Status
Checked out
Due 11 May 2024
Collection
Publication
Random House Audio (2016)
Description
"Twenty years ago, Bill Bryson went on a trip around Britain to discover and celebrate that green and pleasant land. The result was Notes from a Small Island, a true classic and one of the bestselling travel books ever written. Now he has traveled about Britain again, by bus and train and rental car and on foot, to see what has changed--and what hasn't. Following a route he dubs the Bryson Line, from Bognor Regis in the south to Cape Wrath in the north, by way of places few travelers ever get to at all, Bryson rediscovers the wondrously beautiful, magnificently eccentric, endearingly singular country that he both celebrates and, when called for, twits. With his matchless instinct for the funniest and quirkiest and his unerring eye for the idiotic, the bewildering, the appealing, and the ridiculous, he offers acute and perceptive insights into all that is best and worst about Britain today."--From book jacket.… (more)
User reviews
LibraryThing member bragan
This is a sequel of sorts to Bill Bryson's 1996 book Notes from a Small Island, about his travels through Great Britain. It features more recent travels though Great Britain, visiting some places he'd never been before and others he was once very familiar with.
I remember liking Bryson's earlier
Mind you, it's to Bryson's credit that he gets equally worked up about the things he likes as the ones that he doesn't. But the things he gets worked up about, positive or negative, tend to be largely the same wherever he goes, and in the end I feel like I've come away from this book knowing a lot about his tastes, but much less about the places he visited. And his experiences in all those places tend to be pretty samey, too, and not terribly exciting. He takes a walk, drinks some tea and some beer, makes a note of what kinds of shops there are, maybe stares at a house some vaguely famous person used to live in, and, if we're very lucky, visits a museum. It very quickly all began to blur together.
All of which makes this sound worse than it is, probably. Bryson does share some interesting information here and there, and some of his bits of praise and criticism are actually well-taken. And it's pleasant enough to imagine oneself strolling down some of those pretty English country lanes. But overall, I did find it a bit disappointing. I imagine it would have been a lot more interesting if I'd known some of the places he was describing, or more worthwhile, perhaps, if I were planning a trip though some of these places and wanted an idea of what to expect.
I remember liking Bryson's earlier
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travel books, and enjoying his snarky sense of humor, but I have to say... Either he's lost his touch with the snarky humor or I've lost my appetite for it, because far too much of this one just felt like a grumpy old fuddy-duddy angrily shaking his cane at trivial inconveniences and anything that dares to have changed in the last twenty years.Mind you, it's to Bryson's credit that he gets equally worked up about the things he likes as the ones that he doesn't. But the things he gets worked up about, positive or negative, tend to be largely the same wherever he goes, and in the end I feel like I've come away from this book knowing a lot about his tastes, but much less about the places he visited. And his experiences in all those places tend to be pretty samey, too, and not terribly exciting. He takes a walk, drinks some tea and some beer, makes a note of what kinds of shops there are, maybe stares at a house some vaguely famous person used to live in, and, if we're very lucky, visits a museum. It very quickly all began to blur together.
All of which makes this sound worse than it is, probably. Bryson does share some interesting information here and there, and some of his bits of praise and criticism are actually well-taken. And it's pleasant enough to imagine oneself strolling down some of those pretty English country lanes. But overall, I did find it a bit disappointing. I imagine it would have been a lot more interesting if I'd known some of the places he was describing, or more worthwhile, perhaps, if I were planning a trip though some of these places and wanted an idea of what to expect.
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LibraryThing member thorold
The 2015 Bryson. Amusing, perfectly agreeable as a holiday read, but 100% predictable. Read it if you don't like unpleasant surprises- or pleasant ones either.
