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Notes from a Small Island
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Notes from a Small Island
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Notes from a Small Island
Audiobook (abridged)5 hours

Notes from a Small Island

Rating: 4 out of 5 stars

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About this audiobook

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. This was partly to let his wife and children experience life in Bryson's homeland - and partly because he had read that 3.7 million Americans believed that they had been abducted by aliens at one time or another. It was thus clear to him that his people needed him. But before leaving his much-loved home in North Yorkshire, Bryson insisted on taking one last trip around Britain. His aim was to take stock of modern-day Britain, and to analyze what he loved so much about a country that produced Marmite, zebra crossings, and place names like Farleigh Wallop, Titsey, and Shellow Bowells.

LanguageEnglish
Release dateJul 5, 2000
ISBN9780553750324
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Notes from a Small Island

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Rating: 3.7842315178842316 out of 5 stars
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  • Rating: 3 out of 5 stars
    3/5
    Bryson is a great solo traveler. He loves Britain, but also loves finding humor in it. The problem is that you have to emphasize "solo." He not only travels alone, but hardly talks to anybody along the way. So you get descriptions of the scenery (which eventually grow tiresome), and cheap humor from observing others at a distance, but hardly ever any more interesting interactions. (There are a few.) He himself seems to recognize this issue: > I spent a little time watching the scenery, then pulled out my copy of Kingdom by the Sea to see if Paul Theroux had said anything about the vicinity that I might steal or modify to my own purposes. As always, I was amazed to find that as he rattled along these very tracks he was immersed in a lively conversation with his fellow passengers. How does he do it? Quite apart from the consideration that my carriage was nearly empty, I don't know how you strike up conversations with strangers in Britain. In America, of course, it's easy. You just offer a hand and say, 'My name's Bryson. How much money did you make last year?' and the conversation never looks back from there. But in England - or in this instance Wales - it's so hard, or at least it is for me. I've never had a train conversation that wasn't disastrous or at least regretted. … Over a long period of time it gradually dawned on me that the sort of person who will talk to you on a train is almost by definition the sort of person you don't want to talk to on a train, so these days I mostly keep to myself and rely for conversational entertainment on books by more loquacious types like Jan Morris and Paul Theroux.Still, lots of funny bits. > … One of these functionaries wandered into a room on the fourth floor full of people who hadn't done anything in years and, when they proved unable to account convincingly for themselves, sacked them at a stroke, except for one fortunate fellow who had popped out to the betting shop. When he returned, it was to an empty room and he spent the next two years sitting alone wondering vaguely what had become of his colleagues.> In French markets you pick among wicker baskets of glossy olives and cherries and little wheels of goat's cheese, all neatly arrayed. In Britain you buy tea towels and ironing-board covers from plastic beer crates.> Impressive as Stonehenge is, there comes a moment somewhere about eleven minutes after your arrival when you realize you've seen pretty well as much as you care to, and you spend another forty minutes walking around the perimeter rope looking at it out of a combination of politeness, embarrassment at being the first from your bus to leave and a keen desire to extract £2.80 worth of exposure from the experience.> I passed through grassy fields, through flocks of skittish sheep, over stiles and through gates, without any sign of my goal drawing nearer, but I doggedly pressed on because - well, because if you are stupid you do.> Then when you board the train you must additionally ask the carriage generally, 'Excuse me, is this the Barnstaple train?' to which most people will say that they think it is, except for one man with a lot of parcels who will get a panicked look and hurriedly gather up his things and get off. You should always take his seat since you will generally find that he has left behind a folded newspaper and an uneaten bar of chocolate, and possibly a nice pair of sheepskin gloves.