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Notes from a Small Island [Paperback]

Bill Bryson
3.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (343 customer reviews)

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Book Description

May 15, 2001

"Suddenly, in the space of a moment, I realized what it was that I loved about Britain-which is to say, all of it."

After nearly two decades spent on British soil, Bill Bryson-bestsellingauthor of The Mother Tongue and Made in America-decided to returnto the United States. ("I had recently read," Bryson writes, "that 3.7 million Americans believed that they had been abducted by aliens at one time or another,so it was clear that my people needed me.") But before departing, he set out ona grand farewell tour of the green and kindly island that had so long been his home.

Veering from the ludicrous to the endearing and back again, Notes from a Small Island is a delightfully irreverent jaunt around the unparalleled floating nation that has produced zebra crossings, Shakespeare, Twiggie Winkie's Farm, and places with names like Farleigh Wallop and Titsey. The result is an uproarious social commentary that conveys the true glory of Britain, from the satiric pen of an unapologetic Anglophile.

"Suddenly, in the space of a moment, I realized what it was that I loved about Britain-which is to say, all of it."

After nearly two decades spent on British soil, Bill Bryson-bestselling author of ,i>The Mother Tongue and Made in America-decided to return to the United States. ("I had recently read," Bryson writes, "that 3.7 million Americans believed that they had been abducted by aliens at one time or another, so it was clear that my people needed me.") But before departing, he set out on a grand farewell tour of the green and kindly island that had so long been his home.

Veering from the ludicrous to the endearing and back again, Notes from a Small Island is a delightfully irreverent jaunt around the unparalleled floating nation that has produced zebra crossings, Shakespeare, Twiggie Winkie's Farm, and places with names like Farleigh Wallop and Titsey. The result is an uproarious social commentary that conveys the true glory of Britain, from the satiric pen of an unapologetic Anglophile.


Frequently Bought Together

Notes from a Small Island + Neither Here nor There: Travels in Europe + I'm a Stranger Here Myself: Notes on Returning to America After 20 Years Away
Price for all three: $36.41

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Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

Reacting to an itch common to Midwesterners since there's been a Midwest from which to escape, writer Bill Bryson moved from Iowa to Britain in 1973. Working for such places as Times of London, among others, he has lived quite happily there ever since. Now Bryson has decided his native country needs him--but first, he's going on a roundabout jaunt on the island he loves.

Britain fascinates Americans: it's familiar, yet alien; the same in some ways, yet so different. Bryson does an excellent job of showing his adopted home to a Yank audience, but you never get the feeling that Bryson is too much of an outsider to know the true nature of the country. Notes from a Small Island strikes a nice balance: the writing is American-silly with a British range of vocabulary. Bryson's marvelous ear is also in evidence: "... I noted the names of the little villages we passed through--Pinhead, West Stuttering, Bakelite, Ham Hocks, Sheepshanks ..." If you're an Anglophile, you'll devour Notes from a Small Island.

From Publishers Weekly

Before his return to the U.S. after a 20-year residence in England, journalist Bryson (Made in America) embarked on a farewell tour of his adopted homeland. His trenchant, witty and detailed observations of life in a variety of towns and villages will delight Anglophiles. Traveling only on public transportation and hiking whenever possible, Bryson wandered along the coast through Bournemouth and neighboring villages that reinforced his image of Britons as a people who rarely complain and are delighted by such small pleasures as a good tea. In Liverpool, the author's favorite English city, he visited the Merseyside Maritime Museum to experience its past as a great port. Interweaving descriptions of landscapes and everyday encounters with shopkeepers, pub customers and fellow travelers, Bryson shares what he loves best about the idiosyncrasies of everyday English life in this immensely entertaining travel memoir. Author tour.
Copyright 1996 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Product Details

  • Paperback: 324 pages
  • Publisher: William Morrow Paperbacks (May 15, 2001)
  • Language: English
  • ISBN-10: 0380727501
  • ISBN-13: 978-0380727506
  • Product Dimensions: 8.1 x 5.3 x 0.8 inches
  • Shipping Weight: 8.8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
  • Average Customer Review: 3.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (343 customer reviews)
  • Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #10,803 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Bill Bryson was born in Des Moines, Iowa. For twenty years he lived in England, where he worked for the Times and the Independent, and wrote for most major British and American publications. His books include travel memoirs (Neither Here Nor There; The Lost Continent; Notes from a Small Island) and books on language (The Mother Tongue; Made in America). His account of his attempts to walk the Appalachian Trail, A Walk in the Woods, was a huge New York Times bestseller. He lives in Hanover, New Hampshire, with his wife and his four children.

Amazon Author Rankbeta 

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#26 in Books > History
#26 in Books > History

Customer Reviews

A MUST READ for any American who has spent time living in England. "bman91"  |  27 reviewers made a similar statement
I would have rated this book even lower, except for one thing. stella31@juno.com  |  15 reviewers made a similar statement
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
169 of 177 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars I'm Swearing Off Bill Bryson Books, I Promise February 25, 2000
Format:Paperback
I have to stop reading these books. People are looking at me funny in restaurants and on the train when I burst out laughing. But Bryson's books are SO GOOD. What's a person to do?