It's marketed as a revisit of the journey he made for Notes from a small island 20 years ago, but it's actually more like a random
It's marketed as a revisit of the journey he made for Notes from a small island 20 years ago, but it's actually more like a random
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selection of British travel pieces, enhanced with erudite anecdotes, a bit of gentle name-dropping, some self-mocking old fogey stuff, and the inevitable hyperbole. Show Less
LibraryThing member mstrust
Forty years after arriving in the U.K., Bryson decides to travel about to visit many of the places he'd never seen. Of course, after 40 years in a smallish country, he also ends up in many places he hadn't seen in decades and can't help but compare them to his memories, and the present day version
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often loses. This is an older, grumbling Bryson, who complains about train lines, customer service, housing developments, the disappearance of traditional British shops and littering. He also delves into the history of Stonehenge, the fishing industry, holiday camps, eccentric museum founders and nuclear power. He visits perfectly preserved tiny villages, seaside towns with their best days behind them, and lots of small museums. While not everyone would enjoy being guided by a testy old man who constantly complains that things aren't what they used to be, I was happy with his surly company. Bryson hasn't lost his sense of humor or his sense of adventure. He walks every chance he gets, taking roads and trails without knowing where they'll lead him. Show Less
LibraryThing member SamSattler
Hard as it may be for Bill Bryson fans to believe, his breakthrough book about England, Notes from a Small Island, is now 20 years old. This may just be a little difficult for Bryson to believe also, because it was only after his publisher pointed the anniversary date out to him and inquired about
Early on in The Road to Little Dribbling, Bryson states that he never intended to follow literally in the footsteps of Notes because if he did that he feared that the new book would become little more than a whining narrative about how those places had all changed for the worse. Nonetheless, as the author steadily makes his way around the U.K., a sense of loss begins to overwhelm both him and the reader. In Bryson’s defense, however, his readers will easily understand a feeling they are likely to have often had themselves when revisiting their own pasts.
Times were simpler twenty years ago. Because there were fewer cars on the roads, it was easier (if perhaps slower) to make one's way through a country so well serviced by its public transportation system. People were more optimistic about the future and were enjoying life as the world moved further and further from the aftermath of World War II. Roads were new, seaside resorts were still fresh and well maintained, and a feeling of economic restraint was nowhere to be found in Britain. Today, while the natural beauty of the country is as great as ever, cutbacks and infrastructure deterioration are evident. And despite the well-earned English reputation for stoicism, pessimism now seems more the order of the day.
But don't let that worry you, as a reader, too much. The old Bill Bryson is still very much in evidence, his sense of humor and irony are still intact, and this book is as much fun to read as I suspect it was for its author to write. In one of my favorite bits from the book, Bryson even takes it upon himself to create what he calls “The Bryson Line,” map included, which more correctly identifies the two points in Britain with the most distance between them. They are not Lands End and John O'Groats (as my journey completion certificate from the nineties attests) but Bognor Regis (well to the east of Lands End) and Cape Wrath (a bit west of John O'Groats). So now I need to earn a new certification or stop telling complete strangers that I once completed the trip between the two most widely separated cities in the U.K. Thanks for an excuse to revisit Britain, Bill.
Traveling with Bill Bryson, even in print, makes for a fun trip because of the way he throws out little tidbits and observations when you least expect to hear them. Here are a couple of my particular favorites:
“It was as if they had died and gone to heaven, albeit a heaven populated largely by people with enormous bellies and neck tattoos...” – this while describing the reaction of his two London grandsons who were seeing an Everton football home match for the first time ever. Previously, the only other live Everton fan they had ever seen was their father.
“They all looked like the sort of people who had never had sex with anything they couldn't put in a closet afterwards. I tried to imagine what the rest of their lives were like if this was the fun part, but couldn't.” – this an observation Bryson made when running across a small group of “trainspotters” in a Lancashire train station.
All in all, The Road to Little Dribbling (a place Bryson is still looking for, by the way) is great fun. Longtime fans are certain to be pleased, and new ones are going to be eager to take more trips with Bill Bryson via his earlier books.
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a possible sequel that the author even considered such a thing worth doing. Coincidentally, Bryson had also just become a dual citizen of Great Britain and the United States, so he decided there was no better time to travel around his newly adopted country revisiting a few of the spots he highlighted in Notes from a Small Island and finally making it to some of the other places he had, up to then, managed to miss in his forty years of living on the island. All of this would be accomplished, of course, with the new book firmly in mind. Early on in The Road to Little Dribbling, Bryson states that he never intended to follow literally in the footsteps of Notes because if he did that he feared that the new book would become little more than a whining narrative about how those places had all changed for the worse. Nonetheless, as the author steadily makes his way around the U.K., a sense of loss begins to overwhelm both him and the reader. In Bryson’s defense, however, his readers will easily understand a feeling they are likely to have often had themselves when revisiting their own pasts.
Times were simpler twenty years ago. Because there were fewer cars on the roads, it was easier (if perhaps slower) to make one's way through a country so well serviced by its public transportation system. People were more optimistic about the future and were enjoying life as the world moved further and further from the aftermath of World War II. Roads were new, seaside resorts were still fresh and well maintained, and a feeling of economic restraint was nowhere to be found in Britain. Today, while the natural beauty of the country is as great as ever, cutbacks and infrastructure deterioration are evident. And despite the well-earned English reputation for stoicism, pessimism now seems more the order of the day.
