Notes from a Small Island

By: Bill Bryson

Narrated by: Bill Bryson

Length: 5 hrs and 39 mins

Publisher's summary

Bill Bryson is an unabashed Anglophile who, through a mistake of history, happened to be born and bred in Iowa. Righting that error, he spent 20 years in England before deciding to repatriate. This was partly to let his wife and children experience life in Bryson's homeland - and partly because he had read that 3.7 million Americans believed that they had been abducted by aliens at one time or another. It was thus clear to him that his people needed him. But before leaving his much-loved home in North Yorkshire, Bryson insisted on taking one last trip around Britain. His aim was to take stock of modern-day Britain, and to analyze what he loved so much about a country that produced Marmite, zebra crossings, and place names like Farleigh Wallop, Titsey, and Shellow Bowells.

©1998 Bill Bryson (P)1998 Bantam Doubleday Dell Audio Publishing, Bantam Doubleday Dell, A Division of Random House Inc.

Crackin' yarn, lad!

My path and Mr. Bryson's were reversed - I grew up in Yorkshire and have spent the last twenty years living in the US. This may not be the best guide book to the UK, but as a love letter to a wonderfully imperfect but perfectly wonderful place, I thought he nailed it. I got "the look" from my wife several times because I was laughing too loudly. I enjoyed this more than "A Walk In The Woods" and "I'm a Stranger Here Myself".

Idiocyncrasies of Anglophiles

Bryson writes so well that you regret the need to put his books down. His descriptions of the UK are right on, and his love of the place and of his family touch the reader in an unprepared for way. If you are traveling to the UK read this book, if you have ever traveled to the UK read this book, if you never intend to go anyway near the UK, read this book.

The Abridged Version, Alas

Love Bill Bryson, only knocking off a star because I didn't realize this was the abridged version of the book until I started listening

typically satisfyiing bryson

While not my favorite of Bryson's books, still worth the listen. In the early part of the book, Bryson;s narration was a bit weak. Almost halfway in, it picked up in spirit, and carried us on.

I may be biased, but....

As a Brit living in the US, I absolutely love this heartwarming and hilarious account of Bill Bryson's trek around our beautiful island. I laughed and cried and laughed again, and having read the paperback twice and now listened to the audiobook, I want to go home ❤️.

Enjoyable travelogue through Britain

As a person who hates to travel, I enjoyed this book. Bill Bryson would be an ideal travel companion who views being stranded in uncomfortable places with nothing to see or do as interesting experiences he can view with humor.

Bored

Boring. Hard to get through. He just seems like he's trying to enjoy himself but doesn't. I do not recommend this book.

Disappointed

Perhaps if the narration had been done by a professional who could make English accents come alive, it might have been more amusing and then, possibly worth the purchase. As it was, Bryson's beleaguered, monotone delivery left much to be desired. In addition, the author's penchant for references to condoms, sperm, ejaculation, etc. added absolutely nothing to the narrative and did not endear me to this particular author.

yawn

I agree with the previous reviewer "hatchling". And I would add that the real issue here is not that Bryson's mood was that of disappointment, but that he failed to relate that mood in an entertaining or philosophic way - and I think that the ability to do this is the most important feature of his other works. He is just going through the motions in this piece. I absolutely loved A Walk In The Woods and I will now try Sundburned Country based on hatchling's recomendation.