> I noted three driveways with signs saying 'No Turning'. Now tell me, just how petty do you have to be, how ludicrously possessive of your little piece of turf, to put up a sign like that? What harm can there possibly be in some lost or misdirected person turning a car round in the edge of your driveway? I always make a point of turning round in such driveways, whether I need to or not, and I urge you to join me in this practice. It is always a good idea to toot your horn two or three times to make sure that the owner sees you.> I hooked my rucksack over a shoulder and set off along a road that I hoped might be the right one - and no doubt would have been had I taken another.> I watched the rain beat down on the road outside and told myself that one day this would be twenty years ago.> I unfolded some jumpers so that they would have something to do after I left> I spent a long, happy afternoon wandering through the many rooms, pretending, as I sometimes do in these circumstances, that I had been invited to take any one object home with me as a gift from the Scottish people in recognition of my fineness as a person. In the end, after much agonizing, I settled on a Head of Persephone from fifth-century-BC Sicily, which was not only as stunningly flawless as if it had been made yesterday, but would have looked just perfect on top of the TV.
  • Rating: 3 out of 5 stars
    3/5
    Bill Bryson travels across Britain and gives a nice mixture of comments on British culture, memories an remarks on architecture. Lots of architecture. The only reason why it gets 3/5 is that it's not (in my opinion) a "funny" book at all. Sure, Bryson gives some funny quips here and there but they are far and few in between. If you're looking for "British humor" go immediately for Douglas Adams. The saving grace of this book is the dual vision of a foreigner who has lived in the country for a while, so you get both the sense of wonder from something new and the explanations of a veteran who knows what he's talking about. 3.5/5
  • Rating: 3 out of 5 stars
    3/5
    Bryson relates tales of his travels across Britain, making witty and self-depreciating comments along the way. At times it made me laugh and I wanted to share his wit with others. After a while it started to get a bit repetitive. So a book of ups and downs for me but I appreciated most of all the look at another culture from a fellow American's point of view. I'd recommend this most to people who are really interested in British culture and landscapes.
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    I picked this up as I had enjoyed Bryson's "A Walk in the Woods". I was not disappointed.Bryson is taking one last tour of England and parts of before he moves back to the U.S. with his family. The move is so that the kids will get to know their roots...I think.It is a solo tour to visit places he has been and some he hasn't but wanted to go. He uses the British Rail and walking as his choice of transportation. It isn't just the big cities he visits, but it is the small villages too. His commentary and musings of all things British (and Scottish) are entertaining and sometimes thought provoking. Why do the British call private schools public schools? Why is it called a 'jumper' in England and a 'sweater' in America? The politeness of the English by the way they preface requests with "I'm sorry..." and other observations. Many are tongue-in-cheek, and all seem in a humourous vein.His view and descriptions of his travels are from a person who really does love a country that he lived and worked in for a good length of time. Not derogatory but curious.I enjoy his style of writing and observations. A light-hearted read.
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    Loved this book!
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    A couple of decades after first setting foot in Great Britain and preparing to move his family to the U.S., Bill Bryson spent several weeks traveling from one end of the island to the other. Some places on his itinerary were familiar and dear, while he hadn't set foot in others since his arrival some twenty years earlier. First impressions and other memories intermingle with the contemporary travel narrative. Bryson's affection for his adopted country is apparent. The humor is as much at his own expense as at the expense of others. I felt a particular kinship with Bryson as another American who made a home in Great Britain as a young adult. Both natives of Great Britain and Anglophiles will find a lot to like here.
  • Rating: 3 out of 5 stars
    3/5
    I usually like Bryson's books, but I didn't much care for this one. Usually his rambling is funny. Not this time,it was just boring rambling.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    I would have expected a book about travelling in the UK to be boring, but it was anything but and I imagine it would be a valuable resource to take with you if you were venturing into the same places Bryson visited. Some very funny bits, I love the way he writes.
  • Rating: 1 out of 5 stars
    1/5
    Boring.

