29 of 36 people found the following review helpful:
1.0 out of 5 stars
A Disappointment, December 24, 2004
I've read all of these reviews, and will just have to run the risk of someone calling me a "sourpuss" because as much as I was looking forward to reading this book, I found it a real disappointment. Let me explain.
I should say at the outset that I enjoy a good cross-cultural put down as much as the next fellow, and am not one of the overly sensitive, "political correctness at all costs" gang. In fact, I have an ongoing (good-humored) verbal joust going with a Brit who works with me; he makes fun of things American and I return the favor. Then I heard an interview with Queenan on NPR and thought he was a scream. And so I sent away for the book and opened it with great expectation for a ripping good time at the expense of my British friends. But frankly, I am now three-quarters of the way through it and have yet to have a really good laugh. I agree with the other reviewers, even those who like the book, when they say that it is full of "rants." Although they do not mean this as a warning, it should be. His approach to writing seems to move from "I really dislike (insert long list of people or behaviors," to "here is another list of British people/behaviors that really annoy me or that are simply stupid."
Want some examples of his deep, humorous, and wry insights? How about, "John Lennon's musical legacy is ludicrously overrated....Lennon's solo records generally stink." Deep; and very clever. And turning to Paul McCartney, he opines, "The good that had come from `I Saw Her Standing There' and `Please Please Me' had been supplanted by the evil of `Ebony and Ivory' and `Silly Love Songs.' Paul could be forgiven for the obstreperous hokiness of `My Love' and `Uncle Albert' (`Hands Across the Water'), but he could never be absolved of the harm he had wrought with `Yesterday' and `Michelle.'
His take on London theatre? "For decades, I had been aware of London's stature as a theatrical mecca for philistines..." After trashing Stones in His Pockets, he goes on to dump on Les Miz, Phantom of the Opera, Riverdance, and Mamma Mia!, among others. Of Alan Rickman's performance in Private Lives he says, "Rickman himself proved infinitely more annoying in person than he ever was on-screen - no mean feat." Of the play itself, "There are more laughs in a single act of Neil Simon than in all of Noel Coward."
Concerning Madame Tussaud's he says, "A nitpicker might object that the wax figures representing James Dean and Marlon Brando do not actually resemble them, that George Washington looks more like Billy Idol, that John Wayne is far too tall, Martin Luther King far too short, and Bard Pitt just a smidgen too simian. I personally question the proximity of Princess Diana to the pope, no less than the juxtaposition of Cybill Shepherd with Liz Taylor."
And so it goes for page after page. Rant after tedious rant. My point is not that he has no right to his opinion, or even that he is not correct on occasion. It's just that it's not funny. I'm finished giving him the benefit of the doubt by saying, "He just starts slowly." I'm writing it off as money wasted. Think I'll give it to my British friend.
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13 of 17 people found the following review helpful:
2.0 out of 5 stars
A bit dull, December 30, 2004
Unlike most of the reviews I've read of this author and book (except the two here), I did not find much humor in this book and I didn't catch myself laughing out loud once.
Queenan does a good job covering a lot of what makes the UK great: general British history, culture and tourist attractions. However, this book reads more like a dry tour guide than a humorously endearing account of all quirks British, which is what I was hoping for and expecting after reading reviews.
I've given up after about 100 pages because I'm not interested in Queenan's bland retelling of his trip to the home of the Beatle's or his snide, unoriginal comments about Fergie, Madonna and other famous (infamous) British inhabitants.
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12 of 16 people found the following review helpful:
2.0 out of 5 stars
Well, he's clearly no Bill Bryson..., January 4, 2005
As a longtime fan of---and traveler to---England, I was excited when I received this book as a gift. I had read Queenan's book BALSAMIC DREAMS and found it mildly amusing but a bit over the top. Not great literature, for sure, and not even necessarily good literature, mind you, but an easy read and not without charm.
Oddly enough I'd also just finished reading NOTES FROM A SMALL ISLAND, another book about England/Britain by a vastly superior author, Bill Bryson.
I found QUEENAN COUNTRY vaguely humorous but I also found it was rife with errors and rather mean-spirited. After all, as the self-appointed expert he claims/pretends to be, I frankly expected a more accurate account.
Honestly, and more power to him, but I have to wonder how such a book gets published in the dog-eat-dog literary world? I've read trip journals by friends that are far more engaging and considerably funnier than this one but they can't seem to find publishers interested in giving it a look.
Having said that I will also admit to having enjoyed QUEENAN COUNTRY at least to a minimum degree. More so, I believe, because I'm interested in reading personal observations of England than because the book was special in any way.
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