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3.93 AVERAGE
3.93 AVERAGE
I really enjoyed it and learned a lot. I do prefer the mixture of funny in real life with fact finding asides as in “A Walk in the Woods” to this entirely researched based approach, but I really enjoyed it nonetheless. I found myself stopping and saying, “Did you know…?” to family members all throughout this read and I can think of no better tribute.
Some great stuff in here, but my mind wandered a bit. Loosely connected historical anecdotes.
A rambling history of so very many things, tangentially structured around the floor plan of Bryson's 1851 parsonage. Centers generally on the Victorian era, but expands well beyond architecture to culture, science, politics, etc. A real joy to read if you are a history geek or lover of random fascinating fact, like me!
Not "Read" but "Read some of" because I couldn't get through this. I ADORE his book on hiking the Appalachian trail with his buddy. Hilarious, interesting, laugh out moments. This was so bloody boring with a couple of interesting tid bits. Alas.
LOVED this book--spent weeks enthralling (ahem) both my family and my students with tidbits from it. It gives you tons of info to carry around in your head, info that changes the way you perceive the world. WOW. My first whole-book Bryson, but I hope not my last!
Always a fun read and interesting but for some reason I got tired of it midway through.
Bryson has produced another fascinating and informative digest of historical information, this time about domestic life. Full of wonderful biographical sketches of the people who brought about change (intentionally or otherwise) and loaded with apparent red herrings, this is a book to read from cover to cover and to dip into many times after that.
funny
informative
slow-paced
House style: Bill Bryson writes amusingly and fluidly about domesticia, based loosely on his own home (a former rectory in Norfolk) but expanding voluminously on the various rooms - hall, study, pantry etc - to create a history of the house and person from earliest times. It’s comprehensive, informative and fun.
Bryson has his demographic - Radio Times-reading, Prosecco-swilling, National Trust-joining, Waitrose-shopping Middle Englanders (so I should be target market really) and his schtick - a light touch with facts (cavalier at times), and a fondness for lists that makes the reader reflect he’d not do badly on Just A Minute. Not that this is bad, in fact at his best he’s very funny and informative indeed although stretched over 600 pages you do need to like his style to pull through. His audiences flock to his outsider’s take on We British (aren’t they a funny lot rather than anything too critical). I last read him about 20 years ago: having enjoyed Notes From A Small Island I somewhat overdosed on the BB œuvre, and took to fasting thereafter. You see, the archness is catching.
If you can forgive him a little literary mansplaining, At Home is a specimen work - there’s an exhaustiveness to its scope and it’s jam-packed with detail, wit and characters. Dulce domum indeed.
Bryson has his demographic - Radio Times-reading, Prosecco-swilling, National Trust-joining, Waitrose-shopping Middle Englanders (so I should be target market really) and his schtick - a light touch with facts (cavalier at times), and a fondness for lists that makes the reader reflect he’d not do badly on Just A Minute. Not that this is bad, in fact at his best he’s very funny and informative indeed although stretched over 600 pages you do need to like his style to pull through. His audiences flock to his outsider’s take on We British (aren’t they a funny lot rather than anything too critical). I last read him about 20 years ago: having enjoyed Notes From A Small Island I somewhat overdosed on the BB œuvre, and took to fasting thereafter. You see, the archness is catching.
If you can forgive him a little literary mansplaining, At Home is a specimen work - there’s an exhaustiveness to its scope and it’s jam-packed with detail, wit and characters. Dulce domum indeed.
oh my god, i loved this book. it seemed to take me forever to read but that was completely okay. i loved learning all these facts about history. i can only imagine what others on the subway thought of my disgusted faces as i read the chapter about the bathroom. love love loved this book.