Abridged Audiobook
Bill Bryson is my favorite writer. He has a fabulous sense of humor and puts words together in the most artistic manner. I rarely laugh out loud alone in my car. This book often had me laughing to and from work. I rented it and I had to buy it to share with friends.
I love Bryson's writing and I love his narration. Funny, sweet, interesting. Delightful audio!
Bill Bryson is always a funny writer. I enjoyed this book. He has other books that I liked better.
In the past, I've enjoyed Bryson. But, this one was appropriately described by his wife as "bitch, bitch, bitch." It gets old, especially when he is trashing our (and his) country and in particular his disparaging remark concerning one of our greatest presidents. And he compares us to Great Britian?...where you have to have a license for a TV set---please. His Darwinist, liberal agenda becomes more and more pronounced with each selection. I understand he moved back to England. Good.
This was classic Bill Bryson! I'd love to have this guy as my next-door neighbor! Sometimes, he just points out the obvious, or asks questions about things that people just generally never consider asking. His humor is droll, but in a good way. Some of the other reviews observed that toward the end he tended to complain a bit. While this is true, I cannot imagine having to author a newspaper column for three years about the differences between these United States and Britain. Eventually, you are forced to conclude there simply aren't that many differences (not three years worth, anyway). If you have read any of his other books, you will love this one as well. Occasionally, he does tend to insert his politically left-leaning viewpoints on things, but then the poor soul did live in a much more socialist country for 20 years...
I hadn't read or heard of Bryson before this and wasn't sure what to expect. At times his storytelling was laugh out loud funny and for the most part I enjoyed his point of view. I lived in England for a year, so I could relate, but ultimately I think this is best listened to in small doses. I found that after an hour his attitude started to wear on me. Although I enjoy a sense of humor that is on the dry and sarcastic side, his attitude also started to take on a negativity and curmudgeonly tone that bothered me at points.
Bryson has a dry sense of humor that I find entertaining. This is a good look at ourselves. After I heard this book I started back on A Walk in the Woods, and am enjoying it this time.
By 'sick' of course, I mean his has a twisted since of humor and if I could buy his illness with money, I'd take out a loan if I had to to get it. Bill Bryson peers out at the world through a differently cut glass than the rest of us and this, his 'coming home' tone is vintage Bryson. I loved the way he always refers to his wife as "Mrs. Bryson." It's a British thing I'm sure. This isn't his best work in my opinion (hard to be beat "In a Sunburned Country") but it's cleaverly written and is, I think, a good reflection of our Mr. Bryson arriving at a more mature age.
I would rank this as a distant third behind "A Short History of Nearly Everything" and "A Walk in the Woods". Some of the insights are funny but many are kind of dated and cliche. The self described (or more accurately wife described) "bitching" gets pretty old towards the end of the book. Still probably worth a listen but not nearly as good as the first two books I mentioned.
This was a great book, if you have read anything else by Bill Bryson it is one of his good ones, although all of his are good ones in my book. He makes you think, laugh, cry. A great book, I would recommend it to anyone, easy to listen to.
I had a hard time getting started with this one. I had just come out of surgery and maybe that was it.
I really enjoyed Bill Bryson's insight into various phases of American life which we tend to take for granted. He is in the perfect position to poke fun at some of the most venerable American traditions, being an American himself, but having lived outside of the US for many years. They say you can never go back; he proves that you really can, as long as you have a sense of humour. Loved the insight and the narration.
I enjoyed the book very much. It is a very pleasant episodic look at life in the U.S., with a mix of affection and mild indignation that makes you think, along with some laughs of recognition at the ironies and foibles of life in America. A very engaging listening experience that made me want more.
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