But don't let that worry you, as a reader, too much. The old Bill Bryson is still very much in evidence, his sense of humor and irony are still intact, and this book is as much fun to read as I suspect it was for its author to write. In one of my favorite bits from the book, Bryson even takes it upon himself to create what he calls “The Bryson Line,” map included, which more correctly identifies the two points in Britain with the most distance between them. They are not Lands End and John O'Groats (as my journey completion certificate from the nineties attests) but Bognor Regis (well to the east of Lands End) and Cape Wrath (a bit west of John O'Groats). So now I need to earn a new certification or stop telling complete strangers that I once completed the trip between the two most widely separated cities in the U.K. Thanks for an excuse to revisit Britain, Bill.
Traveling with Bill Bryson, even in print, makes for a fun trip because of the way he throws out little tidbits and observations when you least expect to hear them. Here are a couple of my particular favorites:
“It was as if they had died and gone to heaven, albeit a heaven populated largely by people with enormous bellies and neck tattoos...” – this while describing the reaction of his two London grandsons who were seeing an Everton football home match for the first time ever. Previously, the only other live Everton fan they had ever seen was their father.
“They all looked like the sort of people who had never had sex with anything they couldn't put in a closet afterwards. I tried to imagine what the rest of their lives were like if this was the fun part, but couldn't.” – this an observation Bryson made when running across a small group of “trainspotters” in a Lancashire train station.
All in all, The Road to Little Dribbling (a place Bryson is still looking for, by the way) is great fun. Longtime fans are certain to be pleased, and new ones are going to be eager to take more trips with Bill Bryson via his earlier books.
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LibraryThing member CaptainHaddock
Certainly not his best book. Some passages are full of enthusiasm ( Stonehenge ), whereas in others he just seems to be a smart-arse and his humour gets a bit stale.
LibraryThing member MiaCulpa
Bill Bryson is the finest travel writer ever, for while questions remain on whether Marco Polo actually visited China and Ibn Battuta's itinerary, you cannot doubt that Bryson visited Blackpool and bagged the sh*t out of it.
Blackpool isn't the only town to cop criticism from Bryson, although he
I was tossing up whether to give "The Road to Little Dribbling" five or four and a half stars, as I had a few issues (spoiler alert); Bryson does not actually take the road to Little Dribbling so I still have no idea about the town and the quality of its service industry staff, he also mentions Totnes without visiting it and completely ignores Budleigh Salterton and Zennor, two towns that need to be included in any Great Britain-related travel book. Bryson also uses the word "lovely" far more than he should. In the end I have plumped for five stars, in the hope that this review will influence enough people to buy the book so Bryson can afford a thesaurus and find other words for "lovely" in the future.
Blackpool isn't the only town to cop criticism from Bryson, although he
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reserves most of his venom for staff who don't seem to care about their job serving people. But on the whole "The Road to Little Dribbling" is a love letter to Great Britain from the finest travel writer ever.I was tossing up whether to give "The Road to Little Dribbling" five or four and a half stars, as I had a few issues (spoiler alert); Bryson does not actually take the road to Little Dribbling so I still have no idea about the town and the quality of its service industry staff, he also mentions Totnes without visiting it and completely ignores Budleigh Salterton and Zennor, two towns that need to be included in any Great Britain-related travel book. Bryson also uses the word "lovely" far more than he should. In the end I have plumped for five stars, in the hope that this review will influence enough people to buy the book so Bryson can afford a thesaurus and find other words for "lovely" in the future.
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LibraryThing member PDCRead
Notes from a Small Island was first published 20, yes 20 years ago. In that book he visited place new and revisited old haunts from when he first came to UK in the seventies. His points of view as an outsider were refreshing, fairly blunt and quite frequently very funny. The book came about after
He did consider doing a journey between what most people think of as the two furthest points, Lands End and John O’Groats. But a couple of coincidences mean that he starts in Bognor Regis of all places, with the intention of aiming to end at Cape Wrath. He follows a very erratic journey round the country visiting new towns and passing through some of the places he visited in the first book. He unearths a variety of factual nuggets and anecdotes on each place, reminds us of how it once was and is often pretty blunt with his opinions on some of the changes that have taken place. Being older now he is a little more of a curmudgeon too, but it does make for some hilarious encounters with surly and unhelpful staff in hotels, restaurants and the attractions that he visits.
This is a country though that he loves with a passion; he is not afraid to point out the dumb things we do as a country, and he is particularly scathing of mediocrity, be it celebrity and political leaders. But he also celebrates the places we have, the beautiful natural country, the history and culture that stretches back thousands of years. He has even compiled a list of just how long it would take to visit each historic site. But even though he has lived here for years now, this country still has the ability to perplex, madden and more importantly gladden him.
