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Across the Pond: An Englishman's View of America Hardcover – June 24, 2013

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Terry Eagleton (Author)
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Terry Eagleton (Author)
3.5 out of 5 stars 24 customer reviews
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Product Details

  • Hardcover: 192 pages
  • Publisher: W. W. Norton & Company; 1 edition (June 24, 2013)
  • Language: English
  • ISBN-10: 0393088987
  • ISBN-13: 978-0393088984
  • Product Dimensions: 5.9 x 0.8 x 8.6 inches
  • Shipping Weight: 12 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
  • Average Customer Review: 3.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (24 customer reviews)
  • Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,315,478 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Top Customer Reviews

2.0 out of 5 starsOff the mark
By Black Swan on May 26, 2013
Format: Hardcover Verified Purchase
I am British and have lived in the US for ten years, so you would think the content of this book would be resonant with my own experiences. The perspective offered is quirky, anecdotal, amateurish and generalizes the highly personal observations and opinions of the author in a rather grating way. Both his description of typical British and American attitudes and behavior seemed off the mark much of the time. He is very anchored in his own generation and the specific places in each very diverse country he has been to. His humor is not really very funny, despite his trying very hard. There is also an undercurrent of superiority and mean-ness that is off-putting. He claims, for instance, that Americans use the word kids too much instead of children. First of all, who cares? Secondly in Glasgow, where I grew up, the childrens' hospital was referred to as the "Sick Kids", whereas my childrens' pre-school in the US always uses the word children in published materials, classroom reports and parent-teacher meetings. Reading between the lines I would guess he was only in the US for a few years at the most, didn't really fit in or enjoy it and his motivation in writing the book was to press home the point "you're not as great as you think" to Americans. Well, my guess is most of them don't care. This may find a readership with Brits and Irish who aren't that high on America, but even they will probably find it dreary and pedantic.
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1.0 out of 5 starsAn Englishman's View of Himself
By DJ Jonathan E. on December 4, 2013
Format: Hardcover
Just because a work is not entirely worthless does not mean that it is not far from worthy. Eagleton makes the occasional good point, a nugget amidst the dross. However, most of the time he rather earnestly and onanistically explores his own navel, revealing more about his prejudices than the supposed subject. Much of the book is a tiresome slog through what can only be described as an intellectualist hall of mirrors, confusing and ultimately pointless.

Stereotypes and generalizations are a poor man's way of looking at the world, and despite a slightly amusing anecdote here and there, Eagleton never manages to get beyond a rather familiar and trite view of Americans. If there's an obvious target, Eagleton shoots at it regardless of whether it's been hit before or is worth hitting in the first place. As an Englishman living in the US for over forty years, I felt that Eagleton has simply not observed the wide variety of humanity, let alone the landscapes and cities, to be found in this country. Eagleton rightly takes aim at American foreign policy, but one doubts that any Americans will take note after his generally dismissive, even abusive, comments and insults towards them. He is a master of the old English skill of delivering sugar-coated venom.

There is a tradition in the world of drama of describing an appallingly awful performance as "extraordinary." This is an extraordinary book. Extraordinary that it found a publisher and extraordinary that the author found it peculiar that some publishers turned him down. He is too clever by half and quite overly full of himself.
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5.0 out of 5 starsOutstandingly Excellent!
By Expressrune on February 2, 2015
Format: Hardcover Verified Purchase
What an outstanding book. Hard to put down. Don't read it if you feel too sensitive about things even though much of it is assuredly tongue in cheek. Accurate on so many levels, astute with an eye to detailed observation of social and national mores. And very humorous too.
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4.0 out of 5 starsAn enjoyable read
By Raminak on June 29, 2013
Format: Kindle Edition Verified Purchase
The book is funny and perceptive. For someone who has lived on both sides of the pond, many of the observations on British and American attitudes ring true. One feels though that the book is somewhat rushed. It is more like a series of bullet points and a certain level of discontinuity in the flow of topics. There is a much longer and more in-depth book 'willing' to burst out. Terry Eagleton might consider this book (really an essay) as an outline for an updated version.
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3.0 out of 5 starsTerry Eagleton's books are famous for being incisive, accessible ...
By Morgan on August 22, 2014
Format: Kindle Edition Verified Purchase
Terry Eagleton's books are famous for being incisive, accessible and witty. While this book is all of those things one wonders if he really has much to say. He is not a man bound by consistency so some of his generalisations conflict with each other and much of what he has to say is done with a very broad brush stroke. I have my doubts about how successful it will be in America - but it may do very well in England and Ireland.
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2.0 out of 5 starsWhat tripe
By M. R. Jones on May 11, 2014
Format: Hardcover
I am not often moved to write a review on Amazon, but I feel I just had to after finishing this book just seconds ago.

