English: A Story of Marmite, Queuing and Weather
Written by Ben Fogle
Narrated by Rupert Farley
3.5/5
()
About this audiobook
What makes the English English? Is it their eccentricity, their passionate love (or, indeed, hatred) of Marmite – or is it something less easily defined?
Beginning at the top of a muddy Gloucestershire slope at the Coopers Hill cheese-rolling contest and traversing a landscape of lawns and queues, coastlines and sporting arenas, Ben Fogle takes us on a journey through the peculiarly English: a country of wax jackets, cricket, boat races and jellied eels, by way of national treasures such as the shipping forecast, fish and chips and the Wellington boot. Not to mention the Dunkirk spirit of relentless optimism in the face of adversity, be it the heroic failure of Captain Scott’s doomed Antarctic expedition, or simply the perennial hope for better weather.
The archetypal Englishman – lover of labradors and Land Rovers yet holder of two passports – Ben applauds all things quintessentially English while also paying tribute to the history, culture and ideas adopted with such gusto that they have become part of the fabric of the country. Written with Ben’s trademark warmth and wit, this is a light-hearted yet touching tribute to all things English.
Ben Fogle
Ben Fogle is the author of several books including The Accidental Adventurer, The Crossing and Race to the Pole. He has presented numerous television programs, including the BBC's Animal Park, Countryfile and Extreme Dreams. Ben's sporting achievements include completing the gruelling 160-mile 'Marathon Des Sables' through the Sahara, and rowing across the Atlantic with double Olympic Gold Medallist James Cracknell, OBE.
More audiobooks from Ben Fogle
Land Rover: The Story of the Car that Conquered the World Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Labrador: The Story of the World’s Favourite Dog Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Mr Dog and the Rabbit Habit Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5
Related to English
Related audiobooks
Freewheeling through ireland Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5Now Then: A Biography of Yorkshire Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsClubland: How the working men’s club shaped Britain Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Britain Etc. Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Toxic Travel Guide: Ireland as You’ve Never Seen It Before Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsInspire: Life Lessons from the Wilderness Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5The Gran Tour: Travels with my Elders Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5A Van of One's Own: A Winter Sojourn Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Don't Come Back: A funny travel adventure of bad-tempered baboons, black magic, and breakups Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsWalk Sleep Repeat Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The End of the Road: A journey around Britain in search of the dead Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Not Tonight, Josephine: A Road Trip Through Small-Town America Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5The Nomad En Suite Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Planes, Trains and Toilet Doors: 50 Places That Changed British Politics Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5The Great North Road: London to Edinburgh – 11 Days, 2 Wheels and 1 Ancient Highway Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5One Life One Chance: A story of adrenalin and adventure in the most unforgiving places on earth. Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5More Ketchup than Salsa: Voted ‘Best Travel Narrative’ by the British Guild of Travel Writers Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Marmalade Diaries: The True Story of an Odd Couple Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Coasting: Running Around the Coast of Britain – Life, Love and (Very) Loose Plans Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5The Road to Innamincka: The Escapades of a Wannabe Outback Trucker Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Free Country: A Penniless Adventure the Length of Britain Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5The United States of Adventure: A life-changing journey by bike through every state of America Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Flanagan's Run Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Travels with Rachel: In Search of South America Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Campervan Kama Sutra: Outback Australia with a camper trailer, three kids and a dog* Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Becoming Forrest: One man's epic run across America Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Mad Travelers: A Tale of Wanderlust, Greed and the Quest to Reach the Ends of the Earth Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Last Days of the Bus Club Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5
Anthropology For You
A Billion Wicked Thoughts: What the World's Largest Experiment Reveals About Human Desire Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Guns, Germs and Steel: The Fates of Human Societies Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Will to Change: Men, Masculinity, and Love Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Bonk: The Curious Coupling of Science and Sex Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Power of Myth Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Sea People: The Puzzle of Polynesia Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Nothing to Envy: Ordinary Lives in North Korea Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Bullshit Jobs: A Theory Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Play: How it Shapes the Brain, Opens the Imagination, and Invigorates the Soul Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Generations: The History of America's Future, 1584 to 2069 Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Civilized To Death: The Price of Progress Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5A Brief History of Everyone Who Ever Lived: The Human Story Retold Through Our Genes Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Art of Community: Seven Principles for Belonging Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Why We Love: The New Science Behind Our Closest Relationships Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5They Thought They Were Free: The Germans, 1933-45 Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Ugly History of Beautiful Things: Essays on Desire and Consumption Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Rethinking Narcissism: The Bad-and Surprising Good-About Feeling Special Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Don't Sleep, There Are Snakes: Life and Language in the Amazonian Jungle Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Alphabet Versus the Goddess: The Conflict Between Word and Image Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Pleasures and Sorrows of Work Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5The Status Game: On Human Life and How to Play It Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5The Art of Making Memories: How to Create and Remember Happy Moments Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Utopia of Rules: On Technology, Stupidity, and the Secret Joys of Bureaucracy Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Precipice: Existential Risk and the Future of Humanity Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Heal Your Way Forward: The Co-Conspirator’s Guide to an Antiracist Future Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5
Related categories
Reviews for English
3 ratings1 review
- Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5An introductory text made up of essays by various writers. It would probably be considerable more useful (and interesting) in a course context than it is to the general reader. The multiple authorship creates a scattershot impression, and the frequent pauses for "activities" reminds one (as does the rather plodding prose) that this belongs in a classroom. There are several more engaging and better-written books on the topic. This does, however, have lots of useful information if you are determined to dig it out, so enthusiasts may want to look through it.