A new Bryson book is always a treat, and this is no exception. Brilliant stuff.
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his publisher remarked that it might be worth having another look at the country now he was actually a citizen.He did consider doing a journey between what most people think of as the two furthest points, Lands End and John O’Groats. But a couple of coincidences mean that he starts in Bognor Regis of all places, with the intention of aiming to end at Cape Wrath. He follows a very erratic journey round the country visiting new towns and passing through some of the places he visited in the first book. He unearths a variety of factual nuggets and anecdotes on each place, reminds us of how it once was and is often pretty blunt with his opinions on some of the changes that have taken place. Being older now he is a little more of a curmudgeon too, but it does make for some hilarious encounters with surly and unhelpful staff in hotels, restaurants and the attractions that he visits.
This is a country though that he loves with a passion; he is not afraid to point out the dumb things we do as a country, and he is particularly scathing of mediocrity, be it celebrity and political leaders. But he also celebrates the places we have, the beautiful natural country, the history and culture that stretches back thousands of years. He has even compiled a list of just how long it would take to visit each historic site. But even though he has lived here for years now, this country still has the ability to perplex, madden and more importantly gladden him.
A new Bryson book is always a treat, and this is no exception. Brilliant stuff.
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LibraryThing member thewanderingjew
The Road to Little Dribbling, Bill Bryson, author; Nathan Osgood, narrator
In this delightful “travelogue”, Bill Bryson retraces a trip he took around his beloved England two decades ago. As he travels through villages and up and down roads with names most readers have never heard of, to visit
As he expresses his disappointment with the various towns and shopkeepers altered by time and technology which have reduced their charm and courtesy, he also imparts little tidbits of perhaps unnecessary, but witty information like turtles mistake plastic bags for jellyfish and unused lighthouses abound around England. He remarks about the abundance of antiquated societies that waste money studying things that no one has ever heard of or might care to hear of. He tells the reader about roads that seem to lead to nowhere and hotels that have either disappeared or are now on the decline. He laments the fact that in the interest of cost cutting much of the attraction of some of the places he once knew had disappeared, and the atmosphere of civility once so prevalent in Great Britain had also declined.
The reader will laugh as he exposes the lack of attention given to the customer and the obvious ignorance of some of the service people with whom he was forced to deal. His tongue in cheek conversations with himself are hilarious and are also a bit off color. Perhaps his proclivity for the use of the “f” word will surprise the reader, but it is used good-naturedly. In summation, he believes that the effort to save money has resulted in an abundance of Republicans and a country like Switzerland. He would prefer that England be more like Sweden, more liberal instead. Still, he loves the landscape of England and the tour he takes the reader on as he investigates places with unpronounceable names will charm the reader.
This audio is unique in its special way as it begins with a song about traveling the Bryson Line, and the reader, indeed, will travel along with him as he has a gift for bringing the reader directly into the places he visits as he introduces them to many little known points of interest, some of which he professes should remain unknown. In addition, in the audio, there are interludes of instrumental music as he changes locations in his travels which may please some listeners and displease others.
This book is best read in small doses either in print form or as an audiobook, savoring a chapter a night so that the day will end with a smile! Nathan Osgood does a wonderful job narrating this book with feeling, sardonic expression and wit and when the book ends with the Bryson Line tune, the reader may feel disappointed and feel they have just lost a good friend that had been keeping them company!
In this delightful “travelogue”, Bill Bryson retraces a trip he took around his beloved England two decades ago. As he travels through villages and up and down roads with names most readers have never heard of, to visit
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some places that he is surprised to find no longer exist, he recounts his experiences with a sense of humor that will put a smile on every reader’s face. He reveals very personal tidbits about his private life with his family, and the reader will often chuckle as he relates his escapades. His self-deprecating approach to his own and others’ shortcomings help to make this story enchanting as he retraces not only his own steps but also a good deal of the history of Great Britain. When he compares the once quiet English way of life to the noisy American approach, the contrast is really comical.As he expresses his disappointment with the various towns and shopkeepers altered by time and technology which have reduced their charm and courtesy, he also imparts little tidbits of perhaps unnecessary, but witty information like turtles mistake plastic bags for jellyfish and unused lighthouses abound around England. He remarks about the abundance of antiquated societies that waste money studying things that no one has ever heard of or might care to hear of. He tells the reader about roads that seem to lead to nowhere and hotels that have either disappeared or are now on the decline. He laments the fact that in the interest of cost cutting much of the attraction of some of the places he once knew had disappeared, and the atmosphere of civility once so prevalent in Great Britain had also declined.
