Down Under [Paperback]

Bill Bryson is best known for writing very humorous travel books, and "In a Sunburned Country" is indeed a funny account of his travels in Australia. Those who love Bill Bryson's books for their humor won't be disappointed.

But unlike most people, I like Bill Bryson best when he's NOT trying to be funny, and my appreciation of this book is mostly due to the great amount of very interesting information presented.

Bill Bryson amazes you with loads of information about the geology, the animal life, the plants and insects, the history, the statistics, the folklore, etc., etc. The many dangers: poisonous snakes, poisonous insects, poisonous jellyfish, crocodiles, sharks, and rip currents - they're all out to get you. The inhospitable deserts, the beautiful beaches, the huge distances; Bill Bryson gives you a feeling of what it's all like.

The book goes into detail about many aspects of Australian life that are fairly unknown, including the discovery (and re-discovery) of Australia, the settlement by British prisoners, the early expeditions to explore the interior, the gold rushes, the outlaws, and the devastation caused by rabbits and other imported animals and plants. Bill Bryson talks about the many unusual animal species found only in Australia, including giant earthworms that grow up to 1 meter (and can be stretched to 4 meters) and the platypus, a cross between a reptile and a mammal. He talks about Australians and the Australian society, and the situation regarding the native people, the aboriginals.

Bill Bryson doesn't cover all of Australia from the geographical point of view, and the parts he does cover are somewhat random. But that doesn't matter because he captures the spirit of the whole country based on the parts he does visit and the general information he includes.

A very positive aspect is that Bill Bryson makes it clear that he loves Australia. The feeling is infectious, and it makes you want to pack your bags and head "down under" for a long leisurely trip so you can do your own exploring.

If I were to mention two things I was less happy about, it would be the occasional excessive attempts to be funny and the lack of contact with Australians. One of the best parts of the book is about his traveling together with an Australian couple for 3-4 days, but other than this passage Bill Bryson is mostly playing the typical tourist, with little or no contact with Australians. And despite a fairly long discussion about the aboriginal situation he does not ever get into contact with any aboriginals. Why not?

A final note regarding the unabridged audio version of the book, read by Bill Bryson himself: Most authors are poor readers, but Mr. Bryson does a very good job here, almost on a par with a professional reader. Recommended.

Rennie Petersen

PS. "In a Sunburned Country" has also been published under the title "Down Under". It is exactly the same book.

My main problem with this book is that parts of it don't read like Bill Bryson! After reading the first couple of chapters I commented to a relative, who is a fan of his newspaper columns, that it was "not as funny as usual because it's not as derogatory". An enthusiastic Bill is a toothless Bill, it seems. Fortunately he soon gets some typically Brysonesque problems to grapple with, such as weird travelling companions and horrible hoteliers! Perhaps it's a telling comment on Australia that the author's famously dry wit seems to have dried up altogether in the face of such amazing sights.

I particularly like the way Bryson presented stories from Australia's history (most of which were new to me); his cheerful and conversational style enabled me to learn a lot more than I ever did in conventional history books.

Another reviewer has already mentioned what for me was the weakest and most puzzling aspect of this book: its treatment of the Aborigines. I felt he was leaving something important out... as if maybe he'd TRIED to make contact with them, encountered a wall of silence and decided not to put that in his book in case it showed them in an unfavourable light. I guess I'll never know, but something is missing here and I think it's not necessarily something about the Aborigines.

This is certainly not a bad book, and in fact I'm reading it for the second time back-to-back because there were parts I really wanted to read again. But it's not as packed with light-hearted anecdote as most of its predecessors. Don't choose this as your FIRST Bill Bryson book.

I bought this book for a friend of mine who holidayed in Oz last year. I myself traveled far and wide in Australia for a year in the late 90s, and fell in love with the country.
I'd never read Bryson before, and so naturally this was my first choice.
It's an excellent account of a traveller's impressions Down Under - time and time again I couldn't believe that Mr Bryson's observations so matched my own (although his are far more witty and colorful!)From the bustling multi-cultural cities, to the lush rainforests, from the startling beauty of the Barrier Reef to the dry emptiness of the Red Center, Bryson is openly and continually amazed. But what really sets this book apart are the incredible anecdotes about the vast array of Australians he encountered - some friendly, some not-so-friendly, many simply eccentric. As I so often found on my travels, the Australian people are as varied, unpredictable and engaging as the country they inhabit.
This was like a trip down memory lane - it's really whet my appetite for a return visit.