In a Sunburned Country

By: Bill Bryson

Narrated by: Bill Bryson

Length: 11 hrs and 54 mins

Publisher's summary

Every time Bill Bryson walks out the door memorable travel literature threatens to break out. This time in Australia. His previous excursion up, down, and over the Appalachian Trail resulted in the sublime best seller A Walk in the Woods.

Now he has traveled around the world and all the way Down Under to Australia, the only island that is also a continent and the only continent that is also a country. Australia exists on a vast scale, a shockingly under-discovered country with the friendliest inhabitants, the hottest, driest weather, the most peculiar and lethal wildlife to be found on this planet, and more things that can kill you in extremely malicious ways than anywhere else: sharks, crocodiles, the 10 most deadly poisonous snakes on the planet, fluffy yet toxic caterpillars, seashells that actually attack you, and the unbelievable box jellyfish.

In a Sunburned Country is a delectably funny, fact-filled and adventurous performance by a writer who combines humor, wonder, and unflagging curiosity. Wherever Bryson goes he finds Australians who are cheerful, extroverted, and unfailingly obliging. They are the beaming products of a land with clean, safe cities, cold beer, and constant sunshine. Australia is an immense and fortunate land, and it has found in Bryson its perfect guide.

©2000 Bill Bryson (P)2000 Random House, Inc., Bantam Doubleday Dell Audio Publishing, A Division of Random House Inc.

Critic reviews

"Bryson's cheery Australian tale should entertain even the most listless driver. His strength lies in his ability to incorporate astounding facts about the country with nutty personal anecdotes." (Publishers Weekly)

Fabulous storyteller!

Any additional comments?

I purchased this audiobook because I plan to visit Australia later this year. I didn't learn very much that will be useful in my upcoming trip, but, omigod, did I ever get my money's worth anyway. The author is a marvelous story-teller with a wicked sense of humor. Warning: parts may leave you laughing too hard to drive safely - especially his description of himself falling asleep from jet lag while being given a tour.

Great account of Australia

I just returned from Australia and found this to be such a wonderfully colorful account of traveling in this amazing country. Bryson's humor had me laughing out loud. As usual, he fills the pages with interesting facts, anecdotes and joy.

Exhaustive without being Exhausting

If you could sum up In a Sunburned Country in three words, what would they be?

more than travel

What other book might you compare In a Sunburned Country to and why?

A Walk in the Woods by Bill Bryson
Only Bryson can capture a place and time with wit, historical perspective, self-depricating humor, and a sense of the place that few others see.

What does Bill Bryson bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?

He understands exactly where to place the emphasis for maximum cheek

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

It's a very big place

Any additional comments?

Bryson's wry wit combined with his ambling approach to any subject has give Australia a brilliant and hilarious commentary. His unique sense of what might be interesting has taken me up the back roads and into the most obscure sections of this vast and unknowable part of the world.

Wonderful in every aspect

Humorous, well researched, engaging and thought provoking, I thoroughly enjoyed the book. The author reading his own story made the experience like listening to a very witty articulate friend. At times humorously self deprecating, at other times challenging, it left me wanting more.

A must own.

I am a big fan of Mr. Bryson's work, and it is my opinion that this is one of his best. I can't say what an Australian listener might think of it, but never having been to the country myself, I was fascinated.

Fantastic Voyage!

I LOVED THIS BOOK! I was so disappointed, knowing it had to end. Initially Bill Bryson's narration seemed not quite right, but in no time at all the dryness of his voice matched that of his humor. This was interesting, amusing, informative, upbeat, even historical, full of little tidbits of information you'd be hard pressed to find anywhere except in someone's private journal. I am currently in Australia and it is so fun to actually see and experience the things he is describing. But this is certainly not a requirement to enjoy this book. I look forward to reading some of his other travel narratives.

Another Bryson gem!

I listened to this book because I’m going to Australia. Now I feel I’ve been there. Thanks Bill.

Literally crying that it's over.

Few books I have read have impacted me like this one. Whereas previously I had little interest in visiting Australia, I come away from this book desperate to not only visit, but live there--live in all of it. Bryson is just as perspicacious, charming, and funny as he was in Walk In The Woods, but this book is orders of magnitude better. Perhaps that is because the material offered more, but I believe it is because he couldn't keep his affection for the entire country from spilling out onto the pages. I cannot leave it, so I am starting it over.

A word about the narration. While I was initially disappointed with his narration (sometimes his voice is nasal, sometimes the inflection he gives a sentence is less funny than it would have been on the page) it is overall a gain. I cannot tell you why. If you dislike his voice, stick with it. You'll be grateful you listened.

I'd love to travel with Bill Bryson

This is my 3rd Bill Bryson book and I'm dreading the day I run out of titles. Bryson is an engaging travel companion, with lots of interesting background about the places he's visiting, not to mention an always lively commentary on the places he's passing through. Having an author with a good voice reading his own work is a plus, and Bryson's voice is easy to listen to, conversational, often quite understated and wry.

You'll be glad this version is unabridged and feel as if you, too, were leaving Australia and a good friend behind when it ends.

An endless trip

I love Bill Bryson's books, and have read every one of them, except "A Short History of Nearly Everything." This was my first experience with his writing in audio format, and I think I may stick with his books from now on.

Bryson's dry sense of humor is charming, and really funny in a subtle way. However I found his accent annoying. That may just be a matter of taste, so it shouldn't stop someone from purchasing this audiobook.

The thing that was the biggest downfall of this book was its length. It's almost twelve hours long. That's a lot of obscure Australian history and museum descriptions. If I had been reading the book version, I probably would have skipped some of these parts.

Bryson's writing truly sparkles (and the amount of expression in his voice increases) when he is reading dialogue between himself and his traveling companions. Some of these conversations had me laughing right out loud.

If you've never read Bryson's work, you should consider it-you'll be happy you did.