The reader will laugh as he exposes the lack of attention given to the customer and the obvious ignorance of some of the service people with whom he was forced to deal. His tongue in cheek conversations with himself are hilarious and are also a bit off color. Perhaps his proclivity for the use of the “f” word will surprise the reader, but it is used good-naturedly. In summation, he believes that the effort to save money has resulted in an abundance of Republicans and a country like Switzerland. He would prefer that England be more like Sweden, more liberal instead. Still, he loves the landscape of England and the tour he takes the reader on as he investigates places with unpronounceable names will charm the reader.
This audio is unique in its special way as it begins with a song about traveling the Bryson Line, and the reader, indeed, will travel along with him as he has a gift for bringing the reader directly into the places he visits as he introduces them to many little known points of interest, some of which he professes should remain unknown. In addition, in the audio, there are interludes of instrumental music as he changes locations in his travels which may please some listeners and displease others.
This book is best read in small doses either in print form or as an audiobook, savoring a chapter a night so that the day will end with a smile! Nathan Osgood does a wonderful job narrating this book with feeling, sardonic expression and wit and when the book ends with the Bryson Line tune, the reader may feel disappointed and feel they have just lost a good friend that had been keeping them company!
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LibraryThing member St.CroixSue
Bryson is in true form as he travels from one end of Britain to the other writing about what has changed and what has stayed the same over the last 20 years. The book is filled with reminiscences and humor with touches of sharper criticism.
LibraryThing member herschelian
A wonderfully uplifting book - funny, charming, informative.
Bill Bryson is an American who has, after many years of living in the UK, decided to become a British citizen, and boy are we lucky to have him! When he first came to the UK over 20 yrs ago he wrote a very funny book entitled 'Notes from
I bought it on impulse at Heathrow on my way out to China. Since I started reading it I have hardly stopped laughing out loud, which is a wonderful sensation! He is witty, to the point, and erudite - what more can one ask. Everyone who thinks they know Britain, or who are British should read it - it should be compulsory. You will find you have a smile on your face and a song in your heart when you do so.
Bill Bryson is an American who has, after many years of living in the UK, decided to become a British citizen, and boy are we lucky to have him! When he first came to the UK over 20 yrs ago he wrote a very funny book entitled 'Notes from
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a Small Island'. Now, after living here for yonks, he has visited some of the same places and various others, and written this book.I bought it on impulse at Heathrow on my way out to China. Since I started reading it I have hardly stopped laughing out loud, which is a wonderful sensation! He is witty, to the point, and erudite - what more can one ask. Everyone who thinks they know Britain, or who are British should read it - it should be compulsory. You will find you have a smile on your face and a song in your heart when you do so.
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LibraryThing member cygnet81
Basically a b*tch fest. It might have been okay if he'd read it himself ( which I've always enjoyed) but he didn't and he managed to bash everything from my hair care line to my profession. Such a disappointment since I've always loved his books and I had been looking forward to this one for months.
LibraryThing member PennyMck
Bryson does an excellent job of demonstrating why I am infatuated with Great Britain - its green, natural spaces and its eccentric, creative people
LibraryThing member debnance
I've been walking along the backroads of England for nine days with Bill Bryson. It's been a pleasant experience, mostly (though, be warned, if you plan to journey with this fellow that he goes off at the drop of a hat, and he has a rather foul mouth to go along with his rather foul temper). He
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stops in every tiny dot of a town and he tends to find each spot somewhat disappointing. He made much the same journey many years ago, and, like those of us of a certain age, seems to discover that the years have not been kind to most of rural England. It's not as easy to get to these little towns now. The food isn't quite as tasty. The souvenir shops have moved in. And so on. And so on. He's humorous, of course, and that's what keeps us enthralled. But there were many times along this journey that I wished he'd just go home if he was so disenchanted. Show Less
LibraryThing member diana.hauser
Bill Bryson’s latest book, THE ROAD TO LITTLE DRIBBLING: ADVENTURES OF AN AMERICAN IN BRITAIN, is a delight to read. On a cold, gray, wintry day in New England, I can’t think of another book I would rather sit next to the woodstove with. If I’m not quietly chuckling, I am shouting out, “I
Mr. Bryson is ‘spot on’ with his musings and observations. He loves his adopted country and travels extensively throughout its borders. I like his idea of visiting places along the ‘Bryson Line’ which runs from Bognor Regis to Cape Wrath. The ‘Bryson Line’ is the longest distance you can travel in Britain in a straight line.
I highlighted numerous passages, intending to repeat them here, but I realized I would be copying almost the entire book! Let me repeat just a few notes.