    I was hoping to read a humorous travelogue and -- for the first few pages I was laughing -- but, after that, I found this to be simply the random noodlings of a man on a personal farewell tour. The more I read the more I didn't care where he went or what he thought about each place. I didn't see the point in this book.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    Witty musing that ended all too soon. Where's the rest of it?
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    Good travelogue. A bit redundant, but I enjoyed it.
  • Rating: 2 out of 5 stars
    2/5
    My third try at reading something by Bill Bryson and -- like the last two -- I was unable to get more than about 50 pages into it before losing interest. He thus joins Kim Stanley Robinson and a select few others on my list of "authors who, despite their obvious talent and enormous popularity, do nothing for me."Bryson's signature travel-writing style strikes me as a blend of three things: 1) A "game-but-hapless schlub" persona that may be the real Bryson or may be a put-on; 2) Elaborate, almost Dickensian descriptions of colorful characters and settings he encounters along the way; 3) Comic exaggeration that starts where Mark Twain went in his more unbuttoned moments and winds up somewhere on the far side of Dave "I am not making this up" Barry . . . and that, I think, is why I find his work off-putting.Game-but-hapless schlubs and cringe comedy (in which Bryson often traffics here) are, for me, anti-entertaining. Dickens-style baroque characters with improbable names are marvelous if done well, but (again, for me) they only work if the author, and all the characters around them them, treat them as essentially normal . . . but Bryson-the-author always feels like he's waving and pointing from the margins, saying: "Look! A caricature!" I'm always up for a well-done example of the comedy of overstatement -- Twain's "Fenimore Cooper's Literary Offenses" remains the funniest thing I've ever read -- but outside of a novel it is (last time: for me) virtually impossible to carry off at book length. What's funny in a 1,000-word column or 3,000-word article goes flat in a 100,000 memoir.If you've never read Bill Bryson, don't let this put you off. Millions of people love his books, and--statistically speaking--your literary tastes are more likely to align with theirs than mine. If, however, you've tried reading him and can't figure out why he leaves you cold . . . maybe this is why.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    This is the first book from Bryson I've read and my only regret is not reading it much sooner. I am completely charmed by Bryson with his dry, sarcastic whit and care-free attitude when it comes to writing down his actual feelings about a place that is completely crap, something a lot of travel writers probably avoid. I was glad this wasn't written like a memoir - the writer doesn't go on about his past experiences (though you do get some quips about his life and family) - but rather takes you on as a travel companion and has a conversation with you about what he's doing. If you love anything about Britain, I definitely recommend this.
  • Rating: 3 out of 5 stars
    3/5
    This was my 2nd Bryson book, and I must say that I enjoyed A Walk In the Woods far more than this.

