In a Sunburned Country by Bill Bryson
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Book Reviews of In a Sunburned Country
Book Review: very fun travel book on Australia
Summary: 5 Stars
This was a delightful book, one that I read within two days and left me just salivating for not only for more from Bill Bryson, truly one of the best travel writers and one of the finest humorists writing these days, but for more on Australia! Just as Bryson says at the end of his travels in Australia he wanted to push one to just one more destination, I too wanted him to do that, and will be sure to find more interesting books to read on that wonderful country (and continent). Bryson says it best when he writes that not only the many interesting bits of human and natural history but the entire country itself are often "unaccountably overlooked." His travels throughout the tropics, deserts, and cities of Australia show that it is a "preposterously outsized" country completely filled with "unappreciated wonders." Bryson clearly loves Australia (and says so numerous times) and goes to great pains to show us the real Australia, the Australia off the beaten path as it were, many times an Australia that many Australians themselves never see, doing so with respect, humor, and a sense of wonder.
What are some of these "unappreciated wonders" you may ask? Did you know that in 1967 prime minister Harold Holt was strolling along the beach in Victoria and vanished without a trace, his body never found? I've never read about that anywhere! Or that a large-scale disturbance was recorded by seismographs on May 28, 1993 in the Great Victoria Desert of Western Australia, one that may have been the results of an atomic explosion detonated by the Japanese cult Aum Shinrinkyo? The country is so vast and the deserts so remote and exceedingly hard to survive in that the it was four years before the explosion was ever investigated. News about Australia he notes so rarely reaches the outside world; it is almost as if it were on its own planet.
Australia as you probably know is home to a great deal of interesting wildlife. Thought not really a natural history writer Bryson does cover some of these interesting animals, some in some detail, such as the box jellyfish (most deadly jellyfish in the world, so awful that victims have been known to scream even when rendered unconscious), the cassowary (flightless, man-sized bird of the rain forests armed with a razor-sharp claw on each foot), the blue-ringed octopus ("whose caress is instant death"), salt water crocodiles (which do occasionally he notes attack boats and even eat people), twelve-foot long earth worms, wombats, the platypus, the dromedary camel (gone feral in the Outback, only place in the world where it can be found in the wild), and the taipan (Australia's deadliest snake). Interesting organisms are not limited to the animal kingdom, as Bryson visits the stromatolites of Shark Bay in Western Australia (essentially living rocks colonized by cyanobacteria, an example of life that was dominant on Earth 3.5 billion years ago) and the karri (the sequoia of Australia, with can be up to 250 feet high and 50 feet around, found in the forests with the jarrah tree, nearly as large).
Bryson though is at his best when he tours the cities, towns, and hole-in-the wall places of Australia, from Perth to Sydney to Melbourne to Alice Springs and beyond. In Australia's capital, Canberra, he finds a very unusual city, one with such a huge amount of space devoted to landscaping that it was essentially one "extremely large park with city hidden in it," though he did note that it was quite an achievement to virtually hide a city of 330,000 among so many trees, meadows, and lakes. While there he tries to make sense of Australia's national politics, a subject he finds nearly hopelessly confusing (not aided by the fact that little news get out about Australia to aid one in tracking it), though does appreciate the more colorful language used by some in Parliament House (such as the phrases hopeless nong and mangy maggot). He visits both Sydney (home to its famous harbor, Harbour Bridge, and the Opera House) and Melbourne, two cities that forever are to be rivals within Australia, cities that have competed for hosting the Olympic games and are the butts of each other's jokes. He marvels at Alice Springs, a city that is literally nearly thousands of miles down desert highway in the barren interior yet is a major city complete with K-Marts and thriving on tourism from Ayers Rock. He visits Perth, the most remote large city on Earth, built on the fabulous mineral wealth of Western Australia, a city somewhat closer to Singapore than it is to Sydney. Bryson revels at the glorious late 1950s feel of some areas of rural Australia (a feeling extending even to the music seemingly favored on the radio) and the punishing heat and bewildering solitude of the desert.