If you read A Walk in the Woods and felt a deep yearning to walk the Appalachian trail, haul out your suitcase. This book will make you want to follow Bryson's footsteps again as he travels across England, Wales, and Scotland by foot, by bus, and by train. He spends a day or so in dozens of small towns and cities, disecting them for our education and amusement. He tours galleries, musuems, and historic homes; visits pubs and restaurants; and stays in an amazing variety of shoddy hotels. (There are fine hotels in England. They just cost more than he is willing to pay.)

Even if you don't plan to go to England anytime soon (and why not? it's a lovely country full of friendly people we Americans and Canadians can mostly understand) this book is a reminder to those of us who are far too insular that the world out there is different and that difference is a good and quite frequently amusing thing.

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101 of 104 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars An American Views Life in Britain July 18, 1998
Format:Paperback
Bill Bryson expertly captures the mental amusement and bemusement of an American living in Britain. I am an American who also lived in England, and I laughed myself silly reading this book. This isn't meant to be a travel guide or an in depth academic study of British culture as some reviewers must evidently believe. There are many ways to reminisce about life in a foreign country, and BB chose to tell us fond, funny stories of his life in the UK. Let's not be stuffily chauvinistic about these things. I'm sure many Brits could write equally hilarious tales of their lives over here in the USA. For me its hard to understand that any American who has lived in Britain would not find funny such tales as the train/bus schedule incident (As I remember it the Brit Rail agent couldn't understand Bryson's difficulty with a schedule that had a daily train arrive in a town minutes after the scheduled departure of the daily bus that took travellers to their next destination.)

If y! ou are a Bryson fan, this is as good as he gets. You will especially enjoy it if you have spent time in both the US and the UK.

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58 of 60 people found the following review helpful
4.0 out of 5 stars He's better with places than with people April 10, 2000
Format:Paperback
This is a great read, a fascinating book about the writer's journey through Great Britain, with the author's impressions cleverly expressed. He's like an earthier Paul Theroux, or like Peter Mayle as channeled by Dave Barry. Bryson is good at using both humor and hyperbole to illustrate good points about his British travels as well as disappointments. After reading the book, you feel you've had a conversation with an old friend who gave you the lowdown on his trip without any sugar-coating. You feel that everything Bryson says comes directly from the heart.

The only reason I didn't rate the book 5 stars is that, a few times too often, Bryson goes into great detail about how rude he was toward service people who were just doing their jobs and whose performance wasn't precisely what he wanted. He reaches a low point when he takes almost a page to describe his reaction to a McDonald's employee who made the mistake of asking if he wanted "an apple turnover with that." Maybe it's because I've waited tables, but Bryson struck me as exactly the kind of arrogant, self-righteous, condescending customer you prayed you wouldn't have to serve. He comes close in these passages to personifying the ugly American: willing to enjoy England's riches, but not tolerant of its shortcomings.

Nevertheless, that's no reason not to read the book. Bryson's insights into the places he visits are more than worth the price of admission.

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Most Recent Customer Reviews
3.0 out of 5 stars Lots of fun
An enjoyable read, but a bit too much of the same on and on. A humorous, true description of England in the late 20th century, especially the countryside, in the eyes of an... Read more
Published 22 days ago by TammyB
4.0 out of 5 stars Calling all Iowa-Anglophiles.
I have been a fan of Bill Bryson ever since reading his "A Walk In The Woods", and I have read "Notes from a Small Island" many times over... Read more
Published 24 days ago by PuckerbrushCity
4.0 out of 5 stars A Great Trip, with Reservations
Bill Bryson decided to do his own one-man walk-about of Great Britain before he left this adopted home for a spell back in the States. Read more
Published 1 month ago by R. Schultz
4.0 out of 5 stars Very Good Book, but flawed in some ways.
I have a version of this book which i read on my kindle, interesting hearing about all the different places in great britain. It also had some very funny moments. Read more
Published 1 month ago by paul
4.0 out of 5 stars Classic Bryson
Read this for a book club. Glad it was assigned and now there are more parts of England on my to-see list. Read more
Published 1 month ago by BN
4.0 out of 5 stars Very funny, only slightly boring at times.
I listened to this as an audio book, so my experience with it might be different than those who read a hard copy.

The man who read this book did a pretty good job. Read more
Published 2 months ago by M. Smith
5.0 out of 5 stars Reviews
I love reading all of Bryson, and since I, and the rest of the world thinks Downton Abbey is superlative, I give them my highest rating...
Published 3 months ago by Charles K Wynn, Jr
3.0 out of 5 stars Good, but not Bryson's best.
If Bill Bryson decides to write a book about something, chances are I'll read it, and enjoy it. He's written books about walking the Appalachian Trail, growing up in Iowa, his... Read more
Published 3 months ago by manly-but-bookish
4.0 out of 5 stars Notes From a Small Island
In this travelogue, Bill Bryson has made the decision to move his family home to his native America, but decides to take a farewell tour around the UK before he leaves, visiting... Read more
Published 3 months ago by P. Newhart
1.0 out of 5 stars yes, hate is a strong word but...
i LOVE bill bryson. but his voice ruined one of the funniest books i've ever read. hoping to return it. Read more
Published 4 months ago by Fran Vinnacombe
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