think I'd have appreciated the book a lot more if I had ever visited or lived in the UK. Even though I don't enjoy travelogues, this one was sprinkled with plenty of humor (though some of it hasn't aged very well) and astute observations about the British to keep me entertained.
Perhaps not the best Bill Bryson book to start with for me, but I'm looking forward to reading more of his work :)
Perhaps not the best Bill Bryson book to start with for me, but I'm looking forward to reading more of his work :)
Bryson's books always have a way of transporting me to the places he describes. Which is exactly what you want from a travel author. He's long-winded in a clever way and his stories always make me smile.
Fine. Fun writing style, nice and British. Good for while on vacation in England.
If you are North American, living in Britain it is a MUST read. Hilariously accurate, will have you laughing throughout!
adventurous
emotional
funny
informative
inspiring
lighthearted
relaxing
fast-paced
2 Stars!
This one was a difficult one for me to rate. On the one hand, I found the pacing of he book really great (I listened via audiobook, so the impact of pace was even greatly felt), and it was entertaining enough on the surface, but there were quite a few things that nagged at me.
Firstly, maybe it was just the narrator, but Bryson’s writing seemed a little bit over-emphasised throughout, which jarred the experience a bit for me.
Then there was the absolute rudeness that he showed. In the course of the book, Bryson mocks accents (both British and foreign), makes borderline misogynistic comments, and is outright rude to hospitality staff on multiple occasions.
I did learn some new things about the UK, even Wales, which is where I grew up. However, I can’t help but think that his opinions of certain places were very biased and entirely dependant on the one experience that he had there.
I don’t think I’ll be picking up any of his other books, but this one was good for zoning out during commutes.
Overall: A well-paced but off-putting travel guide to Britain.
This one was a difficult one for me to rate. On the one hand, I found the pacing of he book really great (I listened via audiobook, so the impact of pace was even greatly felt), and it was entertaining enough on the surface, but there were quite a few things that nagged at me.
Firstly, maybe it was just the narrator, but Bryson’s writing seemed a little bit over-emphasised throughout, which jarred the experience a bit for me.
Then there was the absolute rudeness that he showed. In the course of the book, Bryson mocks accents (both British and foreign), makes borderline misogynistic comments, and is outright rude to hospitality staff on multiple occasions.
I did learn some new things about the UK, even Wales, which is where I grew up. However, I can’t help but think that his opinions of certain places were very biased and entirely dependant on the one experience that he had there.
I don’t think I’ll be picking up any of his other books, but this one was good for zoning out during commutes.
Overall: A well-paced but off-putting travel guide to Britain.
My first thought is that it is not a small island...the island he refers to is Britain which is actually the biggest island in Europe and ninth largest in the world. Where is the geographical integrity here?
Bill Bryson has justification in pointing out the Thames is not really all that significant in size in global terms when 107 rivers in North America are longer. He also points out Windermere with all its boats and Lakeland poets is titchy compared to Lake Superior. But no US island is bigger than Great Britain, which incidentally is well over twice the size of Lake "Superior" (82,100 km2).
Largest islands in the World
Greenland - (840,004 sq. miles) (2,175,600 sq. km)
New Guinea - (303,381 sq. miles) (785,753 sq. km)
Borneo - (288,869 sq. miles) (748,168 sq. km)
Madagascar - (226,917 sq. miles) (587,713 sq. km)
Baffin - (194,574 sq. miles) (503,944 sq. km)
Sumatra - (171,069 sq. miles) (443,066 sq. km)
Honshu - (88,982 sq. miles) (225,800 sq. km)
Victoria - (85,154 sq. miles) (220,548 sq. km)
Great Britain - (80,823 sq. miles) (209,331 sq. km)
Ellesmere - (71,029 sq. miles) (183,965 sq. km)
The book failed to make me "laugh out loud", as it boasts on the cover, but how many of us do laugh out loud from our reading material? It did make me smile occasionally with its wry observations.
Bill Bryson, who hails from Iowa, makes a trip around Britain in 1995 and the book is the result of his observations on this trip. The route is a little random, visiting some places on a whim like Retford and leaving others out like East Anglia, Cornwall and South Wales. He begins at Dover like all immigrants who come through the tunnel and ends in Settle, where he chose to ...er...settle for a while.
The book was a massive best seller, selling over two million copies. It is interesting seeing Britain through an American's eyes. For a self confessed Anglophile, he does like to whine, notably about the destruction of Britain's architectural heritage and the erection of lacklustre malls with the same stores in each town. This whining can get rather repetitive.
The book has given me a desire to tour Britain again, I have been to most of the places Bryson visited but have yet to explore Durham, which impressed him or Llandudno, which didn't impress.
A lot of the book is about Bryson himself, he likes his beer and home comforts. If he hasn't eaten well or got soaked, he might see a place badly. Overnight sometimes his views change from unfavourable to favourable (or the reverse).
Many things Bryson encounters in Britain defy logic.
"I asked the man in the ticket window for a single to Barnstaple. He told me a single was £8.80 but he could do me a return for £4.40."
Bill Bryson has justification in pointing out the Thames is not really all that significant in size in global terms when 107 rivers in North America are longer. He also points out Windermere with all its boats and Lakeland poets is titchy compared to Lake Superior. But no US island is bigger than Great Britain, which incidentally is well over twice the size of Lake "Superior" (82,100 km2).
Largest islands in the World
Greenland - (840,004 sq. miles) (2,175,600 sq. km)
New Guinea - (303,381 sq. miles) (785,753 sq. km)
Borneo - (288,869 sq. miles) (748,168 sq. km)
Madagascar - (226,917 sq. miles) (587,713 sq. km)
Baffin - (194,574 sq. miles) (503,944 sq. km)
Sumatra - (171,069 sq. miles) (443,066 sq. km)
Honshu - (88,982 sq. miles) (225,800 sq. km)
Victoria - (85,154 sq. miles) (220,548 sq. km)
Great Britain - (80,823 sq. miles) (209,331 sq. km)
Ellesmere - (71,029 sq. miles) (183,965 sq. km)
The book failed to make me "laugh out loud", as it boasts on the cover, but how many of us do laugh out loud from our reading material? It did make me smile occasionally with its wry observations.
Bill Bryson, who hails from Iowa, makes a trip around Britain in 1995 and the book is the result of his observations on this trip. The route is a little random, visiting some places on a whim like Retford and leaving others out like East Anglia, Cornwall and South Wales. He begins at Dover like all immigrants who come through the tunnel and ends in Settle, where he chose to ...er...settle for a while.
The book was a massive best seller, selling over two million copies. It is interesting seeing Britain through an American's eyes. For a self confessed Anglophile, he does like to whine, notably about the destruction of Britain's architectural heritage and the erection of lacklustre malls with the same stores in each town. This whining can get rather repetitive.
The book has given me a desire to tour Britain again, I have been to most of the places Bryson visited but have yet to explore Durham, which impressed him or Llandudno, which didn't impress.
A lot of the book is about Bryson himself, he likes his beer and home comforts. If he hasn't eaten well or got soaked, he might see a place badly. Overnight sometimes his views change from unfavourable to favourable (or the reverse).
Many things Bryson encounters in Britain defy logic.
"I asked the man in the ticket window for a single to Barnstaple. He told me a single was £8.80 but he could do me a return for £4.40."