Bryson covers a lot of territory not only in terms of geography but also culture and history, discussing Australia's views of their country, its fascination with outlaw "heroes" from its past such as Ned Kelly, their views on government, the sport of cricket, Australian immigration and multiculturalism, the history of the exploration of its desert interior as well as its early settlement, and the story of the Aborigines, both their origins and the history of how they were treated (and are being treated) by White Australia.
A great book, I really recommend it.
Book Review: Proud to be an Aussie
Summary: 5 Stars
My first foray into the world of Bill Bryson's work has left an indelible mark on me - i am in love with it, and cannot get enough of it. It's hard enough to try to get to know and write about a such a great expanse of land when you're not Australian -but Bryson for the most part successfully does so. As an Australian who has lived in the US for the past 8 years, I cannot say i would be able to write as comprehensively and accurately about his country as he has about mine!
A sharp wit combined with a wonderful sense of humor made this a real page turner; Bryson accurately captures the essence and feeling of Australia - he comes not only to appreciate and understand us, but in the little pub in Daly Waters, I believe he becomes one of "us." Bryson captures all the beauty, irony, sadness, history, and geography that makes up this beautiful place I call home, and his gentle blend of fact and humor and anecdote makes this an unforgettable read. To elaborate: his ability to point out the inherent irony in "losing a prime minister" and subsequently naming a public swimming pool after a man who drowned is something that has always baffled me too, and i'm Australian! Or the fact that our national volume of history is only written up to the year 1935 made me question just how "modern" Australia really is. Bryson reports several times throughout that "it feels like 1951" - and that was interesting to learn, given that it is his American perspective. So too, i can similarly say as much about America when i see an antiquated wood-panelled wagon pass me on the most advanced road system in the world, or people signing checks at the supermarket check out (checks are no longer in use in Australia), which makes Bryson's alien perspecitve on Australia all the more interesting!
I enjoyed how Bryson gently touched on sensitive points too - our general lack of confidence and identity for example - i never knew how confused we were, when Bryson accurately noted that we're not sure if we're brits or yanks, even in the green room!
My only criticisms would extend to Bryson's implication that aussies are "self absorbed" - something which I would strongly argue as false, given that much more international news reaches Australia's four paltry television stations than it does any of the 400+ cable tv/news media in the US.
Another point of contention: the implication that Australia tends to exist on the peripheries of the planet, outside of the "known world"(p238). I personally found this to be offensive. Bryson's claims that "[in Australia] it is easy to forget....that there is a world out there" (p239) is blatantly untrue; in fact, i find that most Australians are very much engaged in world affairs both internally and abroad, and I would go so far as to say that I think they are more well informed on most international matters than are Americans. I tend to think it is Americans who are more "disconnected," to quote Bryson here, and it is not the implied "distance" which is the cause, but a very controlled and closed media. The reason you don't hear anything about Australia in the US is simply because it is not of interest, it is not reported. Every Australian knows the name of the US President or the capital; however, ask the average American who is Australia's Prime Minister or where Canberra is and all you will get is a blank look in return. My only other quibble is that of the voice; i'm puzzled why Bryson would lend an Australian tone and slang to a book written from an obvoiusly American perspective? I would have prefered to hear "sweater" not jumper etc etc. as this lends to the authenticity of the author's work.
Overall, a beautifully written, comprehensive and detailed account of Van Diemans Land. Bryson sure has done a lot of hard homework in between beers, and it, as well as his love for Australia shows. Further, i am sure all Australians will be thankful to him for many years to come for documenting this place I call home.