    Summary: grumble grumble, bad modern architecture, mediocre meal, grumble grumble, annoying person, bad building, bad meal, grumble, rain. Sure, it was funny as hell in parts too but I'm hoping my next Bryson read is more light-spirited.
  • Rating: 1 out of 5 stars
    1/5
    Notes from a Small Island by Bill Bryson chronicles the walking expedition that the author took across Great Britain right before he moved back to the United States. I loved how his enjoyment of the countryside (particularly Yorkshire) came through in his beautiful descriptions. If he had only stuck to his descriptions of the idyllic countryside and the interesting monuments and things that he saw there I would have enjoyed this book. Instead he interjected his beliefs/prejudices/stereotypes about different groups of people and it really turned me off of the entire book. The first note that I wrote after reading this was simply "I don't like Bill Bryson."What he poked fun of (a shortlist):fat people (fat shaming a family at a restaurant and staring so much they moved tables)Asperger's (a trainspotter widower he met was too excited about trains apparently)Lewis Carroll (described him as a "poor perverted mathematician" when pedophilia was only rumored never proven)Parkinson's (need I say more?)The only good things that came out of this is that I'll probably visit Warwick Castle and Snowshill Manor in the future...and I'll never read anything else from Bill Bryson.For another viewpoint, check out the critique of A Walk in the Woods by Mary Jean Ronan Herzog entitled "Including Appalachian Stereotypes in Multicultural Education: An Analysis of Bill Bryson's A Walk in the Woods" in the Journal of Appalachian Studies Vol. 5 Issue 1.
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    I don't always share his taste in architecture and nostalgia, but I always enjoy hearing what he has to say. He writes well, observes little things, and is sensitive to everyday experiences. (9/10)
  • Rating: 2 out of 5 stars
    2/5
    Bryson's books are really all about Bryson. In this book he'd spout one stereotype about the British people in one chapter, and in the next chapter he'd say Brits are so xxx" and the 'xxx' would be in direct contradiction to the previous assertion. Every time I laughed I felt guilty for doing so."
  • Rating: 2 out of 5 stars
    2/5
    Listened to the first few discs of this... just couldn't get into it. I have trouble with authors who try too hard to be clever and cute and sardonic and wry and etc... some funny stuff, but just a little too much for me.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    Notes from a Small island tells the story of the road trip that Bill Bryson made around Britain in the 1990s shortly before he returned to his native America. Although he can see the faults of Britain, he cannot deny that he loves the place too. This is a warm and witty book and I enjoyed Bryson's interactions with people more than anything. I will be going on to read The Road to Little Dribbling to see what he makes of our island 20 years on.
  • Rating: 3 out of 5 stars
    3/5
    Alas, I have to agree with Linda S. But don't give up on Bill Bryson: read A Walk in the Woods, about his attempt to hike the Applachian Trail. Hilarious!
  • Rating: 3 out of 5 stars
    3/5
    A light and very funny read.
  • Rating: 3 out of 5 stars
    3/5
    Not laugh out loud funny but an ok read, need to stop reading Bryson for a while as most others seem to find his literature funnier than i am. Enjoyable read but not great
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    Before returning to his native United States after a sojourn of some twenty years in England, Bryson decided to take a trip around that "small island." The hysterical comments in this book are the result. The British loved it so much it was a best-seller for months, and they turned it into a TV series. The book even includes a glossary of English terms. For example, do you know the difference between a village and a hamlet? One is a small town where people live, the other a play by Shakespeare!

    Bryson is certainly not your average travel writer - as anyone who has read my reviews of his other books knows - and despite his often scathing wit, it's never done with malice, even when very critical of a subject. What astounds me is Bryson's vigor and willingness to put up with all sorts of cold and wet weather. He made his trek during the off-season, i.e., late October, not an especially delightful time of year in Britain. He did not take a car, relying solely on buses and British Rail, a decision that often forced him to make long, out-of-the-way walks of as far as twenty miles, either because schedules didn't
    coincide, or the irregular bus did not run during the off-season.

    He delightfully intermingles political commentary with travelogue. He visits Blackpool, for example, where there are long beaches - that officially don't exist. "I am not making this up. In the late 1980s, when the European Community issued a directive about the standards of ocean-borne sewage, it turned out that nearly every British seaside town failed to come anywhere near even the minimum compliance levels. Most of the bigger resorts like Blackpool went right off the edge of the turdometer, or whatever they measure these things with. This presented an obvious problem to Mrs. Thatcher's government, which was loath to spend money on British beaches when there were perfectly good beaches in Mustique and Barbados, so it drew up an official decree -- this is so bizarre I can hardly stand it, but I swear it is true -- that Brighton, Blackpool, Scarborough, and many other leading resorts did not have, strictly speaking, beaches. Christ knows what it then termed these expanses of sand -- intermediate sewage buffers, I suppose -- but in any case it disposed of the problem without either solving it or costing the treasury a penny, which is of course the main thing, or in the case of the present government, the only thing."

