Details Books During Notes from a Small Island (Notes from a Small Island #1)
| Original Title: | Notes from a Small Island |
| ISBN: | 0380727501 (ISBN13: 9780380727506) |
| Edition Language: | English |
| Series: | Notes from a Small Island #1 |
| Setting: | United Kingdom |
Bill Bryson
Paperback | Pages: 324 pages Rating: 3.91 | 89014 Users | 4032 Reviews
Be Specific About Based On Books Notes from a Small Island (Notes from a Small Island #1)
| Title | : | Notes from a Small Island (Notes from a Small Island #1) |
| Author | : | Bill Bryson |
| Book Format | : | Paperback |
| Book Edition | : | Anniversary Edition |
| Pages | : | Pages: 324 pages |
| Published | : | May 28th 1997 by William Morrow Paperbacks (first published September 7th 1995) |
| Categories | : | Travel. Nonfiction. Humor. Autobiography. Memoir. European Literature. British Literature. Biography. Audiobook |
Explanation Concering Books Notes from a Small Island (Notes from a Small Island #1)
"Suddenly, in the space of a moment, I realized what it was that I loved about Britain-which is to say, all of it."After nearly two decades spent on British soil, Bill Bryson - bestselling author of The Mother Tongue and Made in America-decided to return to the United States. ("I had recently read," Bryson writes, "that 3.7 million Americans believed that they had been abducted by aliens at one time or another, so it was clear that my people needed me.") But before departing, he set out on a grand farewell tour of the green and kindly island that had so long been his home.
Veering from the ludicrous to the endearing and back again, Notes from a Small Island is a delightfully irreverent jaunt around the unparalleled floating nation that has produced zebra crossings, Shakespeare, Twiggie Winkie's Farm, and places with names like Farleigh Wallop and Titsey. The result is an uproarious social commentary that conveys the true glory of Britain, from the satiric pen of an unapologetic Anglophile.
Rating Based On Books Notes from a Small Island (Notes from a Small Island #1)
Ratings: 3.91 From 89014 Users | 4032 ReviewsWrite Up Based On Books Notes from a Small Island (Notes from a Small Island #1)
To start with I am a Bill Bryson fan. I laugh loudly at his humour which can be scathing. I love his travelogues. In this journey he travels through England, Wales and Scotland (but the last two probably make for only one-quarter of the book).Even though, aside from a few days in London some years back, I have not ventured in the British Isles I thoroughly enjoyed and felt a part of this trip with Bill Bryson. It was like I was sitting or walking beside him on the trains, buses and hikes heMaybe it's because I've worked for 25 years in customer service, but listening to some middle-class dude complain about trivialities is not my idea of entertainment, it's work.In the main, the book was okay. There were some hilarious bits, however, much of the humor was in the form of grousing, which is not to my taste. I was thinking it was going to be a 3-star book as some bits dragged, but then . . . at page 274, so close to the end, I hit this:In the end, fractious and impatient, I went into
Hm. I've been to England only once in my life (so far). Last year. I went to London only but I do like a number of things about Great Britain (Brexit not being one of them - surprise!). So of course I had to read our favourite grumpypants' take on it. Especially since it was yet another funny buddy-read with Jeff (read his review here).The interesting thing I wasn't aware of is that Bryson isn't a Brit living in exile the US, but an American who married a British woman and lived in England for a
Bryson, true to spirit, makes you laugh at everything about the place and fall in love with the place at the same time. No wonder for years the Brits have considered this the most representative travel book about themselves. Full review to follow.
Mr Bryson has an entertaining line of patter, a nice, wry humour and he works very very hard to endear himself with the reader. Look, I'm a regular guy from Iowa who sometimes gets really narked at owners of undisciplined dogs and thinks hedgerows are A Good Thing and cars aren't. But that doesn't quite compensate for the fact that this is basically a catalogue of towns, hotel rooms and meals in restaurants - an amusing catalogue, but a catalogue all the same. Where BB gets right up my nose is
Britain viewed through an American's eyes.Although both the British and American speak English, their words and cultures are hilariously different.A quick look at the local magazines at a boarding houseI'd intended to turn in early, but on the way to my room I noticed a door marked RESIDENTS' LOUNGE and put my head in. It was a large parlour, with easy chairs and a settee, all with starched antimacassars; a bookcase with a modest selection of jigsaw puzzles and paperback books; an occasional
Ambling know-it-all wanders around the UK, complaining about architecture, getting drunk, finding delight in little, and generally having a hard time deciding where to eat (always Indian or Chinese in the end). It paints a pretty depressing picture of the UK, when I think his intention was the opposite. Plus, I really liked his book about traveling through continental Europe, so I dont know what happened here. Also thought the scene where he tells us how fat people eat was insulting, to, well,
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