• At Home

  • A Short History of Private Life
  • By: Bill Bryson
  • Narrated by: Bill Bryson
  • Length: 16 hrs and 33 mins
  • 4.4 out of 5 stars (6,430 ratings)

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At Home  By  cover art

At Home

By: Bill Bryson
Narrated by: Bill Bryson
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Publisher's summary

From one of the most beloved authors of our time—more than six million copies of his books have been sold in this country alone - a fascinating excursion into the history behind the place we call home.

“Houses aren’t refuges from history. They are where history ends up.”

Bill Bryson and his family live in a Victorian parsonage in a part of England where nothing of any great significance has happened since the Romans decamped. Yet one day, he began to consider how very little he knew about the ordinary things of life as he found it in that comfortable home. To remedy this, he formed the idea of journeying about his house from room to room to “write a history of the world without leaving home.”

The bathroom provides the occasion for a history of hygiene; the bedroom, sex, death, and sleep; the kitchen, nutrition and the spice trade; and so on, as Bryson shows how each has fig­ured in the evolution of private life. Whatever happens in the world, he demonstrates, ends up in our house, in the paint and the pipes and the pillows and every item of furniture.

Bill Bryson has one of the liveliest, most inquisitive minds on the planet, and he is a master at turning the seemingly isolated or mundane fact into an occasion for the most diverting exposi­tion imaginable. His wit and sheer prose fluency make At Home one of the most entertaining books ever written about private life.

©2010 Bill Bryson (P)2010 Random House Audio

Critic reviews

"There are many guilty pleasures, from Bryson's droll prose - "What really turned the Victorians to bathing, however, was the realization that it could be gloriously punishing" - to the many tantalizing glimpses behind closed doors at aristocratic English country houses. In demonstrating how everything we take for granted, from comfortable furniture to smoke-free air, went from unimaginable luxury to humdrum routine, Bryson shows us how odd and improbable our own lives really are." ( Publishers Weekly)

What listeners say about At Home

Average customer ratings
Overall
  • 4.5 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    3,881
  • 4 Stars
    1,683
  • 3 Stars
    628
  • 2 Stars
    171
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Performance
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Story
  • 4.5 out of 5 stars
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    3,011
  • 4 Stars
    1,093
  • 3 Stars
    418
  • 2 Stars
    101
  • 1 Stars
    45

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  • Overall
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    5 out of 5 stars

Very enjoyable!

Another great Bryson book. Very interesting, with a proper mix of historical facts and Bryson humor.

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  • Overall
    1 out of 5 stars
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    2 out of 5 stars
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    1 out of 5 stars

This is very dark

Not about homes about bugs rats bats and lots of awful stuff. I returned before finishing.

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  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars
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    3 out of 5 stars

Overall Interesting but Opinionated

Historical insights galore. Enjoyed it overall.
Too much opinion to rate 5 stars.
Most chapters were engaging and sometimes captivating, but the study/vermin chapter and bedroom/gratuitous sex were tedious, and I ended up skipping them.

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  • Overall
    2 out of 5 stars
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    1 out of 5 stars
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    3 out of 5 stars

Excellent book, terrible narration

The authors voice is dull, boring, and he lacks good fiction. Should have paid someone else to read it. Shame

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  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars
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    3 out of 5 stars
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    3 out of 5 stars

Good author just ok book

Really do like this author but this book is really just ok. Got the sense he was tired of writing it.

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

Who Knew

Who knew that facts and history could be so much fun. Great performance I love how the stories are read.

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

Bryson never fails

Impeccable research, engaging prose, Bryson makes it look so easy—and fun. Any book by Bill Bryson will be well worth your time and attention.

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  • Overall
    2 out of 5 stars
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    1 out of 5 stars
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    3 out of 5 stars

Terrible audio

I can’t understand the reader. It’s poor quality and the tone is all over the place. Takes so much effort to follow I’m exhausted after 10 mins. The reader isn’t British but I’m not sure what he is. The performance detracts so much I just don’t have any idea if the story is any good.

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  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    1 out of 5 stars
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    3 out of 5 stars

Get a professional narrator, please!

I was so bothered by Bill Bryson’s voice and dry mouth that I couldn’t make it through more than a few chapters.

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  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars
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    1 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

Content Wonderful, Needs a Professional Performer

I really enjoyed this history of the English home. However, I think Bill Bryson should stick to writing and should have let a professional perform the book. He mumbles and is sadly very monotone. The sample is not a good indication of just how awful his performance is. I would recommend this book, but NOT the Audible version read by the author.

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