In a Sunburned Country by Bill Bryson
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Book Reviews of In a Sunburned Country
Book Review: One of Bryson's best books
Summary: 5 Stars
Bryson's best book is "Notes From a Small Island," about traveling in Great Britain. It's one of the funniest books I've read. The British are funny, and Bryson knows them well after living in Britain for 20+ years.His book about Australia, "In a Sunburned Country," is also entertaining. He studied Australian history, met many interesting locals, etc. After reading it, I feel like an expert on Australia and its people.
His book about Europe, "Neither Here Nor There," isn't so good. The problem is that he speaks no languages other than English. He didn't talk to anyone on this trip. Wwithout any characters (other than Bryson) the book isn't engaging. The book has only one joke, which he repeats: "The waiter/hotel clerk/taxi driver didn't speak English so I tried to make him understand that I needed..." Some of these moments are quite funny, but they don't constitute a book. Bryson didn't study the places he visits. Unlike the Australian book, you learn almost nothing about the countries he visited.
Bryson's book about America, "I'm a Stranger Here Myself," failed to make me laugh. It reads like a series of Erma Bombeck columns. Bryson comments about various aspects of his life in a small town in New England. Not other people's lives, which might have been interesting, but only about his domestic life.
I got only a few chapters into his book about the Appalachian Trail, "A Walk in the Woods." I wasn't amused that two people with no backpacking experience would attempt a six-month hike. After several chapters of Bryson repeating one joke -- "I know nothing about any of this!" -- I stopped reading.
This suggests that the old advice "write about what you know" is worth following. It also made me realize that traveling is only enjoyable if you do two things: meet interesting people, preferably by speaking their language; and studying the area you're visiting.
Review by Thomas David Kehoe, author of "Hearts and Minds: How Our Brains Are Hardwired for Relationships"
Book Review: Amusing book gets past the Aussie stereotype
Summary: 5 Stars
Bill Bryson in this popular book (note: in some countries, it is published under the name "Down Under") explores Australia, from the resort beaches of Queensland to cosmopolitan Sydney to the treeless Nullarbor Plain to the distant city of Perth near the Indian Ocean coast. While he looks seriously at Australia's problems, he makes it a delight.
On a recent trip to Oz, I made a point of having this book with me (it was commonly for sale at airport bookstands down there) and comparing what I saw with what he wrote. Not only was it all accurate, but there seemed to be some response to his writings (the radio-based School of the Air for distance learning in Alice Springs, which Bryson noted had almost no Aboriginal students due to lack of "responsible" parents, made a point of telling tourists that Aboriginals generally lived in groups on the huge stations, and the Territory government would send them a nurse and teacher, leaving the School with no role)
But there's no doubt Bryson captured the spirit of Australia. He captures the general politeness of the Australians--and also their occaisonal surliness, especially when a rule (however misguided) is involved. He captures the beauty of the countryside, and also the beauty of the manmade habitations, such as the lovely city of Adelaide or the spectacular views of Sydney Harbor.
Bryson's view on Australian history is deadly accurate, from the First Fleet (those who disembarked from it seemed to survive in spite of themselves) to the slaughter of Aboriginals to Federation, which brought together a group of disparate colonies which had insisted on having their own individual train gauges!--to Harold Holt, the Prime Minister who went swimming one day near Melbourne and was never seen again.
While in Australia, I saw posters for Qantas for "the Spirit of Australia"--lines of white-uniformed kids. This book has done a far better job of distilling that spirit.
Highly recommended.
Book Review: Bill Bryson Rides Again
Summary: 5 Stars
Readers of Bill Bryson are familiar with his quirky and reflective sense of humor. Be prepared to grip your sides and have tears come to your eyes as Bryson describes the rudeness hotel staff in Darwin, his fear of the ocean in Sydney, and fear of the potently dangerous Australian animals in the outback. Australia has long been regarded by the world as mysterious, unusual, and generally forgotten. Bryson brings Australia to the top of the world as he examines Australian phenomenon in-depth. How could a non-govenment atom bomb blow up in the desert unnoticed? How can a prime minister disappear into the surf never to be seen again, and for that matter, why would Melbourne name a municipal swimming pool after him? Why are meat pies, although full of fat, gravy, and are generally unappealing, such a big hit with the Aussie population. Who are these mysterious Australians and how did Australia become such a prosperous nation when the settlers were convicts ranging from age 8-72, and had virtually no skills that would contribute to making any economy at all? Bryson bravely delves into these questions and more, and answers them with the whole hearted, candid style that is uniquely his own.