My background: I was born, raised and educated in Wales (part of the UK). My dad's Welsh, my mum German. I studied at Manchester University for 3 years and lived and worked in London for 4. I've never been to the US, but I have plenty of US friends and have read many US books (fact and fiction) and newspapers and journals.

Well, it's no wonder that I never got on with the English if this is their attitude to life.

Terry Eagleton was already familiar to me from his book on literary theory (I did an MA in English Literature). That was pretty much full of tripe, too.

I'd say about 1/3 of this book is accurate. The rest is just vile fantasy.

And some of his comments just take the biscuit. Comparing Hamlet's dying words to Steve Jobs's. Well, does he not realise that the former is a fictional character and his words have been written for him?

Then the comment about how the Americans believe that will power is all that is needed to achieve something and that if someone wants to fly to Rio and there is no airport nearby then if they believe enough and they will grow wings... How facetious. Where there's a will there's a way means that you find a way to achieve what you want. Like catching a bus or a train to the nearest airport. Not just willing yourself to grow wings.

The comment about how only in America will you find really long freight trains. My dear.. come to Germany, where I now live, and see the length of the trains here. Just because the UK doesn't believe in the rail for freight doesn't mean to say that the rest of the world doesn't either.

And as for flag waving.. have you seen the Danes?Read more ›
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Most Recent Customer Reviews

5.0 out of 5 starsFive Stars

Small, but thoughtful book of two peoples separated by a common language.

Published 15 months ago by P. Kerrigan
3.0 out of 5 starsEnjoyable if not memorable.

I have to confess that I couldn't remember any of this book only a few weeks after finishing it. I recall enjoying it, though.

Published 19 months ago by Pawiba
5.0 out of 5 starsFive Stars

Witty and informative.

Published 21 months ago by Kindle Customer
4.0 out of 5 starsYup, he's got us 'Muricans nailed!

LOVED this book! Terry Eagleton nails Americans, and from the experience I've had with the British so far, nails the Brits several times too (although I don't have enough... Read more

Published 24 months ago by Amazon Customer
1.0 out of 5 starsGreatly Disappointing - Lots of Blather

Started off OK, but soon became very tedious. By the end of the book, Mr. Eagleton was in full-blown navel-gazing mode. I forced myself to finish it. Read more

Published 24 months ago by Patrick Prendergast
5.0 out of 5 starsFive Stars

Thanks.

Published on July 8, 2014 by Mom of 3
4.0 out of 5 starsAnchored across the harbor (harbour)

As a long time business school lecturer, often leading a three-day simulation game called “Doing Business in the USA”, I couldn’t resist having a go at doing a Yank’s view of An... Read more

Published on May 25, 2014 by George F. Simons
1.0 out of 5 starsspare yourself

Random observations from a tetchy Brit intellectual, many of which are either trite or off the mark. Read more

Published on January 22, 2014 by C. P. Anderson
4.0 out of 5 starsFun Read

Across the Pond was an entertaining and humorous examination of our American culture from a Brit who has lived here.

Published on December 16, 2013 by Bradford H. Tharp

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