• In a Sunburned Country

  • By: Bill Bryson
  • Narrated by: Bill Bryson
  • Length: 11 hrs and 54 mins
  • 4.5 out of 5 stars (6,276 ratings)

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In a Sunburned Country  By  cover art

In a Sunburned Country

By: Bill Bryson
Narrated by: Bill Bryson
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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)

What listeners say about In a Sunburned Country

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Terrific book!

Funny and fun listening to Bryson
Makes me want to go back to Australia asap!

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Honorary (and Sunburnt) Aussie

Australians like to laugh at themselves and are fiercely proud of all manner of hyperbolic descriptions of our country. It’s a surprise and a genuine pleasure to have a non-Australian with such obvious affection for his sights, interactions and experiences, take the piss out of us (for the same things that we laugh at ourselves) and in the same breath express wonder at just how lucky we are for what we have and for what no one outside of Australia seems to know about. And so funny (but so embarrassing to laugh out loud on the bus multiple times on the same journey). My eyes are well-opened to many previously unknown (to me) wonders and atrocities, both historical and ongoing. Please accept the designation of Honorary Aussie, Bill Bryson. Thank you for your diligence, for the laughs and for the education.

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Always good to listen to Bill

I’m Australian and had a good laugh at a lot of the descriptions. The only thing that I found a little grating was the mispronunciation of a lot of people and place names. I feel there should have been more effort to get that right.

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You will wish you were along for the ride.

Excellent book. Tourists often go to the flashy, designed-for- tourists spots. Bill B. takes you to the lesser-know but delightful things to see, much of it on foot. I did not really have a desire to go to Australia until listening to this book. Now I find myself looking to see how to retire to Australia.

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Very good, but…

This was a really witty and fun book to listen to, but there were a few very unnecessary bits of language (f bombs) that not only were unnecessary (I frankly never think they are), but didn’t really even fit. Can’t give five stars for that reason.

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A view of Australia like no other

What a truly excellent book! I will admit it took me a bit to get rolling with this book, maybe it was other books I had recently read and/or listened to, maybe it was my expectation that this would be a bit more like “a walk in the woods”. After finishing this book I am happy to say that it is Bill Bryson’s best expulsion! Download!? Word dump!??

I’m not a writer but this is an excellent read/listen! I have looked forward to the time I could spend in this book and am sad it is done. I have a new appreciation for Australia and 1000 new subjects I want to purse! Thank you Bill for such a great telling of your adventures and stimulating my interest in subjects I have either passed over or had no idea they existed at all!

…yeah read this

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brilliant Bryson, with some gaps

Bryson as always, flawless content and side tracking. though was expecting more on aboriginal Australians. felt somewhat avoided, otherwise travel literature at its best

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As is typical of Bill Bryson, it is absolutely wonderful!

First of all let me confess my adoration for Bill Bryson. I love his descriptive, witty and thoughtful accounts of his travel experiences. He also makes me laugh, a lot!
In a Sunburned Country is equal parts information, cultural appreciation, and hilarity. His ability to draw attention to the little details and make one feel as if they are along for the ride are unparalleled. I have never been to Australia, and thanks to Bill I now know that if I never make it there I will have done something very wrong with my life.

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ahhh Bill

loved it. I do hope I find another Australia book to confirm the flavors of Australia are still the same cause I sure don't get news about Australia in my big metropolitan western city. I am so happy that Bill Bryson wrote AND read this to me. I love an interactive book that brings me to laughing hard enough to wonder if the neighbors heard.

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Really enjoyable, interesting book, funny too!

This is a great book, and I was especially happy that Bill Bryson was the narrator. He has a very dry sense of humor peculiar to him, and no other narrator can ever do it justice. I did find some sections, especially around the middle, a little tedious, but for the most part it was very interesting, and there are lots of really hilarious accounts of things that happened to him. I really appreciate an author that can make me burst out laughing uncontrollably. So rare! Most authors seem to think they need to be depressing to be taken seriously or to be interesting. Not to say there are not depressing observations he makes of Australian life: the massive destruction of local habitats, species going extinct, and the Aborigines being reduced to a non-existence, just so European descendents can live in boring, culture-less suburbs that sprawl for miles, with strip malls that provide you with globally available clothing and home furnishing stores, etc. I learned a lot of history that I didn't know before. However, I couldn't help wondering how much depth and how much truth we were getting since after all, he was a brief visitor, and a lot of it is just his opinions about how things are there. I wonder what Australians think about the book. Also, it seemed odd to me that, though Bryson did a lot of pondering about how Aborigines were treated, and explored some of their history, he didn't seem to make any effort to meet with any who could tell him what their perspective was. You just hear what Bryson's perspective of the Aborigines was from brief observation, and from talking to Whites and from books he read. Other than these details, I really enjoyed the book and it really made me want to visit.

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