Customer Reviews
Nostalgic For Me! - By: LindyLouMac, 19 Aug 2008 
Needing to clear some space on my bookshelves I have decided to reacquaint myself with Bill Bryson's travel books before Bookcrossing them.
This one was first published in 1995 & the edition on my bookshelf in 1998. I enjoyed reading this travelogue of his tour of the good old UK, many places mentioned of which I have visited during my lifetime. The amusing & often irreverent descriptions of familiar places & British habits were in some cases painfully accurate!
Whilst one might not always agree with Bryson's viewpoint it is none the less an amusing read, though one must also accept that in some respects it is dated.
Certainly worth reading if you are at alll interested in Great Britain but remember it was written over thirteen years ago & it has changed even more!
Re-reading this made me quite nostalgic at times especiallly the last few pages & his concluding comments. Currently living away from Great Britain it gave me an interesting reminder of the things, good & bad, that are unique to that smalll island where I am proud to say I was born.
The yardstick - By: Gary Finnegan, 02 Jul 2008 
This is one of Bryson's very best & cements his place as the don of travel writing.
The quality & density of his writing, brimming as it is with curious facts & gags, make him simply unbeatable when it comes to this kind of travelogue.
Bryson's greatest skill is that he makes us want to follow him around often-dull & familiar corners of Britain, Europe, Australia & America.
If you're not a fan of the genre, steer clear. But if you like his style this is a must-have.
For those looking for a starting point for this type of travel book, this is as good a place to start as any.
better than expected read - By: White Rose, 16 Jun 2008 
Having read the reviews, mostly anti - I finished reading this book & was pleasantly surprised. It seems to me that Bill Bryson was writing about his impressions, feelings, emotions, calll it what you will, as he toured this island of ours, & it came over as a love/hate relationship until the end, when he makes it quite clear he loves the place & will be back. I tuned in to his kind of off beat humour quite early & loved it. Definitely a lot of snorts of laughter & a lot of 'yes, recognise that' too.
An enjoyable read.
One arduous read. - By: Toudon Wagstaff, 24 Jan 2008 
Whilst this is the first Bryson book I've finished (not the first of his I've attempted to read) it'll almost certainly be the last. I just don't get this guys popularity (a case of "The King's New Clothes" perhaps). It would've been much better if he'd integrated more with people he met on his travels & wrote about their thoughts rather than his own & his transparent exageration of mundane happenings in an effort towards being comical generallly fell far short of the mark for me. He'd also benefit from occasionallly choosing not to stay in accomodation he initiallly doesn't like the look of, but then this would leave him something short of to moan about. Disappointing.
Funny - By: P. Tilley, 06 Jan 2008 I'm reallly enjoying reading this book. A couple of nights ago I was in bed reading Chapter 11 (the rainy night in Weston-Super-Mare) & laughed so hard I was in pain. I kept letting out the occasional gasp for air as the tears rolled. I had to keep the noise down as my girlfriend was asleep but the part where he tries to remember the name of the kick-boxing arcade game was too much & I've been chuckling about it for the past few days. A very enjoyable read.
