At Home

A Short History of Private Life

By: Bill Bryson

Narrated by: Bill Bryson

Length: 16 hrs and 33 mins

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)

Best history is from this writer.

The ride of diversified history he takes you in is never ending and makes his books repeat reads as there’s so much knowledge.

At Home

This was a very good book I learned a lot I always thought that victorian days was romantic nope and I love his voice is soothing

How Does Bryson Do It?

What did you love best about At Home?

The book is chock-full of facts and factoids about how and why things are the way they are.

Who was your favorite character and why?

The house is the main character, and star, throughout.

What three words best describe Bill Bryson’s performance?

Intricate. Humorous. Informative. All at once.

If you were to make a film of this book, what would be the tag line be?

Things you never thought about, and never thought to ask.

Any additional comments?

How does Bryson research all that he does? The book will teach you amazing facts and will have you laughing at the very same time. Sometimes at a subject you never linked with humor, ever!

Loved it

Where does At Home rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far?

High on the list

What other book might you compare At Home to and why?

??

Have you listened to any of Bill Bryson’s other performances before? How does this one compare?

yes, several. I thought it was great. Mr. Bryson continues to improve in his craft. I always appreciate the knowledge imparted and the humor interjected.

Outstanding book!

Great book. As always Mr. Bryson provides an incredible amount of information in an enjoyable and easy to understand format. I was constantly amazed at how he is always able to tie all the details together no matter where or how he starts a particular part of the history.

Started out interesting

What did you love best about At Home?

Loaded with interesting facts and things one wonders the origin of.

What about Bill Bryson’s performance did you like?

Wonderfully read.

Any additional comments?

I found it to become tedious though. Lists and lists of object and numbers. The man is number crazy. Amounts, costs, he counts and recounts everything. The other thing it is it seems to be ALL over the place. I often wondered "what does this have to do with The Home or house he is talking about. Like the very long section on surgery and and scurvy and all sorts of interesting things but for such a huge subject (essentially life and living) it seems you might want to make everything in the book a little more relevant to domestic life.

So Interesting!

Loved this book. Bryson takes the reader on a winding staircase through history (mostly English and some American ). I enjoyed learning about the many unusual characters that have influenced how we live today. The book is absolutely full of cool cocktail party trivia. I wish I could memorize it all and impress my friends.

Great book full of interesting information.

It is a great book which offers different view and insight on human history. It is very easy to listen to. The narrator performance is excellent.

Love Bill Bryson, but....

If you could sum up At Home in three words, what would they be?

Not the best

If you’ve listened to books by Bill Bryson before, how does this one compare?

We love Bill Brysons books and audiobooks. This one is not as good as some of the others.

Makes the mundane fascinating

Bill Bryson is masterful at turning subjects that either bored us to tears in school or took for granted in the home come alive. As always, his anecdotes are shocking and hilarious. Give us more Bill. We want to time travel with you! We’ll also carry your luggage if we can ever persuade you to travel in Asia to write a book there.