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3.82 AVERAGE
3.82 AVERAGE
funny
informative
lighthearted
reflective
medium-paced
Fascinating and funny. I had no idea that my husband was so 'English.'
This was such a hilarious, well put together, nicely researched book! I read it before I moved to the UK and honestly, so many of the elements I recognised from my own family experience, and it was great pointing them out to my english friends. Lots of different topics covered from houses, bars, queueing, and how you decorate your bathroom. Definitely would recommend!
I've met a lot of Brits here in Japan so I thought I would learn what makes them tick. I feel empowered in a way - I now know how to order at a pub and properly "moan" about the weather.
But oh, the quibbles.
- The book feels looooong. It's not (only) due to the page count, but because Fox ends each chapter with a summary. I get that she's doing the "tell him what you're going to tell him, tell him, tell him what you told him" thing but it feels like blatant rehashing. The conclusion at the end of the book would have been enough.
- "Liminal" seems to pop up twice a page. Ditto "dis-ease". There isn't any difference between unease and dis-ease, right? It was a cute visual joke the first time but grated after that.
- Woah, there's a lot here about class. It was interesting in short bursts but some sections never seem to end. Names were used as stand ins for lower and upper class teenagers - Darren and Chantelle, Jamie and Saskia - and for the life of me I could never remember which was which. To my American ear it's two normal guy names and two uncommon girl names, so... yeah. I guess I fail that test.
- If most of the class comparisons were between working and upper classes I may have been able to deal with it, but the fine differences between lower-middle, middle-middle, and upper-middle were a bit much for me.
- Even though it took me a long time to get through the book repeated phrases and jokes kept jumping out at me. "The English have satire instead of revolutions" is great the first time, but by the fourth I'm rolling my eyes.
As much as I learned I'm glad to have this one behind me.
But oh, the quibbles.
- The book feels looooong. It's not (only) due to the page count, but because Fox ends each chapter with a summary. I get that she's doing the "tell him what you're going to tell him, tell him, tell him what you told him" thing but it feels like blatant rehashing. The conclusion at the end of the book would have been enough.
- "Liminal" seems to pop up twice a page. Ditto "dis-ease". There isn't any difference between unease and dis-ease, right? It was a cute visual joke the first time but grated after that.
- Woah, there's a lot here about class. It was interesting in short bursts but some sections never seem to end. Names were used as stand ins for lower and upper class teenagers - Darren and Chantelle, Jamie and Saskia - and for the life of me I could never remember which was which. To my American ear it's two normal guy names and two uncommon girl names, so... yeah. I guess I fail that test.
- If most of the class comparisons were between working and upper classes I may have been able to deal with it, but the fine differences between lower-middle, middle-middle, and upper-middle were a bit much for me.
- Even though it took me a long time to get through the book repeated phrases and jokes kept jumping out at me. "The English have satire instead of revolutions" is great the first time, but by the fourth I'm rolling my eyes.
As much as I learned I'm glad to have this one behind me.
A great book to pick up and put down during my first months abroad. Much of being English seems to have to do with a fair amount of bumbling around and apologizing. No wonder I'm fitting in so beautifully.
Finally finished it! I enjoy reading it. It's funny, witty and somewhat educational I guess. Nice read for anglophile people but probably for the English, too.
At some point it got quite repetitive because the underlying patterns of English behaviour had already been identified in earlier chapters. However, that is not the author's fault but rather that of "The English".
At some point it got quite repetitive because the underlying patterns of English behaviour had already been identified in earlier chapters. However, that is not the author's fault but rather that of "The English".
A very solid book. It presents ideas and links that you might not have contemplated, but that are introduced in a very easy to understand manner and throughout the book the author constantly revises and revisits these definitions so you are never lost. This book did genuinely make me laugh out loud and there were many parts that were so relatable or hilarious I had to read them to my family! It really is a great book to read to broaden your view of the world, although I must say after finishing this book I couldn't engage or listen to conversations about weather for a while without thinking 'typical England!'.
This book was recommended by an Anthropology lecturer at a university open day and I was very happy with this book as an introduction towards Anthropology as a discipline. I have since used this book in reference to essays I have written at university and have recommended it to others on my course who picked anthropology as a top up module - she has loved it equally as much as I did. It's a great book to read for both fun and academic reasons.
There were certain facets of this book I enjoyed. Unfortunately I did not realise until I started reading that the book was 15 years out of date and it has aged unfortunately in certain places. In addition though there was some mention of anthropologist bias in the start this does not alleviate my misgivings as regards some of her points that seem to come from a certain place of privilege and do not mesh well with any of my own personal experiences.
With British, pardon, English wit Kate Fox observes the behaviour of fellow countrymen and -women and their many quirks, which indeed are often quite international. One will find oneself leaning back, while reading, with a smug grin, thinking "I now that type!" only to have, a couple sentences later, to silently admit "That's exactly what I do!."
But she also offers us an explanation, if not excuse, for the state of English food and provides some helpful insights in cell phone etiquette (finally an explanation what those darn things are good for).
And, naturally, there's a lot of weather talk.
But she also offers us an explanation, if not excuse, for the state of English food and provides some helpful insights in cell phone etiquette (finally an explanation what those darn things are good for).
And, naturally, there's a lot of weather talk.