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catroberge 's review for:
Notes from a Small Island
by Bill Bryson
I've only read one other book by Bryson,[b:A Walk in the Woods: Rediscovering America on the Appalachian Trail|9791|A Walk in the Woods Rediscovering America on the Appalachian Trail|Bill Bryson|http://d.gr-assets.com/books/1320519729s/9791.jpg|613469], and I fell in love with his dry writing style after just a few pages. I thought that love would transfer to any of his other works. I was wrong. Not to say that I didn't like [b:Notes from a Small Island|28|Notes from a Small Island|Bill Bryson|http://d.gr-assets.com/books/1313220025s/28.jpg|940892], because I did, I just didn't love it. It took me a lot longer to get through than most books. I just couldn't get into reading it. Plus, to be completely honest, I thought Bryson came off as a bit of a cheap pretentious a*@hole. Pardon my language. It seemed like the majority of the book he was complaining about the prices of things, the weather, the people, and how the people ruined their towns. When he wasn't describing how awful every place was, he was recounting every direction he stumbled in IN DETAIL. Really descriptive detail. I found myself skipping over paragraphs and having to go back because my mind just didn't care enough to pay attention.
The flow of the book goes a little something like this: he boards a train, he gets to his lodging (complains about the price), he walks around a bit (bitching about how the ruined the town), gets a pint, and then searches for food (and complains about the price). That's basically the entire book, which normally I wouldn't mind if the experiences he delves into make me chuckle a little bit.
There were only a few laugh out loud moments and they were few and far between. I did smile a few times, but there were also moments that made me want to slap him. One particular exchange made me almost hate him. It went a little something like this: Bryson asks for an Egg McMuffin and a coffee; the cashier asks if he wants an apple turnover; Bryson berates the cashier for asking; the cashier says they are told to ask; Bryson continues to berate him and then acts as if the cashier is wasting his precious time by listening patiently to his tirade. He also runs into a couple with dogs and precedes to yell at the man for his dogs "attacking" him. With Bryson's ability to exaggerate I find myself siding with the poor couple, especially the wife he called "stupid". So it goes. He approaches everyone he meets as if they are complete morons, which I admit can be funny, but also make him seem like a bit of a prick.
He also doesn't give quite as much history in the form of hilarious anecdotes as he did in [b:A Walk in the Woods: Rediscovering America on the Appalachian Trail|9791|A Walk in the Woods Rediscovering America on the Appalachian Trail|Bill Bryson|http://d.gr-assets.com/books/1320519729s/9791.jpg|613469]. I missed that, and instead was left with confusing descriptions filled with various names he found amusing. He brings up his love for strange city names, street names, park names etc. multiple times. I just didn't care.
I didn't feel like I took away anything from this book. Not even pleasant memories of reading it. The boring bits outweighed the funny bits in my opinion. I hope my next foray into one of his works will not be so disappointing. Hopefully I won't find myself so negatively inclined towards Bryson as a person. Well, honestly.
The flow of the book goes a little something like this: he boards a train, he gets to his lodging (complains about the price), he walks around a bit (bitching about how the ruined the town), gets a pint, and then searches for food (and complains about the price). That's basically the entire book, which normally I wouldn't mind if the experiences he delves into make me chuckle a little bit.
There were only a few laugh out loud moments and they were few and far between. I did smile a few times, but there were also moments that made me want to slap him. One particular exchange made me almost hate him. It went a little something like this: Bryson asks for an Egg McMuffin and a coffee; the cashier asks if he wants an apple turnover; Bryson berates the cashier for asking; the cashier says they are told to ask; Bryson continues to berate him and then acts as if the cashier is wasting his precious time by listening patiently to his tirade. He also runs into a couple with dogs and precedes to yell at the man for his dogs "attacking" him. With Bryson's ability to exaggerate I find myself siding with the poor couple, especially the wife he called "stupid". So it goes. He approaches everyone he meets as if they are complete morons, which I admit can be funny, but also make him seem like a bit of a prick.
He also doesn't give quite as much history in the form of hilarious anecdotes as he did in [b:A Walk in the Woods: Rediscovering America on the Appalachian Trail|9791|A Walk in the Woods Rediscovering America on the Appalachian Trail|Bill Bryson|http://d.gr-assets.com/books/1320519729s/9791.jpg|613469]. I missed that, and instead was left with confusing descriptions filled with various names he found amusing. He brings up his love for strange city names, street names, park names etc. multiple times. I just didn't care.
I didn't feel like I took away anything from this book. Not even pleasant memories of reading it. The boring bits outweighed the funny bits in my opinion. I hope my next foray into one of his works will not be so disappointing. Hopefully I won't find myself so negatively inclined towards Bryson as a person. Well, honestly.