“Almost 40% of London is green space.”
London is arguably the biggest city in the world - “in terms of density and complexity and depth of history.”
“That is the most extraordinary fact about Britain. It wants to be a garden.”
I do like the closing of the book when Bill muses about his reasons for loving Britain as he does. As he travels to the White Horse of Uffington, just beneath the ancient track known as the Ridgeway, he says that, “There isn’t a landscape in the world that is more artfully worked, more lovely to behold, more comfortable to be in than the countryside of Great Britain. It is the world’s largest park, its most perfect accidental garden. I think it may be the British nation’s most glorious achievement. All Britain has to do now is look after it. I hope that’s not too much to ask.”
Thank you, Bill, for another great book. I quite enjoyed it.
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know. I hate that, too!” or “What a great idea!” or “What were they thinking!”Mr. Bryson is ‘spot on’ with his musings and observations. He loves his adopted country and travels extensively throughout its borders. I like his idea of visiting places along the ‘Bryson Line’ which runs from Bognor Regis to Cape Wrath. The ‘Bryson Line’ is the longest distance you can travel in Britain in a straight line.
I highlighted numerous passages, intending to repeat them here, but I realized I would be copying almost the entire book! Let me repeat just a few notes.
“Almost 40% of London is green space.”
London is arguably the biggest city in the world - “in terms of density and complexity and depth of history.”
“That is the most extraordinary fact about Britain. It wants to be a garden.”
I do like the closing of the book when Bill muses about his reasons for loving Britain as he does. As he travels to the White Horse of Uffington, just beneath the ancient track known as the Ridgeway, he says that, “There isn’t a landscape in the world that is more artfully worked, more lovely to behold, more comfortable to be in than the countryside of Great Britain. It is the world’s largest park, its most perfect accidental garden. I think it may be the British nation’s most glorious achievement. All Britain has to do now is look after it. I hope that’s not too much to ask.”
Thank you, Bill, for another great book. I quite enjoyed it.
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LibraryThing member jessibud2
The reviews I read of this newest book by Bill Bryson were not that great but as I am a huge fan of his, I was prepared to ignore them and love it anyhow. I was happy to find the audio version at the library but my first big disappointment was that it was not read by him. He has narrated every
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other book of his that I have listened to on audio and that has always been a major appeal for me. The narrator of this one, Nathan Osgood, has an alarmingly Bob Costas-like quality to his voice and for the purposes of this book, in my opinion, that was not a good thing. Osgood has a very sarcastic tone and has some issues with pronunciation and on-again/off-again accents, which I found rather annoying and distracting. Yes, this book was rather grumpier and less appealing than most of Bryson's other books, but I think I would have enjoyed it much more if Bryson himself had done the reading. I wonder why he didn't. Show Less
LibraryThing member trav
I honestly think Bryson is getting crankier in his old age. But I sure did enjoy his tour of Great Britain.
And it really is his tour as he based his travels along a path he is calling the Bryson Line. Bryson is in classic form as he visits and tells the tales of every hamlet, village, shop, hotel,
Lots of history packed into this book. It's not just about the major events either. He takes time to find the unsung heroes and actors that history has forgotten whether it's U.S. sailors being picked off by German U-boats during classified training maneuvers or amateur archeologists responsible for finding an entire ship, containing the largest treasure ever found in England, buried a mile from any shore.
If this book convinced me of anything it's that America has better shop keepers than England. I throughly enjoyed this book and laughed aloud many times. I think this one would be a very enjoyable read for anyone that's interested in history.
And it really is his tour as he based his travels along a path he is calling the Bryson Line. Bryson is in classic form as he visits and tells the tales of every hamlet, village, shop, hotel,
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museum, field and seashore along the way. During his trip he also spends time lamenting England's grammatical errors, murderous cows and far flung ferrymen.Lots of history packed into this book. It's not just about the major events either. He takes time to find the unsung heroes and actors that history has forgotten whether it's U.S. sailors being picked off by German U-boats during classified training maneuvers or amateur archeologists responsible for finding an entire ship, containing the largest treasure ever found in England, buried a mile from any shore.
If this book convinced me of anything it's that America has better shop keepers than England. I throughly enjoyed this book and laughed aloud many times. I think this one would be a very enjoyable read for anyone that's interested in history.
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LibraryThing member BookConcierge
Book on CD performed by Nathan Osgood.
3***
Subtitle: More Notes From a Small Island. Some twenty years after Bryson first wrote about his adopted homeland in Notes From A Small Island he returns with additional comments and new venues to explore.
