Notes From A Small Island
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Product Description
Amazon.co.uk Review
Bill Bryson is an unabashed Anglophile who, through a mistake of history, happened to be born and bred in Iowa. Righting that error, he spent 20 years in England before deciding to repatriate: "I had recently read that 3.7 million Americans according to a Gallup poll, believed that they had been abducted by aliens at one time or another, so it was clear that my people needed me." That comic tone enlivens this account of Bryson's farewell walking tour of the countryside of "the green and kindly island that had for two decades been my home."
Book Description
Bill Bryson's hilarious tour of his adopted country: the book that was voted the nation's favourite book on modern Britain in a World Book Day BBC poll.
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First Sentence
There are certain idiosyncratic notions that you quietly come to accept when you live for a long time in Britain. Read the first page
Front Cover | Copyright | Excerpt | Back Cover
There are certain idiosyncratic notions that you quietly come to accept when you live for a long time in Britain. Read the first page
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Front Cover | Copyright | Excerpt | Back Cover
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Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
57 of 57 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
From the moment I picked this book up in WH Smith at Heathrow airport I knew that whatever else happened on my business trip to Istanbul, the journey was already worthwhile.
Bill Bryson has an insightful view of Britain and the British that can only come from living 'among us' for a considerable period.
His understanding of the British people is uncanny and more akin to that of a Brit who has lived in the US for a long time, rather than an American that has lived in Britain.
I spent much of my time while reading the book laughing out loud in public places (which I know is not the done thing for an Englishman - sorry !)
This book asks some of the same qustions I asked when I returned to my native Britain from a period living in the USA.
I finished the book in 2 days and immediately sought out the only English language copy of Bryson's other classic 'Notes from a Big Country' in Istanbul.
But that's another story...
23 of 23 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
My friend bought this book for me to read whilst i travelled solo to the USA.As i had a 7 hour wait in NY airport, i got stuck in to this. I'm sure every Newark Airport worker and visitor at that time thought i was a stark raving English loony! This is a hilarious, tongue-in-cheek book which simultaneously made me cringe with embarrassment (yep, we Brits actually DO the things he says) whilst puffing my chest out in pride at being British! Bryson takes the reader on a tour around Britain venturing from one end of the land to the other and I really felt like i was there with him, through the strife and rain (of course). His narrative is informative (i learnt a heck of a lot about my own country...from an American! Of all people!) and comical. He introduces the reader to typical (and not-so-typical) British folk and ponders over such things as the unanswerable question of 'where have all the red telephone booths gone?'. I never realised that i had such a beautiful, diverse land for exploration on my own doorstep. A hilarious, rib-tickling book which literally did have me snorting aloud with laughter (and consequently ducking my head in embarrassment!).Great for reading whilst on your travels.It MAY make you want to come back home...
18 of 18 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
Mark Brennan (brennanmg@cf.ac.uk) from Bristol, England Thank God for Bill.... There are very few writers of whom you think, I'd like to have a beer with that guy.. Bill Bryson is one such however. His ability to poke fun at us all, Brits, Americans, Europeans, and any number of other nationalities, is remarkable... and yet he does it with a kind of wicked charm that makes it nigh on impossible to take offence. Bryson caused me great embarassment when I read this book on a south-bound train from Leeds, as I kept emitting snorts of laughter which resulted in my fellow passengers moving to other carriages..
I love this book, and I love its American successor, Notes from a Big Country too. In this one, his whimsical tour through Britain and his reflections on what makes us the people and place that we are is truly hilarious.
Bryson has respect for those things which are most important in any country, but little respect for the traditional tourist trail and sentimental tripe. He can surely claim honorary Brit status, should he and the family (Mrs Bryson and the children, including "little Jimmy", the child that never was) ever plan to return to the UK.
A Walk in the Woods is also well worth a read, for those who got to know Bryson's old school friend Stephen Katz in the chronicle of their adolescent meander through Europe, Neither Here or There. He is a hardier man than he looks!
But of them all, Notes from a Small Island remains my favourite, because it reminds me why despite all my moans, I still love this country. Those who say Americans have no sense of irony have obviously never read Bill Bryson's book; he has it in buckets.
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
So Funny
Every British person should read this book. It captures Britain at its best in a lovely humorous way. Read more
Published 1 month ago by Petra
A Superb Book
Sometimes it takes a stranger to view something properly . I am amazed at the number of reviewers here who critise Bill Bryson for his candour in criticising the more depressing... Read more
Published 1 month ago by Terry J
Laughed. Smiled. And shed the odd tear.
I was almost sacked from my job for laughing out loud while illicitly reading this book at work.
I'm sure if you look in the Oxford dictionary under 'underdog' you will see... Read more
I'm sure if you look in the Oxford dictionary under 'underdog' you will see... Read more
Published 3 months ago by Jon Breakfield
Great Read!
Bill Bryson writes up his *notes* as he takes us on his farewell tour of our island prior to him returning to the States. Bryson has a sharp eye and a witty pen. Read more
Published 4 months ago by Amanda Hall
Hilarious and still remarkably relevant.
As a Belgian who recently moved to the UK, this is one of the funniest introduction to this country I have so far read. Read more
Published 4 months ago by WTordoor
A bit repetitive, but entertaining enough to keep going.
Bryson's whistle stop tour around Britain is interesting as an insight into an outsiders view on our little island. Read more
Published 5 months ago by Philcounty
Bryson Read
How does Mr Bryson do it? Another great, great read. He never fails to please, make us laugh and keep us amused! This was a gift for a family member who had never read Bill Bryson. Read more
Published 5 months ago by J. A. Clarkson
notes from a small island
A hilarious book. But oh so true. Bryson captures the spirit of the island and its habitants. For a warm feeling on a rainy and windy day next to the open fire.
Published 5 months ago by jacky
Great read
This is a marvellous read. Bill is really observant and has a great sense of humour. It is a book which you can pick up at any time to have a quick read but it isn't easy to put... Read more
Published 6 months ago by Armida
Utterly Brilliant
This is the funniest book I have ever read. Warning: do not read in public as hysterical laughter is best enjoyed in the comfort of your own home. Read more
Published 6 months ago by Mr. C. S. K. Walls
Listmania!
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