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jonnybrick's review against another edition
4.0
A fin de siecle travelogue that holds up in 2023. Very good on the decline of the coast and the nature of the English as told by an outsider/insider. There's a sequel too.
rkwdc's review against another edition
3.0
In a way, this mid-1990s travelogue is sort of like the sequel to Paul Theroux's mid-1980s "Kingdom By The Sea." Both feature an oft-times indignant, self-righteous American writer wandering the isle (feet and trains only!), making funny-to-an-American-audience observations and calling out sloth and hypocrisy wherever they see it. Both authors have a keen eye for observing and recording the decline of Western Civilization as they see it unfold in Britain, and both books kind become a chore to complete at around the half-way point.
maria_rb's review against another edition
4.0
I only gave this four stars because it was written so long ago and needs an updated version. But it's a funny, insightful read.
msalornothing's review against another edition
4.0
The book- Britain is less than perfect, and that's more so the case now then when Bryson released this originally I'm 1995, but my god is this a love letter to the things we do well and the general geographically of the whole layout.
The accuracy of this book is regularly questioned (could he have taken that train route on that day at that time? Were the publicans and hotel owners charicture composit characters of the real people he met along the way? but the information about the country as he journals his travels is weaved in a perfect balance of humour and frank honesty.
I was welling up with that last chapter. He sounded homesick and he hadn't left yet.
The audiobook narrator - did a great job except for the accents. Maybe Mr Roberts should leave the Scottish accent out next time. I've not met many Scottish people but I think the ones he was portraying were Scottish of Indian and Hungarian decent, who had picked up the local accent of Dublin somewhere along the way.
The accuracy of this book is regularly questioned (could he have taken that train route on that day at that time? Were the publicans and hotel owners charicture composit characters of the real people he met along the way? but the information about the country as he journals his travels is weaved in a perfect balance of humour and frank honesty.
I was welling up with that last chapter. He sounded homesick and he hadn't left yet.
The audiobook narrator - did a great job except for the accents. Maybe Mr Roberts should leave the Scottish accent out next time. I've not met many Scottish people but I think the ones he was portraying were Scottish of Indian and Hungarian decent, who had picked up the local accent of Dublin somewhere along the way.
erinrouleaux's review against another edition
3.0
So informative, and so funny. Love this author. There is so much I learned about British history and culture. There is so much I realized about American culture just based on the comparisons he did at times. This book made me wonder if I'd fare better in Britain just based on their manners alone.
mumseyjes's review against another edition
4.0
I thoroughly enjoyed this book. Even though it was written a while ago, it definitely rings true for those of us who are Americans and have fallen in love with the UK while living here. I found myself laughing out loud (literally) at his characterizations of the Brits, and shaking my head at other points. While it was written a while ago, it still has elements of the current culture, and there are definitely idiosyncrasies in the people here that are the same. For example, the absolute silence on the Tube (especially in the morning) when it's jammed packed and no one says a word (or stares pointedly at those who do), or the practice of apologizing to people when they run into you. The reason for the lower stars is that it did tend to drag towards the middle, and seemed to be more a commentary on poor public transport and crappy guest houses than a real exploration of the culture. I felt at times that I needed to press on and not give up on the book, though I wanted to - in the end, I did enjoy it. However, I wonder whether others who haven't lived in the UK will truly understand some of the references and cultural comments. I also agree with another reviewer who said a map would have bene useful. I found myself highlighting town names that I didn't recognize to see whether I could get to them easily in the future.
pakman's review against another edition
4.0
This was another audio book for me, and I legitimately laughed out loud several times while listening to it. Bryson's witty observations about his time spent in the U.K. make me want to move there. I will have to check if they've lowered the VAT though.
I wish I could give this book 4.5 stars. The only reason I'm not giving it 5 stars is the numerous times the author stated "I liked/enjoyed it very much." It started to become a bit annoying half-way through. I would think Bryson's editor could have helped him come up with a few different ways to say that he found something pleasing.
I wish I could give this book 4.5 stars. The only reason I'm not giving it 5 stars is the numerous times the author stated "I liked/enjoyed it very much." It started to become a bit annoying half-way through. I would think Bryson's editor could have helped him come up with a few different ways to say that he found something pleasing.
treemenke's review against another edition
5.0
So funny! My first Bill Bryson book, starting another one.
gregorygolz's review against another edition
2.0
Bryson is usually pretty funny in his writing and this book starts off that way too. Unfortunately he gets to a point in some of his rants that comedy loses its way and the message just sounds like pure anger.