Bryson clearly loves this landscape, these people,
Bryson does seem to have a fixation on litter, and I admit I am greatly annoyed by it myself, but I don’t want to read about it incessantly. Oh well. On the whole, it’s an entertaining read.
Nathan Osgood does a fine job with the narration on the audio book. He has good pacing and an expressive voice. The audio also includes some original music or sound effects at the end of chapters; it’s generally pleasant, but I usually fast forward through it.
3***
Subtitle: More Notes From a Small Island. Some twenty years after Bryson first wrote about his adopted homeland in Notes From A Small Island he returns with additional comments and new venues to explore.
Bryson clearly loves this landscape, these people,
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the lovely views, the crazy laws or regulations, and even the food. I learned a little about some regions of Britain, and particularly enjoyed his adventures with train schedules. (The 10.35 to A, is really the 10.26 to B.) He reminds me to slow down and enjoy the view, to not be so quick to say “been there, done that.” Bryson does seem to have a fixation on litter, and I admit I am greatly annoyed by it myself, but I don’t want to read about it incessantly. Oh well. On the whole, it’s an entertaining read.
Nathan Osgood does a fine job with the narration on the audio book. He has good pacing and an expressive voice. The audio also includes some original music or sound effects at the end of chapters; it’s generally pleasant, but I usually fast forward through it.
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LibraryThing member thornton37814
Bryson's account of his travels in Great Britain has its good moments and its bad. At times the narrative bogs down with the boring and inconsequential. At other times the author does a good job at providing the reader insight into the sights, tastes, and sounds of the country. I was a bit
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disappointed his visit to Wales did not include a visit to Hay-on-Wye. He did give a brief mention to Sedburgh which he describes as England's book town. I was a little put off by his profanity in one of the final chapters of the book. This is definitely an optional read for most. Show Less
LibraryThing member 1Randal
A sequel to his great book, Notes from a Small Island, Bryson undertakes another journey across England, twenty years after his first. Entertaining, descriptive, witty. A fun little volume, packed with all kinds of observations from a quirky, offbeat man. Not his best effort, at least compared to
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the original book or that of A Walk In The Woods, but still very good. Show Less
LibraryThing member nbmars
I began listening to this on audio, and got through only a couple of discs before I decided it just was not holding my interest. The book is about Bryson’s trip through Great Britain from south to north - Bognor Regis to Cape Wrath, to rediscover places Bryson visited on a similar trip twenty
I have loved previous books by Bill Bryson, but I could not keep myself from zoning out with this one. There were not, at least in the first two/eleven discs, many observations of importance or interest in my opinion.
Moreover, narrator Nathan Osgood, while very good with intonation and expression, kept dropping off his voice volume at the end of sentences, so that even by turning up the volume very loud, I usually missed the end of this thoughts. When he mispronounced contiguous, that seemed like a good enough reason to stop listening altogether.
Evaluation: This book isn’t terrible, but given the large number of books I want to read, also not worth the investment of potential reading time.
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years earlier. Along the way, he offers mostly curmudgeonly vignettes about a lot of trivial matters, such as the content of celebrity magazine articles, the low quality of the buses he takes, service at McDonald’s, and the annoyances of the aging process. I have loved previous books by Bill Bryson, but I could not keep myself from zoning out with this one. There were not, at least in the first two/eleven discs, many observations of importance or interest in my opinion.
Moreover, narrator Nathan Osgood, while very good with intonation and expression, kept dropping off his voice volume at the end of sentences, so that even by turning up the volume very loud, I usually missed the end of this thoughts. When he mispronounced contiguous, that seemed like a good enough reason to stop listening altogether.
Evaluation: This book isn’t terrible, but given the large number of books I want to read, also not worth the investment of potential reading time.
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LibraryThing member bell7
Twenty years after Notes from a Small Island, Bill Bryson again tours England, only occasionally going to places he's gone before, and comments on the countryside, people, pubs, litter and history.
I generally like Bryson's rambly style of including just various things he finds interesting. I enjoyhe became so upset with a woman that let her dog poop wherever and then merely covered with leaves that, he says, he killed her and buried the body . And while I'll admit I grew up in a household that barely cursed so I may notice it more than average, there were several more f-words than I would have expected. He's a talented writer and could have found more entertaining ways of insulting people (if that's really what he wanted to do) than calling them f***s. On the other hand, some of his descriptions had me laughing out loud and I really want to see the Ashmolean Museum now. So a mixed bag, but a decent Bryson is still a worthwhile read.