(This review is also under Bill Bryon's "Down Under" - same book, different title and cover)
Book Review: I HAVE TO SAY THAT I ENJOYED EVER WORD OF THIS ONE
Summary: 5 Stars
There is one thing about Bill Bryson; you either like him or you don't. Just reading the reviews here on Amazon and several other sites prove that. It is not just this work in question though; it is all of his work. I note that drifting from site to site that he, Bryson, has a small cadre of "haters," and all of their reviews sound sort of the same. And this is book after book....same reviewers, different books. You would think that after a few reads, and that if you found you did not like a particular author, then you would simply ignore his work. Not so with this author...go figure. This small group seems to hound his every work. Anyway, I personally like his books. I grant you I like some better than others, but that is only natural to my way of thinking. This work being reviewed here is one of his books that I particularly enjoyed.
To begin with we need to look at what this book is not. First, it is not an anthropological study of the Aborigine tribes of Australia. Yes, he does address them and their historical and tragic plight, but this is hardly the purpose of the book and no, he does not interview any of them. Secondly, this is not an all encompassing travel guide to all of the thousands of places to visit in this wonderful country. That would be an impossible task in a volume of this size. Thirdly, this is not a rough and tumble survivor type of trip (or series of trips, as the case is here) made by an intrepid survival type guy roughing it in the Outback...hey folks, this is Bryson. A cold beer, swimming pool and a good meal are relished by this guy.
What this work is, is a rather amusing and at times downright funny account of the author's trip, or to be precise, "trips" through various parts of the largest island country in the world. His travels, tribulations, adventures and encounters with various individuals are told in his normal understated and humorous style. I think one of the strong points of Bryson's writing is the ability to make fun of himself and to recognize his own short comings as a traveler, and indeed, a human being.
Unlike his work `A Walk in the Woods,' the author has kept his caustic remarks about the people he encounters to a minimum and only dealt out his understated sarcasms when they were richly deserved. The author has the ability to articulate, in a very funny and amusing way, what many of us are actually thinking when we encounter rude hotel staff member, encounter bad meals and or are bored to distraction with a place or area.
The author has filled his work with wonderful bits of trivial and not so trivial history, pieces of information we normally would not be exposed to without a great amount of research, and I must say I picked up a wealth of knowledge of geography, plants, animals, history, fish, snakes, insects, plants, minerals and people through reading this work. Yes, I know that some find his including these bits and pieces of his research into his work annoying and less than honest, but for me this is one of his strengths in presenting a very readable and interesting subject. Of all his works, this one included, I have yet to find an inaccuracy in his reporting, and I can assure you that I have made plenty of spot checks.
For a light read that is bound to entertain you, unless you are in the "I hate Bryson" camp, I cannot think of a better way to spend several evenings. On the other hand, if you have found a number of his books to not be up to your standards, then I suggest you skip this one. I personally eagerly await each and every book the man works on.
Don Blankenship
The Ozarks
Book Review: Of Box Jellyfish, Stromatolites, and a Fabulous Country
Summary: 5 Stars
I'm always amazed how my ten-year old can finish a book and then turn back to the first page and read it again, and then once she's done that start it all over again. Bill Bryson is one of the few authors--and this goes especially for travel writers--whose works I could take pleasure in reading again.
IN A SUNBURNED COUNTRY, which chronicles two visits to Australia Bryson made to write this book (a new appendix covers Bryson's additional visit to Sydney to report on the 2000 Summer Games), begins in Sydney, follows him out through the Blue Mountains and south to the national capital district of Canberra, onward to Adelaide and Sydney's rival sister Melbourne, and then north to Surfers Paradise near Brisbane (with many side trips, of course). After a hiatus in the States, he returns to Australia to travel in Queensland, first visiting the Great Barrier Reef and then flying to Darwin. He travels overland to Alice Springs and makes a quick pilgrimage to Uluru, a.k.a. Ayers Rock. Finally, he flies to Western Australia to Perth, and drives eight hours up to Shark Bay.