Although this book is incredibly funny, it is also very insightful. Only Bill Bryson could describe Australia in such a colorful light. He covers subjects such as Australian history and Austrialian historians views of Australian history, what it meant to be an Australian fifty years ago and what it means today, travel and tourism, and much, much more.
This book is essential for anyone who has ever had a love affair with the mysterious land down under. I can't find the words to accurately praise this book. All I can say is I recommend 110%. Whether or not you have ever gone to Oz, or whether or not you plan on going, if you are looking for information about Australia far beyond what is offered in the typical narrative or travel guide, this book is for you.
Book Review: Frühstück mit Kängurus ....
Summary: 5 Stars
source: http://www.nytimes.com/books/first/b/bryson-sunburned.html
excerpt: (C) 2000 Bill Bryson All rights reserved. ISBN: 0-7679-0385-4
It is the home of the largest living thing on earth, the Great Barrier Reef, and of the largest monolith, Ayers Rock (or Uluru to use its now-official, more respectful Aboriginal name). It has more things that will kill you than anywhere else. Of the world's ten most poisonous snakes, all are Australian. Five of its creatures--the funnel web spider, box jellyfish, blue-ringed octopus, paralysis tick, and stonefish--are the most lethal of their type in the world. This is a country where even the fluffiest of caterpillars can lay you out with a toxic nip, where seashells will not just sting you but actually sometimes go for you. Pick up an innocuous cone shell from a Queensland beach, as innocent tourists are all too wont to do, and you will discover that the little fellow inside is not just astoundingly swift and testy but exceedingly venomous. If you are not stung or pronged to death in some unexpected manner, you may be fatally chomped by sharks or crocodiles, or carried helplessly out to sea by irresistible currents, or left to stagger to an unhappy death in the baking outback. It's a tough place.
Oh yes, I read it, also the German version Frühstück mit Kängurus, both several times. And I will have to warn you: First you will read a lot about a lot of things, events and facts you never never knew before, and secondly: You schouln'd read this book in public places (like buses, trolly, metro, libraries etc). You outbursting laughter will make people worried about your well being.
You will not be able to narrate from this book to your family or as a teacher to your students. At least not continuously for more than 3 minutes. Bill Bryson is not a clown, he is very serious ..... me too.
Book Review: Fantastic - that's all I'm saying...
Summary: 5 Stars
A fun re-read from one of my favorite authors, Bill Bryson. Any book that Bryson pens is sure to lead to uncontrollable laughter, snorts, chortles or gaffaws, so plan your reading time accordingly. Not recommended reading material for mime class, funerals, or anywhere quiet, confined and where you will be surrounded by strangers - trust me on this. Even your own family members (*ehem* teenage daughters) might have a tendency to think you finally, irrevocably lost it and look warily at you as if you have become possessed by demons or body odor.
But I digress. Anyway, Bryson makes the land Down Under come alive to armchair travellers everywhere, and if you're not aching to call your travel agent by the time you finish this book, then I don't think you have an adventurous bone in your body.
Australia is a big country, filled with stranger and larger then life flora and fauna then one can possibly imagine. In Bryson's deft and sarcastic way, he manages to poke fun of and fulsomely praise this place at the same time. This is a land where prime ministers go missing forever and no one else in the world knows it, where deadly critters line up on land and in the sea awaiting the unsuspecting human to stumble upon them, where some Australian cities are often closer to other countries then they are to each other and where you can travel 1,500 miles along a rugged, scenic coast highway and pass only 2 other cars...
Bryson brings this land, its history, its people and its magnificence to vivid life. You'll laugh, you'll gape in wonder, and you'll sigh that you either weren't born there or don't have the money to get there to see for yourself. Count me as both!