I generally like Bryson's rambly style of including just various things he finds interesting. I enjoy
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history and I loved my trip to London a few years back, and I've found a few more places I'd love to check out in part due to Bryson's accounts. This one continues that same style of traveling, bumbling around, and commenting - mainly in a very curmudgeonly manner, but sometimes deeming something good or "splendid" - on what he encounters. Some people have commented that he seems a bit more grumpy than usual, and I can see why. Most of the time I found it a humorous take and a bit of a persona, but occasionally I thought he went over the top, particularly in one recounting where Show Less
LibraryThing member benjfrank
Having read more than a dozen of his books, you might call me a Bryson fan. This book was my LEAST favorite. I usually like his wanderings, his commentary and observations, and by all means his humor. I can live with his curmudgeonly style and the occasional/frequent bleeped word. But this volume
I finished the book laughing and having learned many things. Some of the landscape descriptions and historical notes were wonderful. That's the good news.
I also finished it thinking that (if he's to be believed) England is going to hell and there's not a single person in Britain capable of providing the most basic customer service. How cranky. Ugh. I'm not saying his travelogue should be whitewashed -- free of negativity. I just expected the positives to outweigh the rest. Pity.
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recounting a stroll across England twenty years after his stroll in Notes From a Small Island, was achingly disappointing. He claims to love Britain but he mocked or ridiculed more people, places, behaviors, and trends than he praised. Most of the time his ridicule was surprisingly harsh. Yes, it was often funny, but so what? How can I take him seriously when he trashes so much about the country he supposedly loves? He rants about how bad things have become since his arrival 40 years earlier. He dwells on travel minutiae, constantly bemoaning train inconveniences, ridiculous admission prices, and foolish government rules.I finished the book laughing and having learned many things. Some of the landscape descriptions and historical notes were wonderful. That's the good news.
I also finished it thinking that (if he's to be believed) England is going to hell and there's not a single person in Britain capable of providing the most basic customer service. How cranky. Ugh. I'm not saying his travelogue should be whitewashed -- free of negativity. I just expected the positives to outweigh the rest. Pity.
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LibraryThing member honkcronk
I listened to the audio.
I never read the author's first book about Britain, Notes from a Small Island, so I cannot compare. This book is a travelogue of places Bill visits, on overnights and day trips around the UK. Having not been to Britain, I was a bit lost... it is a whirlwind of names and
The best parts of the book were when Bill offered a humorous opinion about people and places -- and he did this quite a bit.
If I decide to visit Britain, I would reread this book and try to see some of the places he mentioned.
I would take that last long trip to the northern most point on the island (Scotland).
My feeling is that Bill might have enjoyed travelling more than he did writing the book? Maybe the second time writing about the same thing would not be quite the same. But he did think things had changed for the better around the small island since his last book. But the second time is never the same...
I never read the author's first book about Britain, Notes from a Small Island, so I cannot compare. This book is a travelogue of places Bill visits, on overnights and day trips around the UK. Having not been to Britain, I was a bit lost... it is a whirlwind of names and
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places I could not spell and probably would pronounce wrong if I tried to do it just from the written page... hence, the audio is worth listening to. The reader of the audio version was very good and I convinced myself that he had indeed done the journeys he was reading about.The best parts of the book were when Bill offered a humorous opinion about people and places -- and he did this quite a bit.
If I decide to visit Britain, I would reread this book and try to see some of the places he mentioned.
I would take that last long trip to the northern most point on the island (Scotland).
My feeling is that Bill might have enjoyed travelling more than he did writing the book? Maybe the second time writing about the same thing would not be quite the same. But he did think things had changed for the better around the small island since his last book. But the second time is never the same...
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LibraryThing member sblock
I love Brill Bryson. Walk in the Woods is one of my favorite books. But even though this book made me laugh occasionally and taught me a few things, I abandoned it about mid-way through. Somewhere along the line, Bryson has become a Grumpy Old Man. He loathes, in no particular order, car parks, the
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internet, Trip Advisor, apathetic store clerks, and overpriced coffee. Also, Microsoft Word. In other words, change. Since he's revisiting places he wrote about in a popular book published 20 years ago, this is a problem. My frustration with his you-kids-get-off-my-lawn rants reached its zenith when he revealed that, at the time of this journey, he was only 63 years old. A reader would be forgiven for thinking he was at least 85. Show Less
LibraryThing member VictoriaBrodersen
He's back to an old stomping ground and won't disappoint. At least twice a chapter Bryson has me actually laughing out loud!
Awards
The British Book Industry Awards (Shortlist — Non-Fiction — 2016)
Books Are My Bag Readers Award (Shortlist — Biography and Autobiography — 2016)
LibraryReads (Monthly Pick — January 2016)
Language
Original language
English
Original publication date
2015-10-08