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3.35 AVERAGE
3.35 AVERAGE
I can see why readers didn't like this book. There were times when Lyall's humor crosses the line from poking fun to cruelty, especially at the beginning of the book. She's a lot kinder when talking about her family. If the book had kept to her personal experiences, I'd have liked it a lot more.
Lyall, an American who now lives in Britain, commentates on the British culture and its people. Some parts were interesting but on the whole it was a bit dry.
This book was hilarious and I found it coincided very accurately with my experience of living in England for a year. The one caveat I have is that Lyall writes of a distinctly elite crowd most of the time, but her insights are nevertheless entertaining, quite often causing me to LOL
It was somewhat enjoyable, but I ran out of time and had to give it back to the library and will probably never check it out again. Just a little too dry for me.
I read this on the plane to and from England, and found it to be a great read to go along with the trip. I found it interesting that I noticed some of the things that she talked about while I was there.
One part history, one part social anthropology, one media elite humor. It's the best America/Britain juxtaposition I've read. (Sorry, Bill Bryson.) Lyall is no Sarah Vowell, but then, Sarah Vowell is all America.
(Kat, you should read this book.)
(Kat, you should read this book.)
Sarah is an American, but she lives in Britain. She is also married to a Briton, and has worked as a journalist in Britain for several years, so she's in a pretty position to write a book on what it is that makes the people living on that small island so unique. I was intrigued by the idea of this book after hearing the author interviewed on NPR and I was not disappointed. I think what is most fascinating to me is that you'd think Americans and Britons would be so much more alike than we are, based on that common history and everything. From the beginning, Lyall does a great job of getting at the heart of what makes the average Briton tick and how that's different, in general, from what makes us tick :)
She discusses boarding school, the craziness of the government, the weather, socioeconomic class structures, the tabloid newspapers and fast food restaurants. Don't know anything about cricket? She doesn't really either, but she'll let you in on what everyone else says. There is a fascinating chapter all about dental care and the sad reality behind the stereotype. She's also got a chapter all about the sexual repression/fervor that exists under the surface (may be a bit much for some readers).
What I appreciated, beyond the witty tone and excellently balanced factual/anecdotal information, is that you can tell she likes her adopted home. She sees a lot that is good and helps us as non-British readers understand why sometimes things seem a little off to us. I certainly gained a greater appreciation for that stiff-upper-lip mentality - even if I'll probably always prefer turning on my heat rather than sitting in the cold.
She discusses boarding school, the craziness of the government, the weather, socioeconomic class structures, the tabloid newspapers and fast food restaurants. Don't know anything about cricket? She doesn't really either, but she'll let you in on what everyone else says. There is a fascinating chapter all about dental care and the sad reality behind the stereotype. She's also got a chapter all about the sexual repression/fervor that exists under the surface (may be a bit much for some readers).
What I appreciated, beyond the witty tone and excellently balanced factual/anecdotal information, is that you can tell she likes her adopted home. She sees a lot that is good and helps us as non-British readers understand why sometimes things seem a little off to us. I certainly gained a greater appreciation for that stiff-upper-lip mentality - even if I'll probably always prefer turning on my heat rather than sitting in the cold.
Being an Anglophile, this one was written for me. I have an insane desire to keep returning to England and I thought maybe the reasons why would be revealed in this book. Well, the short answer would be a definitive no. I HIGHLY doubt, even with all of my quirks and idiosyncrasies, that bad teeth and a high propensity to perversion would be reasons I keep running across the Atlantic. But, to say the least, I was entertained by this one. Maybe I didn't get any deep insight into why I keep heading to the UK, but I did tickle my funny bone quite a bit with some of the English antidotes by American ex-pat Lyall. A MUST for anyone who loves all things British (or even likes them a lot).
I love it! Fascinating insights into British life, lots of laughs, and as far as I have been able to tell, fairly accurate.
After marrying a Brit, Sarah Lyall moved to London and continued to file essays for the New York Times--among the gems are the surreal debate in the House of Lords on the motto they had decided not to have (ASBO, TESCO!), the charity trustee who separates brain-damaged and not brain-damaged hedgehogs, insults allowed in Commons debate (Pecksniffan cant!), atrocious prawn salad at the Little Chef franchise, the train delay because "the driver is 5 foot tall and his swivel chair is broken, preventing him from reaching the pedals," the controversial Americanization of Tony Blair's bad teeth, and the 17 places (excluding the gift shop) to buy alcohol in Parliament.