Discover the Charms of Britain with Bill Bryson's "Notes from a Small Island

James W.: This book has a $1.00 mark on inside cover and is most definitely used, but I paid for a new book.

United States on Nov 21, 2023

Shelagh Keers: If you a fan of this author great

United Kingdom on Oct 20, 2023

Floridagator: You won’t be disappointed cruising around Britain with Bill Bryson. Man’s a treasure, both as a writer and as an observer. If you haven’t read him, this is a good place to start.

United States on Oct 12, 2023

JGM: Maybe this book just hasn't aged well, but I found it lacking in everything you might want if you are thinking of taking a trip in Britain or you want to take a trip across the island vicariously. You won't find interesting regional foods or restaurants, interesting hotels or villas or houses, insights into the famous tourist sites or curious out-of-the way places, interesting cultural attractions, etc. You won't entertaining or revealing conversations with ordinary people or notables.

Instead each chapter of the book goes something like this: Author arrives at the center of a small town by train or bus. He peruses the nearby tourist gift shop and remarks on the tacky offerings. He heads to his nondescript hotel and mentions its nondescript room. He drops his bag, and heads off to explore, typically finding the local museum closed. Then he wanders the streets, commenting on the weather and complaining about the architecture of new office buildings and shopping malls. After walking in circles for long enough, he ends up at a nondescript pub or a random Chinese restaurant. Interspersed are perhaps some ruminations on TV shows, or a few excerpts from a tour guide he picked up....

United States on Sep 14, 2023

Dr. R. H. Webber: You learn a lot about your culture from a different viewpoint and can enjoy laughing about yourselves. Although this was an extensive tour of the British Isles there are parts that did not come into this grand tour so in that way it is not comprehensive.

United Kingdom on Aug 27, 2023

C. Wakefield: Bill Bryson is a very talented storyteller. One who brings his full attention and skill in weaving stories to any subject that catches his interest. As a naturalized American, I am so
Proud of the clarity and love Bryson gives to his description of my home land. He has caught our humour, habits, mannerisms and more. I have learned about parts of the UK that I have never seen nor am likely to. I’m just sorry he didn’t include Cornwall my adopted county which I believe must have been attached to Maine at some point or as is probably the case N America was attached to Britain.

United States on Aug 12, 2023

Andonette Wilkinson: Bill, you don't half moan. I mean are you really from Iowa or are you British to the core?

I read this book many years ago, and reading it again I did chuckle, but for a new reader I would say a lot of things are out of date, descriptions of places, the laws in place to preserve the look of towns, how run down (or not) certain places are - many places have changed,

Notably I read about Morecambe - which has long been run down, but they restored the midland, and have now been approved for the Eden project

Blackpool is a crap hole but that's why people go. They actually enjoy how cheesy it is.

Manchester is a cool city. Full of life and friendly folk. Music. Indie bars, restaurants, food festivals, artists. And not being able to name famous people? I suppose the internet was just coming out.. a visit to the science museum could have helped ..

The book will also offend many now with its sometimes controversial by today's standards descriptions of people.

If you've read it before, and are just re reading like me its very different than picking it up for the first time. You may want something more up to date

United Kingdom on Apr 12, 2023

Amazon Customer: This review is for the unabridged audio version in 9 CDs by Belinda Audio with Audible Studios, the narrator is William Roberts, first class reader, suited to the tone of the author, in fact he has read other books by Bryson and he gives the right mood and interpretation …. I particularrly like his Scottish accent, I think he is spot on! A little word of caution, I tried to listen to this very book read by someone else and after five minutes I had to stop, not everyone can read this author in an entertaining way.
Having said that, CD 3 has part of the end of Chapter 6 missing ….. I do not think my copy was defective, firstly because it was still sealed before I listened to it and no other CD sounds cut or defective, although the problem might be present only in this CD and secondly this is a recurrent defect which I am coming across more and more often in audio books on CD. The audio download might be ok, but I already paid a lot for this audiobook on CD, audiobooks are usually much more expensive than printed or kindle material, and I am not going to spend more on this: fortunately I found a text version of Chapter 6, where I have been able to make sure that indeed some...

United Kingdom on Jul 22, 2018

Mark in Los Angeles: Once again dear reader, I have found myself lining the pockets of a man who time and time again seems to entertainingly tread water while unbeknownst to the us all, the real story can be found only a few feet below the surface.

I had already had a go at "A Walk In The Woods" some years ago, attracted by what seemed like a compelling start and Bryson's sardonic and clever humor. Eventually however, I abandoned it about 80% through when I realized it was becoming as arduous as the Appalachian trek itself.

But then this guy went and wrote a book on Australia which, having been a home of mine for a good many years, I was unable to resist. For a bit. This time, 70% through, I once again legged it. I found much of what he claimed to observe inauthentically recalled. Poetic license gone wild. Fine for the fiction section but that's not where that book was.

As you can no doubt already tell, I'm not that smart. So once again, having also spent 11 years in the UK, and with my UK-residing father frequently bellowing his affections for this author, I was, in a moment of defenselessness, pillaged by the most innocent of Amazon special offers in my inbox. Enthusiastically,...

United States on Jul 06, 2016

P. A. Mitchell: Having now completed reading three quarters of this book and thoroughly enjoying what I've read so far,and also having read numerous reviews of it I have realized that the British readers of this light-hearted book fall into two categories - those with a sense of humour that ' get it ' and those without any humour at all that ' don't get it ' at all. I find that those who enjoyed the book have an abundance of self deprecating humour about themselves and their town,village,hamlet etc and those that don't get it have no sense of humour at all. This is meant to be a humourous look at the British not a serious book about it's people,landscape,dwellings,towns etc. For those of you who do ' get it ' and understand irony and self deprecating humour (if told by an American who now lives in the UK and adopted this island as his home for himself and his family) may I suggest you get your hands on a book called ' Watching The English ' by Kate Fox as she too pokes fun of the English and,as with this Bill Bryson book you find yourself saying "Yes we do say that" and "Yes we do do things like that" etc. I thoroughly enjoyed this book by Bill but my one gripe would be that he didn't visit my...

United Kingdom on Jun 07, 2009