Notes from a Small Island

Notes from a Small Island
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Binding: Paperback
Format: Bargain Price
Number Of Items: 1
Number Of Pages: 282
Publication Date: 1997-05-01

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Editorial Reviews:

"Suddenly, in the space of a moment, I realized what it was that I loved about Britain-which is to say, all of it."

After nearly two decades spent on British soil, Bill Bryson-bestsellingauthor of The Mother Tongue and Made in America-decided to returnto the United States. ("I had recently read," Bryson writes, "that 3.7 million Americans believed that they had been abducted by aliens at one time or another,so it was clear that my people needed me.") But before departing, he set out ona grand farewell tour of the green and kindly island that had so long been his home.

Veering from the ludicrous to the endearing and back again, Notes from a Small Island is a delightfully irreverent jaunt around the unparalleled floating nation that has produced zebra crossings, Shakespeare, Twiggie Winkie's Farm, and places with names like Farleigh Wallop and Titsey. The result is an uproarious social commentary that conveys the true glory of Britain, from the satiric pen of an unapologetic Anglophile.

"Suddenly, in the space of a moment, I realized what it was that I loved about Britain-which is to say, all of it."

After nearly two decades spent on British soil, Bill Bryson-bestselling author of ,i>The Mother Tongue and Made in America-decided to return to the United States. ("I had recently read," Bryson writes, "that 3.7 million Americans believed that they had been abducted by aliens at one time or another, so it was clear that my people needed me.") But before departing, he set out on a grand farewell tour of the green and kindly island that had so long been his home.

Veering from the ludicrous to the endearing and back again, Notes from a Small Island is a delightfully irreverent jaunt around the unparalleled floating nation that has produced zebra crossings, Shakespeare, Twiggie Winkie's Farm, and places with names like Farleigh Wallop and Titsey. The result is an uproarious social commentary that conveys the true glory of Britain, from the satiric pen of an unapologetic Anglophile.


Spotlight customer reviews:

Customer Rating: Average rating of 5/5Average rating of 5/5Average rating of 5/5Average rating of 5/5Average rating of 5/5
Summary: Fond farewells....
Comment: I am constantly amazed at how many people seem to think of Brysons writing as "mean spirited" because it is not! He has merely appropriated the British trait of feeling able to grumble about everything and anything, but without malice. It comes from living somewhere where it rains a lot. You have to live there to understand it. This is what Bryson understands. And we Brits know he understands that. Many Americans have never been to Britain, and their understanding of it is garnered from great cultural icons such as "Higgins" (from Magnum), "Spike" (from Buffy) "Dick Van Dyke" (from Mary Poppins, Benny Hill (who died shortly after world war 2) and from pseudo-Brits like Joan Collins who live in Hollywood after leaving Britain in 1856.

Wit and humourist Stephen Fry tells a story of how he was interviewed on a chat show in the States and the interviewer was raving about a local "historical" building built in the 1780's. "My dear boy" replied Fry, "I've got furniture older than that". He wasn't being malicious, but it was funny. Bill Bryson funny.

The opportunities for more intimate knowledge from things such as newspapers and TV news is limited as US media doesn't do "foreign news (unless it directly involves US interests.) We Brits get this, as indeed does Mr Bryson. He is ideally positioned to know Britain well enough to gently criticise because he gets it, the way we think and act, and because he offers an external perspective, we value and enjoy his opinion and his gentle leg-pulling. Conversely, he can present the world of the US to us with a humour that us Brits can appreciate.

We love to hear that people find our ability to queue amusing and likewise, its nice to see the national pride that Americans have. I love seeing houses with flag poles in their gardens with the Stars and Stripes flying everywhere you go in the US. In England, if you had a flagpole with a Union Flag in it in your garden, people would think you were some sort of Nazi, or the Queen. (Or possibly both depending on your politics). And that's a shame.

It's that sort of difference that BB picks up on and that's what makes his writing so successful in the UK at least. He probably moved back there because people just don't get him back in the States. He has become a state-less entity. I would always like to think though that whatever pub he stepped into in Britain, he would always find someone that would stand him a pint. Then he would complain about them in his column the following week. We wouldn't have it any other way.


Customer Rating: Average rating of 3/5Average rating of 3/5Average rating of 3/5Average rating of 3/5Average rating of 3/5
Summary: A Funky Valentine to his Adopted Homeland
Comment: Judging from his best-seller about Australia, In a Sunburned Country, you can expect Bryson to be a witty but irreverent surveyor of the tourist scene wherever he goes. In this case, having lived and worked in Britain for about 20 years, he decides to return to his native USA but not without first doing a sentimental farewell lap around the "small island" that is the United Kingdom. He sets out to revisit places that he loves, places that he has always meant to visit, and places that he has just read about (often because of their past but now faded glory). His trip, done mostly by public transit and just walking or hiking, takes him about seven weeks, long enough to get him a bit tetchy. Because he is playing tour guide to our armchair traveler, we want him to be in a good mood as he shows us the sights--and his eye and his descriptions never falter, and his fortitude for out-of-the-way places does amaze. Yet Bryson seems to have a penchant for immoderate tippling, which sometimes accompanies his belligerent encounters with the natives. And he speaks openly of salivating copiously on himself on a public train having fallen asleep in front of other passengers. While I appreciated our vicarious journey together, I don't think that doing it in person would have been an improvement.



Customer Rating: Average rating of 4/5Average rating of 4/5Average rating of 4/5Average rating of 4/5Average rating of 4/5
Summary: Notes from a Small Island
Comment: Funny, insightful comments about the English, plus a sort of travelogue to obscure (and other) parts of Great Britain. Desperately in need of chapters or some kind of organization! It's all pretty much run together.

Customer Rating: Average rating of 4/5Average rating of 4/5Average rating of 4/5Average rating of 4/5Average rating of 4/5
Summary: Notes from a Gonna Be Big Author
Comment: While not his best, it is always enjoyable to read the work of this, then aspiring, bestselling author. He just got better and better over time and Notes from a Small Island clearly shows his potential. Some of his authorial quirks, like overuse of sensational adjectives and truly uncontrolled use adverbs, aren't as charming in this earlier work but I'm glad he tamed those quirks latter without eliminating altogether. I've not spent any time in Britain and so some of his trademark dry wit may have whizzed over my head. Still, his style hits the mark.

Customer Rating: Average rating of 5/5Average rating of 5/5Average rating of 5/5Average rating of 5/5Average rating of 5/5
Summary: Bless Bill Bryson
Comment: If there is anyone out there who has never read Bill Bryson I urge you to start. His books will warm your heart and make you laugh out loud....you can't stay blue or depressed when you're engrossed in one of his works. In spite of his penchant for being an Anglophile (no doubt because he's married to an Englishwoman), you realize, after reading between the lines, he's an all-American kid.
What's so delightful about him is that he not only entertains but educates as well.
Hurrah, hurrah, hurrah! Bill. There is no one like you. I have one complaint and that is there aren't any new 'travelogues' on the horizon. Come on, Bill. You're not that old!.


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