Product Description

His hilarious No.1 bestseller.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #868 in Books
• Published on: 1996-08-01
• Original language: English
• Binding: Paperback
• 259 pages

Amazon.co.uk Review
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: "I had recently read that 3.7 million Americans according to a Gallup poll, believed that they had been abducted by aliens at one time or another, so it was clear that my people needed me." That comic tone enlivens this account of Bryson's farewell walking tour of the countryside of "the green and kindly island that had for two decades been my home."

Synopsis
After nearly two decades in Britain, Bill Bryson, the acclaimed author of such bestsellers as "The Mother Tongue" and "Made in America", decided it was time to move back to the United States for a while. This was partly to let his wife and kids 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, a sort of valedictory tour of the green and kindly island that had so long been his home. His aim was to take stock of modern-day Britain, and to analyze what he loved so much about a country that had produced Marmite, zebra crossings, and place names like Farleigh Wallop, Titsey, and Shellow Bowells. With wit and irreverence, Bill Bryson presents the ludicrous and the endearing in equal measure. The result is a social commentary that conveys the true glory of Britain.

From the Publisher
England's favourite American's book about his adopted country: his hilarious No.1 bestseller.

Customer Reviews

Nostalgic For Me!
Needing to clear some space on my bookshelves I have decided to reacquaint myself with Bill Bryson's travel books before Bookcrossing them.
This one was first published in 1995 and the edition on my bookshelf in 1998. I enjoyed reading this travelogue of his tour of the good old UK, many places mentioned of which I have visited during my lifetime. The amusing and often irreverent descriptions of familiar places and British habits were in some cases painfully accurate!
Whilst one might not always agree with Bryson's viewpoint it is none the less an amusing read, though one must also accept that in some respects it is dated.
Certainly worth reading if you are at all interested in Great Britain but remember it was written over thirteen years ago and it has changed even more!
Re-reading this made me quite nostalgic at times especially the last few pages and his concluding comments. Currently living away from Great Britain it gave me an interesting reminder of the things, good and bad, that are unique to that small island where I am proud to say I was born.

The yardstick
This is one of Bryson's very best and cements his place as the don of travel writing.
The quality and density of his writing, brimming as it is with curious facts and gags, make him simply unbeatable when it comes to this kind of travelogue.
Bryson's greatest skill is that he makes us want to follow him around often-dull and familiar corners of Britain, Europe, Australia and America.
If you're not a fan of the genre, steer clear. But if you like his style this is a must-have.
For those looking for a starting point for this type of travel book, this is as good a place to start as any.

better than expected read
Having read the reviews, mostly anti - I finished reading this book and was pleasantly surprised. It seems to me that Bill Bryson was writing about his impressions, feelings, emotions, call it what you will, as he toured this island of ours, and it came over as a love/hate relationship until the end, when he makes it quite clear he loves the place and will be back. I tuned in to his kind of off beat humour quite early and loved it. Definitely a lot of snorts of laughter and a lot of 'yes, recognise that' too.
An enjoyable read.