As an unabashed Anglophile, I am a big fan of Bill Bryson. Even though Bryson was born and raised in Iowa, he lived for much of his professional life in North Yorkshire, England after meeting and marrying his wife while working in the UK following college. In 1995, however, he and his family decided to return to the United States - his observations upon return to the country of his birth are chronicled in I'm a Stranger Here Myself: Notes on Returning to America After 20 Years Away
, another great Bryson book. I love how he recounts his reasons for returning to the US:"I had recently read, 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."
That quote is typical of Bryson's dry wit. His books are found in the travel section of a bookstore but could as esily be shelved in the humor section. Before leaving the UK, he decides to travel the country one final time. Notes from a Small Island
is the book that came of that final trip.Bryson travels through England and stays in charming British towns - each in which he inevitably heads out for a walk and finds a pub for a meal and a good pint. As he completes this ritual in every town, he shares the locale's history, comments on its architecture and topography. That may sound dull but as Bryson conveys it all with his sarcastic wit, it is anything but dull. Furthermore, he peppers these descriptions of the towns with his real specialty - observations of Brits and their customs. From Dover to Bath and to Devon, Bryson offers up his witty commentary on the British. This type of commentary could easily drift into criticism told with a foreigner's superior tone (read my review of Lysall's Anglofiles) but Bryson's affection for the country and its people shines through and makes this humorous travelogue a real winner!
Iowa is a great place to be from.... Me too!
ReplyDeleteNice review... thanks for sharing!
Bill ;-)
Hope you'll check out my book giveaway:
http://drbillsbookbazaar.blogspot.com/2010/02/book-giveaway-emmys-equal.html
Hi Colleen,
ReplyDeleteIt is a great book. I just laughed the whole time. Wouldn't you love to travel with someone like that, rather than the grumpy martyrs that some travel companions turn into upon departure?
Have you read In a Sunburned Country? It's my favorite of his, you literally cannot drink a beverage while reading.
I love Bill Bryson - I haven't read this one, but I have read the one where he travels through Australia which is absolutely hilarious, and the one where he returns to America. I think that is my favourite of all of his books. I laughed out loud in it while I was sitting in the emergency department waiting for a family member it was that funny. I am always glad that it was able to releive some of my tension at that point in time. I will definitely look out for this book now :-)
ReplyDeleteI haven't read this one, but I've loved almost all of the Bryson books I've picked up. My favorite so far has been I'm a Stranger Here Myself. I was shrieking with laughter, and when I laugh that hard, I start to cry and my nose starts to run and I turn into a big sloppy mess! It's not pretty!
ReplyDeleteI've read a few of his too and found them all enjoyable. He can really make you laugh out loud, but at the same time is providing a lot of information. Such a great writing style. I'm definitely going to read this one. Thanks!
ReplyDeleteI enjoyed this book, though some bits were a little stodgy to get through. Personally, I'm more of a fan of Bryson's language books, such as "The Mother Tongue" and "Made in America". Fantastic books, both of them. If you like Bryson's sense of humour, and have even a small interest in language or history, I'd recommend checking those two out.
ReplyDeleteThis book sounds like a fun read, and if that quote is an indication of his writing style then I think I'd definitely enjoy it. Sounds like a great book to take on a trip or to read when you're looking for something light.
ReplyDeleteThanks for the review! I got this as a gift a few years ago when my bf did a semester abroad in London, but sadly never got around to reading it. Maybe I'll finally pick it up!
ReplyDeleteThis sounds wonderful... and I have been meaning to read Bryson for ages!
ReplyDeleteI loved this book...and I'm a Stranger Here Myself. You've reminded me that it's been awhile since I've read any Bryson, though!
ReplyDeleteI loved this book. Have read all of Bryson's up until about 5 years ago (have the latests ones just haven't gotten to them yet. The size of A Short History of Nearly Everything has put me off.) Another book you should check out is Round Ireland With A Fridge by Tony Hawks. It's like Bill Bryson if he were 20 years younger and a frat guy. One friend bets another that the Irish are so nice about hitchikers that he can hitch around the entire perimeter of the country - with a refridgerator. Hilarious.
ReplyDeleteCarin - that is so funny - I have Round Ireland on my shelf. I picked it up on a trip to Ireland a couple of years ago. I started it on the flight home but never got back to it! I was just looking at it on the shelf a few days ago was thinking I should try to get to it before St. Pat's!
ReplyDeleteLovely review...I have been thinking of reading Bryson quiet sometime now...
ReplyDeleteGreat review -- I just love him. I about died reading In a Sunburned Country, I was laughing so hard. I have a friend who hiked the Appalachian Trail and said there's a copy of A Walk in the Woods in nearly every campsite along the trail. :)
ReplyDeleteI picked this book up at a summer yard sale and haven't gotten around to it yet. Thanks for whetting my appetite.
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