The Life And Times Of The Thunderbolt Kid
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Product Description
New York Times
'Outlandishly and improbably entertaining...inevitably [I] would
be reduced to body-racking, tear-inducing, de-couching laughter.'
--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
be reduced to body-racking, tear-inducing, de-couching laughter.'
--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
Literary Review
'Always witty and sometimes hilarious…wonderfully funny and
touching.' --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
touching.' --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
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Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
57 of 58 people found the following review helpful
Format:Hardcover
I have read every Bill Bryson book ever penned. I have enjoyed every last one of them without exception, even the rubbish ones. I'm pleased to report however that his latest book is far from that. I enjoyed 'A Short History' but it was never anything I could quite read cover to cover continuously. Thunderbolt Kid is a return to the Bill we've come to know and love. Although I'm only eighteen and British myself and one would think that I would have no common frame of reference with which to appreciate an exploration of life in 1950s America, the fantastic thing about this book is that you don't need to have been born in the fifties or even in the states to enjoy it. I think the blurb puts it very eloquently when it says that all you need to have been is young once. That said, where it does get technical, Bill goes to some lengths to explain it in a way that allows those of us not of colonial extraction to continue to snort with laughter. Be warned, this is not a book to be read in public or while eating or drinking. As with each of Bill's books, it really is laugh-out-loud funny. Well done Bill, you've not lost it and you remain one of my favourite authors, even if you do insist on insulting my home town.
22 of 22 people found the following review helpful
Format:Hardcover
This is a superb book, full of warmth, wit and wonderful anecdotes from the author's life. As well as being excellent social commentary on middle class America Bill Bryson also includes a plethora of insights and statistics about his home country that are eye popping and give you pause. I could not commend this book to you highly enough - a brilliant amusing and thoroughly engaging read.
16 of 16 people found the following review helpful
Format:Hardcover
There is an inexplicable `something' about Bill Bryson books that make them feel like familiar old friends as soon as you start reading them, and `The Life & Times Thunderbolt Kid' continues this. In essence, the book chronicles Bryson's early years and the changing face of America during the 1950's. I was aware that a `memoir' style effort from Bryson could be a victim of simply retracing old ground, since his earlier travel books packed in so much of his life story, but it feels as fresh and new as ever.
Although the stories contained in the book are interesting in their own right, it seems that a certain emphasis has been placed on the comedy aspects, although this never feels like it is forced. Tales of the `toity jar', a Grandmother's public confusion over liquorice baby sweets and Bryson's one-of-a-kind father had me absolutely howling with laughter.
`The Life & Times of the Thunderbolt Kid' is an appealing slice of Americana, and a timely reminder that the USA was once a pretty fascinating and charming place. Highly recommended.
Although the stories contained in the book are interesting in their own right, it seems that a certain emphasis has been placed on the comedy aspects, although this never feels like it is forced. Tales of the `toity jar', a Grandmother's public confusion over liquorice baby sweets and Bryson's one-of-a-kind father had me absolutely howling with laughter.
`The Life & Times of the Thunderbolt Kid' is an appealing slice of Americana, and a timely reminder that the USA was once a pretty fascinating and charming place. Highly recommended.
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
A Wonderful Book
Oh, how I loved this book . As a Brit who grew up in 1950s Britain I was delighted to see that Bill and I grew up in a parallel universe . Read more
Published 1 month ago by Terry J
A Wonderful Birthday Present
My wife (a Brit) gave me this book as a birthday present because I talked ad nauseum about growing up in the Midwest during that time. Read more
Published 1 month ago by pirate30
Charming, interesting and oh so funny
Bill Bryson at his best - this book had me laughing from start to finish. As a die hard Bryson fan he had a lot to live up to in my mind, yet he surpassed all expectations with... Read more
Published 2 months ago by Pommy Girl
Bitter-Sweet Brilliance
The thing I hate about Bill Bryson is having to come to the end of his books.
This is yet another of those sharply observed tales he tells so well- not about places this time... Read more
This is yet another of those sharply observed tales he tells so well- not about places this time... Read more
Published 2 months ago by Bedinog
Bill Bryson, a little different
This book by Bill Bryson is about as different from his usual books as you can get. Having heard of it, and unable to get it from my library, I decided to buy it. Read more
Published 4 months ago by Beryl White
Very Entertaining
I read this during a plane journey. Very amusing and an ideal antidote to the pain of travel in Economy. I arrived at my destination still smiling.
Published 4 months ago by London Consumer
Balanced and amusing nostalgia
America in the 1950s is held in very high esteem by those who yearn for happier times. What Bill Bryson does in this book is investigate, through his own childhood, whether the... Read more
Published 5 months ago by Mark M
We put this book in son's Christmas parcel, he laughed with delight
This is a terrific old-fashioned read with terrific old-fashioned subject-matter and stories of childhood before the electronic age. Does that sound pre-historic? Read more
Published 5 months ago by Signed, Hopeful.
Loved it!
A highly enjoyable read mapping Bill Bryson's childhood. It is also an accurate and colourful depiction of the 50's and 60's in a rapidly changing America. Read more
Published 5 months ago by steelo
Brilliant!
I've read many of Bill Bryson's books over the years and I'm delighted to say that I'm still reading them with as much enjoyment as when I first started. Read more
Published 10 months ago by Stenolass
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