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3.82 AVERAGE
3.82 AVERAGE
While a bit more "scientific textbook" than I expected, this was fun, funny and with a few insights-- even for those of us who go back English or have English friends.
I've come, after finishing this, to the inescapable conclusion that I'm English. And, here, I thought I was just an anglophile. Seriously, it's a "must read" for any anglophile.
This has many laugh out loud moments. Although some parts are a little outdated, Fox does a great job anticipating that in a few years after writing this might happen (e.g. slang, fashion). Regardless, there are some excellent observations in this book and I found myself nodding along with the majority of them...having lived outside of England for so long, I am no longer sure which of my traits are inherently English, Geordie or just personal/from family and of course having lived abroad for so long has influenced me. But it was interesting to see that I'm actually quite (very) English still...not sure how I feel about that...
Highly recommend for any Anglophiles, or those living or working with English people.
Highly recommend for any Anglophiles, or those living or working with English people.
The beginning and very end of this book were interesting, and funny, but the rest was kind of a slog as it became very repetitive and boring. Only an English person could find the seemingly endless lists of words, objects, foods, styles of dress, etc. that are markers of the different English social classes, and that each chapter seems to devolve into, to be an interesting read. Who else could ever be obsessed enough with the English class marker system to care?
Thoroughly enjoyed this - very helpful as an American living in London
This is a really entertaining book, but the author never quite snaps out of her own Englishness. This adds to the humor when she's investigating things like the English propensity for orderly queues (she has to down several brandies before she can bring herself to break it), but she seems unable to analyze things like English beliefs about class from an objective standpoint, instead discussing the topic with her own assumptions and--it has to be said--prejudices in full effect. It isn't a fatal flaw by any means, and I definitely recommend reading it, but I wish she or her editor had taken a stronger look at exactly how far outside the English box she got.
I thought I was going to really like this book. It started off well, and although I had read some negative reviews on here I know well enough to take them with a pinch of salt. I was intrigued from the start because a lot of what she says makes sense. In fact most of what she says is I'm sure perfectly factual, however it's her tone that rankles somewhat; she comes across as utterly smug, totally up herself, completely without comprehension of how her words come across to the general reader. I'm not sure she even meant to, I'm sure she thought she was being humorous, because let's face it, us Brits love a laugh, but she fell short by some considerable way and careered headlong into smug. Taking that aside for one moment and assessing the content of the book, I did find it interesting and I agreed with her a lot of the time. As someone who has also been acutely aware of class - I grew up working class but my partner is very middle class - I found those bits interesting too, if a little laboured at times. I understand why she tried for humour, these sort of academic books written for lay people are difficult to crack but she missed, and it's a shame.
Also, what's her deal with Paxman? I mean, really?
Also, what's her deal with Paxman? I mean, really?
For most of the book, I wanted to crawl between the pages and live there. It is delightfully funny and incredibly apt. Having learned or learned of English cultural traditions, idioms, foibles, etc., as an outsider myself over my years of living there, I found Fox's approach of "discovering" them to be like a witty echo of my own observational experience (with none of the fear, painful experimentation and rejection that can come with actual expatriate living). Wonderfully enjoyable.
Then, around the chapter on modes of dress, she started to sound a bit like an irrelevant, smug newspaper columnist writing about what the silly youth are up to these days (with no attempt to distinguish this from what the silly youth are up to in other cultures, which would have excused her), and she lost me. The rest felt a bit tired, like the parts of a term paper that are written the night before deadline.
Still, that occurred late enough in the book that it shouldn't put anyone off.
Then, around the chapter on modes of dress, she started to sound a bit like an irrelevant, smug newspaper columnist writing about what the silly youth are up to these days (with no attempt to distinguish this from what the silly youth are up to in other cultures, which would have excused her), and she lost me. The rest felt a bit tired, like the parts of a term paper that are written the night before deadline.
Still, that occurred late enough in the book that it shouldn't put anyone off.
Really enjoyed reading Watching the English and many of Kate Fox’s observation. I particularly enjoyed the sections on queuing and trains as I’ve been reading it commuting to work and it was really interesting to see what she described happen precisely as described in real life
I had wanted to read this book for a long time so when I saw it had been updated and massively expanded I made sure I got it. It is very good, laugh out loud in places, but I think actually maybe too long now and I did get a little bored at times.