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Ebook384 pages5 hours
Notes From a Big Country
By Bill Bryson
Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
4/5
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About this ebook
When an old friend asked him to write a weekly dispatch from New Hampshire for the Mail on Sunday's Night and Day magazine, Bill Bryson firmly turned him down. So firm was he, in fact, that gathered here are nineteen months' worth of his popular columns about the strangest of phenomena -- the American way of life.Whether discussing the dazzling efficiency of the garbage disposal unit, the mind-boggling plethora of methods by which to shop, the exoticism of having your groceries bagged for you, or the jaw-slackening direness of American TV, Bill Bryson brings his inimitable brand of bemused wit to bear on the world's richest and craziest country.
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Reviews for Notes From a Big Country
Rating: 3.7724304883088635 out of 5 stars
4/5
1,839 ratings64 reviews
- Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5A collection of columns Bryson wrote for a British paper on living in the US after moving back to the states from the UK 20 years after leaving. Some laugh-aloud moments and several witty bits, but overall it's not my favorite of Bryson's work. Read straight through, there's just a little too much grousing for my tastes, and it makes Bryson seem more sanctimonious than I hope he actually is.
- Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Typical hilarious Bryson. These were actually originally published as a weekly newspaper article but work in this book as loosely related essays. My favorite is actually Bryson's commencement address, which has ten simple, funny and true rules for people to live by. The vast majority of the chapters made me laugh until I cried, but when I reached the last page, I just cried.
- Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Bill Bryson is one of the funniest and most erudite writers going around, so obviously I grabbed "Notes From a Big Country" (as it was called then) as soon as I saw it. A series of amusing essays written upon his return to the US following some decades in the UK but it obvious that they were originally published elsewhere and there was no great central thread holding everything together.Still, a disjointed Bryson is far better than most travel writers in top form.
- Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5Mr. Bryson gives the reader a variety of short vignettes (70+) based on his coming back to America after 20 years in Great Britain. Interesting, humorous, and with a bit of cut at times. Worth the read, but not of the caliber of some of his other works.
- Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5I like Bryson. He is a soothing and funny bedtime read.
However, it was really distracting to read "oriental person". Spent the rest of the evening not paying attention to the material but wondering about the editor, and if people Bryson's age all say that, and how it happens that generations get so out of step. We are now all strangers to the nation Bryson describes now that so much time has passed. Whatever you can't accomplish with geography, you might try with time. - Rating: 2 out of 5 stars2/5Uncharacteristically cranky.
- Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5Would be better to own, than to read straight through. Love Bill Bryson, but if trying to read in time to return to the library, it gets a little old. Good for breakfast readings.
- Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Bill Bryson is so funny - I just love his writing. This one I could really relate to - from growing up as an expat and then coming "home".
- Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5While I love Bill Bryson's humor and his attention to quirky details, I found this one rather disappointing. Part of it was the nature of this book. When moved back to the US after spending 20 years in England (bringing back with him his English wife and their children), a London newspaper convinced him to write a weekly column on his adventures stateside. I think the weekly deadlines and their specified length limits constrained him from doing his best work.Don't get me wrong. This isn't a bad book; it simply isn't up to what I construe to be the man's standards.
- Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5This book is a series of humorous essays written for a London newspaper by Bill Bryson, an American who has recently been living in England where he married and began a family. Now he has returned to America and is sending "letters" back to England about his experiences. And how bizarre we sometimes are.
- Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5I don't think Bryson is for everyone, and not really for me. If you like his style and humour, fine. I personally did find several of his jokes funny, and some facts are also very well-researched. However, what really got me after several of his not-written-for-a-book articles here is ultimately Mr Bryson's anal and whiny personality, that comes out in the long term. A bit too annoying hearing about him correcting everyone he meets about the most useless details.
- Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5This is a collection of essays that humorist Bill Bryson wrote after returning to the US more than 15 years ago. The articles were originally published in England, and written for that audience, in some cases trying to make Brits feel a little better about themselves at the expense of American idiocy. And there is no shortage of that...many essays struck me as Leno "Jay Walking" bits or Seinfeld comedy routines. He writes about everything -- from the driving distances on road trips in this country, to food traditions, to holiday chores like decorating the house. He talks about technology as someone with a love-hate relationship, at once probably a rather astute user but also identifying with the tech-challenged elderly. This collection was published nearly 15 years ago, and it strikes me how what was amusing anecdotes back then have blown to tragic proportions and are no longer funny (our national disregard for energy conservation and pollution control, the cost of college among other things). Sure, some of the essays seemed dated, but by and large I found It entertaining and probably no less relevant today.
- Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5This collection of articles written about America for a British newspaper in the 1990s are dated but still mildly entertaining.
- Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5After living in Britain for some time, Bill Bryson and his family moved to the small town of Hanover, New Hampshire. While there, he wrote articles for a weekly column in a periodical back in England about living in America. About 70 of these articles are collected here, infused with Bryson's trademark wit and humor.I enjoyed dipping into this collection from time to time, laughed aloud at some, scratched my head at others, and was gratified to find out that no less a personage than Bill Bryson is as absentminded as I am. The very nature of articles - being short and on a variety of topics - made me a little ambivalent. Not so much that I liked some better than others, which is always true in this type of collection, but because I'd just get a little tired of reading the same arc of storytelling too many times in a row. I probably would've loved it as a weekly column; for pleasure reading, I could only read a few at a time. Personally, I prefer Bryson's book length works, but for someone who's not sure where to start, it does give you a glimpse of his sense of humor and writing style.
- Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5After having lived in England for about twenty years of his life, Bill Bryson returns to the United States, his home country. He is asked to write a column for The Mail on Sunday and this is basically what this book is: a collection of his articles. Bryson writes about the war on drugs, the sense of the death penalty, traveling by plane, commercials, computers, the laziness of people, post offices in the UK and the US, Thanksgiving, Christmas, and many more topics. On the whole, his articles can be regarded as a collection of witty remarks about the American way of life. While there are probably many books that do the same, the perspective of this one is what makes it special since it is written by an American, who is heavily influenced by British culture and only remembers the America of the late 1970s and early 1980sWhile it is easily possible to read and enjoy this book one article at a time, I found myself captured by Bryson's wit and read the whole book in just three sittings. Quite often, I found myself laughing out loud, which is what I liked about the book. Notes from a Big Country is the perfect book for a leisurely read. Although the articles where published between 1996 and 1998, the book does not lose its charm. Having said that, some parts of the book are not completely new and ground-breaking and it may seem that some stories have been used by comedians over the globe for several years now. So, when you read this book you are probably not going to say 'yeah, he's right, I've never looked at it that way'. Yet, the book still makes for some good laughs. 3.5 stars.
- Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5After living for a very long time in England, Bill Bryson decides to return home to the United States with his family and writes a series of short articles for an English newspaper. He looks at his native country with the eye of someone who has almost become a stranger and makes a very funny critique of things he finds peculiar and puzzling.
Funny. - Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Another humorous and insightful gem of a book by Bill Bryson. This one takes on American culture in the form of a series of columns that Bryson originally wrote for a British newspaper. It's a little broader in focus compared to Bryson's other books like A Walk in the Woods and In a Sunburned Country. Sometimes, it even reads like a bit of a sampler when he starts speaking about things like nature, the English language and other topics that he goes into more depth with in other books. This isn't a knock, though, really. This is a fun book through and through--if you like Bryson's other works, you'll probably like this one. If you haven't ready anything else, this one might be a good one to start thanks to that "sampler" feel I mentioned.
One thing to be aware of is it was written in the late '90s, and so Bryson's occasional complaints about computers of that era date this book quite a bit. Still, if you were using computers in that time, it makes for some great nostalgia! - Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Many very funny pieces--the one on tax forms is worth the price of the book all by itself.
- Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5This is a compilation of a series of newspaper columns Bryson did for ... well, I don't remember the name of the newspaper. Overall, though I liked this and it was bitingly funny in many places, I was left with the impression that Bryson doesn't much like America after so many years in Britain. A little more negative than I expected.
- Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Bryson at his finest, I'm laughing so hard my head aches.
- Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5"People have become so habituated to using the car for everything that it would never occur to them to unfurl their legs and see what they can do."Having read and loved Notes from a Small Island and Down Under, I dutifully collected all of Bryson's books... this one is a collection of columns he wrote for a British newspaper after returning to the USA with his family, having left it as a young man.Bryson pokes fun at nearly every aspect of life in the US - wranglings with immigration, the fact that no one walks anywhere, statistically aberrant accident rates, guns, diners, obesity, motels (there are several chapters on motels, actually), baseball, basketball, the local Ivy League college - everything. As I'm used to, it was generally funny with occasional snorts of laughter (to be suppressed on public transport).Bizarrely, or perhaps just unexpectedly, Bryson appears much more positive about his time in the UK than the prospect of being back in his homeland - while the purpose of the column is clearly to be amusing to UK readers, week after week Bryson lampoons his new, re-adopted country. At first this makes a non-US reader feel rather smug but after a while I felt a bit bad, like hearing someone bad-mouth their other half. Given that the writing was intended to be episodic, it can come across as mildly repetitive, and eventually his negative tone (while often funny) can grate.Probably not to be recommended to people who live in the USA and like it there.
- Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5I adore Bryson's self effacing humor. Two chapters stand out as exceptionally good: the one on strange words and the dialog on the titanic. Bryson's unique view on the world - a midwestern expat whose time in England make his humor borderless.
- Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5Fun little collection of essays that Bryson wrote for a British paper after moving back from England to the U.S. He has some interesting, humorous observations on life in America. Although this book was published in 1999 it still feels quite current - a lot of the same things are still issues today.
- Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5WHAT IS IT ABOUT?“I’m a Stranger Here Myself: Notes on Returning to America after Twenty Years Away” by Bill Bryson is a collection of seventy comical weekly columns written for the British newspaper “Mail on Sunday” in 1996-1998. After living in Britain for almost two decades, Bryson moved back to the United States, his homeland. Together with his English wife and four children, Bryson settled down in Hanover, New Hampshire, from where he wrote the weekly columns about his reacquaintance with American culture. “I’m a Stranger Here Myself” is full of hilarious and shamelessly frank observations of American lifestyle in the ‘90s as well as nostalgic reminiscences of America in the ‘70s.THUMBS UP:1) Thoughtful, sidesplittingly hilarious and seemingly effortless.I sincerely don’t remember the last time a BOOK made me laugh out loud so hard, so many times. It seems like Bryson can write an engaging, thoughtful and, above all, hilarious essay about absolutely ANYTHING, let it be dental floss, breakfast pizza, keyboard, garbage disposal, cupholder, or taxes. What is more, he makes the writing seem effortless, as if he wrote the essays as fast as I’ve read them.2) Charismatic personality.In addition to being clumsy and childishly silly, Bryson is often grumpy and rather whiny. But, underneath his crankiness, you can see a glimpse of a warm, bright, observant, humble, and extremely witty personality that instantly wins you over. Oh, and he NEVER misses a chance to laugh at himself.3) Outdated but still quite relevant.Although “I’m a Stranger Here Myself” was written more than sixteen years ago, in its pages I could easily recognize my own impressions of the US when I first came here five years ago (choice abundance, vastness of the country, incomprehensive tax forms and bizarre junk food options, just to name a few). I guess some things never change. The other more time-sensitive essays on technology and ‘90s statistics as well as snippets from the author’s childhood maybe are not that relevant but definitely highly entertaining (and also quite educational).COULD BE BETTER:1) Not meant to be read all at once.“I’m a Stranger Here Myself” is kind of a bathroom read and is most enjoyable if read in short spurts over time (like weekly columns are supposed to be read). Otherwise, the essays become a little bit repetitive and tiresome, and Bryson’s whining, though truly hilarious, finally gets to you.VERDICT: 4 out of 5“I’m a Stranger Here Myself: Notes on Returning to America after Twenty Years Away” is a collection of thoughtful, hilarious and still quite relevant weekly columns on American lifestyle in the 90s, and it is best read in short spurts over time.
- Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5I remarked elsewhere that Bill Bryson struck me as a writer who would be well-suited to short stories. I’m a Stranger Here Myself was my introduction to his shorter works – columns, as it happened – and I was pleased to see that I was not wrong. I would even go so far as to say that this is his best yet.
In I’m a Stranger Here Myself, Bryson takes on the task of pointing out all the ridiculousness that America has to offer. His return from a twenty year stay in Britain leaves him in a unique position: like a college student who moves away and moves back in, he finds himself baffled by the place where he grew up. But instead of finding his room converted into a sewing room, he finds that dental floss has 24-hour hotlines (for your floss emergencies, one presumes), the soul-shaking process of filing taxes, and all the absurdity that America has to offer (and there is a lot).
Bryson’s strength is in his ability to tell funny stories and deliver a few good one-liners in the mix. Take this anecdote about his mother’s cooking prowess: “On top of this, she was a trifle absentminded. Her particular specialty was to cook things while they were still in the packaging. I was almost full-grown before I realized that Saran Wrap wasn’t a sort of chewy glaze” (143). Others have said that his cynical, often complaining humor turns them off, but here he seems to be celebrating as much as complaining. (And if it makes you feel better, apparently his wife agrees with you, as when she tells him all he does is “Bitch, bitch, bitch”.)
The chapter “At a Loss” (248-251), for whatever reason, had me laughing so hard that my brother came into the room to investigate. I handed the book to him with tears streaming down my face and watched as he dissolved into laughter, as well.
One not to be missed, I’m a Stranger Here Myself managed to secure my favorite of Bryson’s. - Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5Is there such a thing as a Bill Bryson book that isn’t entertaining? This one is a collection of newspaper columns written for a British newspaper once Bryson returned home to the U.S. The book was published in 2000, and the columns were published prior to that, so a few of them now read as dated (like a few comments about the state of pre-9/11 air travel). But not as many as you might think. There was only one that I didn’t care for, and it was an entire fake tax return. It may have been funny in print, but it didn’t translate well over audio. I wouldn’t consider this book to be as educational as some of his other efforts, but it was a fun listen.
- Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5I've read most of Bryson's books and thoroughly enjoyed all of them. This commentary on his return home to the United States after 20 years of life in Britain is no exception. Bryson has a wonderful way of seeing through the pretentiousness and silliness that afflict human cultures (and, these days, American culture in particular) and some of the columns published in this book have a bit of an edge. All in all, however, this is a gentler, kinder Bill Bryson than I am used to reading. The laughs came through as expected and I read it in a sitting. Lovely book. Highly recommended, especially for those who take themselves too seriously.
- Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5Received an old, decrepit copy on request from BCL. It seems to be collection of columns Bill Bryson wrote about his move from England to US. I always maintain Bill Bryson is funny in parts. Some of his columns about America's love of rules, love for idea of convenience (half the convenience products are actually inconvenient, drive-in window takes more time in queue than going in and eating, no one walks etc etc), inefficiency, love to sue anybody and everybody, general stupidity and dumb instructions, too many choices that complicate etc. That Miss Alabama's stupid speech also figures in one of the columns.
I had fun in initial columns - initial being after page 39 (pages before that were missing in the library book)- meaning I laughed a lot. Later I got used to the drift and was reading just out of curiosity.
Book is replete with things we already know of but it was interesting to read so many funny anecdotes to support it. - Rating: 1 out of 5 stars1/5I think I'm done with Bryson after this. Inexplicably hostile to libraries and library-users, this book is fatally dated though it does have the odd charming turn of phrase. Bryson's bumbling, vaguely incompetent persona isn't half so cute as he thinks it is. And he cast aspersions upon the writing prowess of Donald Culross Peattie, of all people, which for me, was the final straw.
- Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5I love Bryson's writing, so I was not surprised by how much I enjoyed the book, which is a compilation of weekly articles written about American life for an English newspaper. Although I was expecting more of a travelogue/different places in America kind of book, I was not disappointed. The articles' short length make them perfect for commute/light reading. Although the book was written around 15 years ago, many aspects of our culture are still the same.