The Anglo Files: A Field Guide to the British [Paperback]

Sarah Lyall (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: August 24, 2009

“Should be handed out . . . in the immigration line at Heathrow.” —Malcolm Gladwell

Sarah Lyall moved to London in the mid-1990s and soon became known for amusing and sharp dispatches on her adopted country. Confronted by the eccentricities of these island people (the English husband who never turned on the lights, the legislators who behaved like drunken frat boys, the hedgehog lovers), she set about trying to figure out the British. Part anthropological field study and part memoir, The Anglo Files has already received great acclaim and recognition for the astuteness, humor, and sensitivity with which the author wields her pen.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

In the early 1990s, New York Times publishing reporter Lyall transferred to London for love. Now she produces the latest in a seemingly inexhaustible genre that dissects British quirks and remarks how peculiar are the inhabitants of that moist little isle. With George Orwell's essay England Your England and Bill Bryson's Notes from a Small Island the best-known examples, Lyall's is an appropriately humorous tale of the struggle to accommodate to her new British way of life and to make sense of the profound culture shock she experienced. But Lyall's observations are neither overly perceptive nor interesting and much of her material is creakingly familiar: aristocrats, for example, pronounce some words differently than their working-class compatriots, Britons love animals (a special memorial honors animals who aided British troops in wartime) and the game of cricket is boring. This is a light, fluffy read that will be enjoyed by first-time visitors to Britain and even a few nostalgic British expatriates. But while Lyall's writing is, as always, witty and tart, it will disappoint those seeking serious analysis or original insights. (Aug.)
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

Review

“A witty, incisive collection of essays . . . on everything English.” (Elle )

“A razor-sharp . . . wickedly insightful, decidedly biased account of everything British.” (Graydon Carter )

“Lyall is at her tart, observant best.” (Matt Weiland - New York Times Book Review )

“Fresh, funny and occasionally wicked.” (Kirkus Reviews )

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 304 pages
• Publisher: W. W. Norton & Company; Reprint edition (August 24, 2009)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0393334767
• ISBN-13: 978-0393334760
• Product Dimensions: 8.2 x 5.4 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 3.2 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (98 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #624,594 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

26 of 30 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Humorous, or derisive?, June 27, 2009

By 

Awbery (London, UK) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Anglo Files: A Field Guide to the British (Hardcover)

Sarah Lyall's book acts as a counterpart to the many eulogies of 'British culture' which stereotype its eccentricity as positive. Unfortunately, rather than a non-stereotyped insight into the differentness of the British, it reads more like a continual complaint. Lyall complains terminally about the British press and gossip, while sounding exactly like a gossip columnist herself. She complains about snobbery and name dropping, yet most chapters include a mention of a distinguished friend or connection.

What prompted me to write this review is that I found the book quite upsetting. I would have welcomed a book that realistically, and humorously portrayed British culture, warts and all, in comparison with American, or other cultures. But Lyall, with an anthropological background, is doing exactly what a serious anthropologist would never do: she sets up a subjective, implicit standard (her point of view is that of a consumer who expects priority of attention, takes luxury and choice for granted and sees access to private dental care, for example, as normal), then relentlessly derides Britain for not meeting that standard. The British are constantly other, alien, unfathomable and to be ridiculed. This is a shame: there are negative accounts in the book that might have appeared interesting in a more balanced, comparative context, but because anything and everything is mocked indiscriminately, (courtesy, appreciation, tradition, for example) they lose any impact they may have had.

This is a book for an American audience. As a British reader, I found the revelatory tone jarred somewhat with the lack of actual revelation. There are certainly some humorous moments, for example the long-suffering cohabitant of a hedgehog rescuer who 'prefers animals in the abstract.' On the whole, I don't think they are worth waiting for.

I stopped reading at the chapter that lists the faults of the war generation and the embedded cultural frugality that followed. The following passage, I think, is typical of the tone and style of the book. If it amuses you, then you might enjoy the rest, if you find it distasteful, you will probably not enjoy reading more:

"All that privation becomes hardwired in the system. People from the war generation are incredibly careful with their resources. They reuse old envelopes and teabags. They wear their clothes until the clothes wear out. An elderly friend of our family wore, for his entire adult life, the handed down clothes of a relative who died before World War II. According to her former daughter-in-law, the Duchess of York, Queen Elizabeth is so frugal that she insists on using 40 watt light bulbs in all her many houses...
They care less than we do about creature comforts, such as the necessity of sleeping on mattresses purchased sometime in the last half century. Surprisingly often, Robert and I have stayed in smart houses where, when you sit on the bed, the mattress sags down to the floor, and when you lie down, it folds up like a U, propelling you both into a little heap in the center. It's not that they can't afford new beds; it's that they think it's frivolous and self-indulgent to buy them."

From chapter 12: 'Wine from weeds.'

40 of 49 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars The dust jacket is misleading, December 28, 2008

By 

JPG (Houston, TX USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Anglo Files: A Field Guide to the British (Hardcover)

Having lived in England for a number of years, I was very much looking forward to reading this book and revisiting a country that I love via armchair. The description on the dust jacket made the book sound much like Bill Bryson's writings on England, humorous and clever. The actual book is comprised of 250+ pages of complaining of things about which anyone who has spent time in England already knows. It rains incessantly...yes, we know. The British are very reserved people who prefer to communicate by letter, and if forced to interact verbally, would prefer to limit their conversational subjects to the weather...yes, we know. The House of Lords was peopled with hereditary peers who had no true qualifications for serving in office and were often eccentric to say the least...yes, we KNOW. But where, in other writers' hands, those facts have been discussed in a way that still views England with affection, in this book, those same facts are used to make England seem like a place one would never want to visit. Reading this book made me sad and annoyed. I didn't have a problem with the writing itself nor with the facts themselves, but if the dust jacket had provided a realistic idea of what the book was actually like, I would never have bought it. It's not funny in any respect. I think the publishers owe me a refund for false advertising.

15 of 17 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars the author seems as class-concious as her topic, December 11, 2008

By 

Daisy (Flagstaff,AZ) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Anglo Files: A Field Guide to the British (Hardcover)

I kept waiting for her to lighten up and tell us something interesting but funny or at least humorous but she just went for the easy topics with the most unpleasant side of the people. Very depressing.