Of course, it's Bryson's stories told on the way, containing a luxuriant dose of good humor, that carries the book. Among these stories include the "mysterious seismic disturbance" in the remote Australian outback that some attributed to the Aum Shinrikyo cult (p. 4), the drowning of an Aussie Prime Minister, Harold Holt (p. 143), the massacre of Aborigines at Myall Creek (p. 191), the deaths of a pair of Yankee scuba divers at the Great Barrier Reef (pp. 217-218), Cyclone Tracy's devastation of Darwin (pp. 230-231), and the continued existence of the Great Daddy of us all, the stromatolites, descendants of the first living Earth organisms 3.5 billion years ago now living their lives in retirement off the western coast of Australia (pp. 298-299). That's just a sprinkling of the stories; there are also the accounts of the flora and fauna, giant and (re the stromatolites) tiny, benign and deadly (witness the box jellyfish that delivers an excruciatingly painful death).
As in A WALK IN THE WOODS, Bryson is at his best when he is traveling with someone. This is especially true in the section on Queensland, when his traveling companion is UK television producer Allan Sherwin. The banter is always funny; it's as if to be really on his game Bryson needs a foil. Overall, though, Bryson is not quite as acerbic in temperament as in NOTES FROM A SMALL ISLAND. It's true that he doesn't suffer fools gladly, whether they be benighted journalists or just plain stupid hotel clerks. He's the kind of guy you want to travel with because he'll say what you're thinking. Besides, he loves a good pub.
IN A SUNBURNED COUNTRY celebrates the majesty of Australia and the wonderful friendliness of its people. Nonetheless, Bryson doesn't shy away from Australia's shameful treatment of its Aborigines. He is an honest traveler, which makes his overall joy in Australia all the more genuine.
Book Review: Better than a herd of echidnas!
Summary: 5 Stars
Two words come to mind after I've closed the covers of this book... Hilarious and Informative. And Bryson wastes no time at getting to the hilarious stuff. A few pages into the first chapter he describes how he went into a jet-lag induced coma during a sightseeing tour of Sydney. I was reading this in a public place and laughed for about five minutes without breathing... seriously, tears and all! It was very therapeutic for me. Every few pages he again says something undeniably witty, and this makes the book a joy to read. I loved every minute of it.On the informative side, I felt that the book covered as much of "habitable" Australia as possible. It seems very thorough, I followed along with an actual travel guide, cross-referencing and reading further about every site that Bryson mentioned here. I was not aware of the incredible vastness of this country, it's almost unbelievable. 23,000 miles of coastline! Having driven the length and breadth of Canada many times (always with an eye to the odometer), I tried to gauge what is comparably going on here in the Sunburned Country... wow, Australia is crazy man! Keep a gas can and canteen handy if you're driving through...
And secondly, I was not aware of the political history of this land and the diversity of living creatures (including trees) that call Australia home. Now I know. Bryson's book is not only a personal travelogue, but it's also a regurgitation (maybe that word is a bit too vomit-like, but you know what I mean) of a lot of obvious research and study on his part.
Bryson is the intrepid wanderer. He is always more curious, and walking a bit further into things than anyone else. And at times, he's so well-researched that he helps out the tour-guides! He demonstrates a respect for the country and for the living things there (including the people). Towards the end of the journey, he is on one of his rambling jaunts, this time in King's Park in Perth. There in front of him, an echidna ambles across the path, and just as quietly disappears into the undergrowth. Bryson says, "I couldn't have been more thrilled." This is the spirit with which he travels, and writes. He is ever ready for amazement, and I know his interest in the natural beauty of things is infectious, because I caught it! About the echidna incident, he says "In a country filled with exotic and striking life-forms my high point was finding a harmless, animated pincushion in a city park." This attitude is consistent with what he considers one of Australia's "most amazing wonders of all"... the living prehistoric stromatolite beds at Shark Bay on the Western Australian coast. These aquatic growths are virtually unchanged from how they existed 3.5 billion years ago. Bryson again... "Now, if that is not an exciting thought, I don't know what is."
Me neither.
This book is an unqualified gem, and should be read by everyone who has already been, or has not yet been, to Australia!