    Then there's British Rail. On his way to Manchester, "we crept a mile or so out of the station, then sat for a long time for no evident reason. Eventually, a voice announced that because of faults further up the line this train would terminate in Stockport, which elicited a general groan. Finally, after about twenty minutes, the train falteringly started forward and limped across the green countryside. At each station the voice apologized for the delay and announced anew that the train would terminate in Stockport. When at last we reached Stockport, ninety minutes late, I expected everyone to get off, but no one moved, so neither did I. Only one passenger, a Japanese fellow, dutifully disembarked, then watched in dismay as the train proceeded on, without explanation and without him, to Manchester."

    No Bryson should be left unread.
  • Rating: 3 out of 5 stars
    3/5
    Armchair travel. Author lived in England almost 20 years. Humor is enjoyable. He could leave out the swearing and sex and it would be even better. It is a glimpse of England, written as a farewell. He travels by foot and public transportation.
  • Rating: 3 out of 5 stars
    3/5
    An interesting look at Britain by someone about to move back to the States.

    A lighter tone sometimes in the reading of this book would have suited it better. Sometimes the author sounds rather petulant
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    This is one of my all time favorites. I received this book as a gift after finishing an internship in London (I'm American) about 12 years ago. Over the years I've read it several times but now that I've been a full time UK resident for 4 years it has even more meaning to me.

    Bryson doesn't just travel, he gives an articulated insight into the British people in general. His love for the UK and its inhabitants is clear throughout.

    In fact, I was so inspired by this book that I got my London based self to Snowshill Manor, mentioned in his book. It couldn't have been better!

    Please read this book - you can borrow my copy, just be sure to give it back!
  • Rating: 2 out of 5 stars
    2/5
    I very nearly didn't finish this after about the sixth time Bryson arrives in some British town, gets to his hotel, finds it or the staff lacking in some way, walks outside, finds the town or the people or the food lacking in some way, eats a subpar meal, goes back to the hotel, goes to bed, gets up, complains about the breakfast, wanders around the town some more finding things to whine about, lather, rinse, repeat. It all got to be annoying after not very long. Eventually I guess I got into the rhythm of it and didn't mind so much, and I did finish the book, but it proved rather more of a slog than I wanted.Bryson's humor is of that variety which makes me laugh on occasion, but the funny bits here are stuck in amongst so many moments where he's behaving like an idiot, complaining pointlessly, or being a chauvinistic twit that it was hard to separate the amusing from the obnoxious. While some of anecdotes and inserted historical trivia were fascinating, I'm still not sure whether the book was entirely worth the time.
  • Rating: 2 out of 5 stars
    2/5
    My husband gives the book a ten. He finds Bryson's style of writing very amusing. I on the other hand didn't laugh as frequently while reading the book. The man presents himself as a bit of a narrow minded twit too much of the time. If one or two people he knows does something strange, then all people like those few must be exactly the same. If his poor planning for the weather, accommodations, travel arragements whatever result in a delayed stay or a poor night, it's the town's fault!
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    Notes from a Small Island is Bill Bryson's autobiography in which he travels around the United Kingdom, his home for twenty years. During his voyages, Bryson lives in not-so-pleasant hostels and hotels and meets people from all walks of life. Bryson is a master storyteller, his ability to turn a phrase in unparalleled. And he injects humor into his writing, particularly when describing people.
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    Before moving to America with his wife and kids, Bill Bryson decides to take a trip around England and see the countryside much as he did in the '70s when he first arrived. From Dover to Inverness, he explores small towns, enjoys their history and quirks, and bemoans the lack of imagination of 1960s architects.Chronologically this comes just before a book I read late last year, I'm a Stranger Here Myself. It was a little bit odd to have read them "out of order" (I'm a Stranger Here Myself talks about the quirks of living in America after 20 years of being in the U.K., while this is sort of his swan song before leaving), but it was fun to compare the way he mulls over quirky bits of culture and a country's personality, so to speak. It's part travel literature part memoir part humor in a way that I've only ever read in Bill Bryson's own books. I really enjoyed it, I really want to go a few of the places he mentioned now, and I'm really looking forward to his latest, The Road to Little Dribbling.