2.5 stars. Yes, Mr Bryson is funny, but I had been lead to believe this was a work of wit on the level of Three Men in a Boat, and while it fits the structure it lacks the cleverness and Britishness that I adored in Jerome K. Jerome's classic. Bryson occasionally comes up with an amusing observation but a good deal of his humour is of the toilet variety. This is a man who has since held the position of Chancellor of Durham University, and had a library named after him. I'm flabbergasted as to why.

What really surprised me, however, was that for a travel writer, he doesn't much seem to enjoy travel. In fact, part way through the book he goes home for a few weeks break. He seems neither capable of reading a train timetable nor booking a hotel before arriving, and is frequently disappointed when it rains (which begs the question I had from the start of the book - why go on a tour of the UK in October of all months?)

I have been to at least two thirds of the places he mentions in the book, and while he found the prospect of one or two days in a town or city daunting (he always seems to end up browsing gift shops and complaining about the architecture) I rarely left a place without feeling like there was more to see and I'd simply not been able to fit it all in. Britain is so dense in cultural, historical and natural sights that I can't imagine how one gets bored if at all able to get outside.

I would comfortably recommend this to anyone born before the 60's who has lived most of their life in Britain and enjoys an easy laugh, but not to anyone planning on going there for the first time. It's not so much a travelogue as an ongoing semi-affectionate rant.

This was a stumble-upon reread from back in the day.

After getting past the considerable start that broke me up with weird hilarity that only Bryson can manage to make me appreciate, I began to remember more about this book and my first read.

It was my first Bryson, and once my flashbacks began I realized I had read this in paperback on the way to England, pretty close to the time thus was written.

So there was nostalgia for the read, for the time (not always fond nostalgia) that now seems long ago—Bryson is bellyaching about Thatcher, it’s that old!—and for the memories of the few places from this book that I got to visit on that trip.

Bryson spends this book in his own, planned, nostalgia, since he is about to leave England after spending maybe 20 years and his early adulthood there. He retraces his own earlier entrance to the British Isles, around to his then-home that he was just beginning to see in his own rear view mirror. His view of the changes in the various parts of his England is a great deal about how much it had all changed, and hadn’t.

Since I reread this in my own rear view mirror, I realized how much I knew the island had changed and how much it has to have transformed in ways I don’t know.

Reveries aside, this might have been a four star read if I experienced it for the first time now, not as a star-struck introduction to Bryson’s particular comic sensibilities and absent the timely relevance to my own travels.

The humor is still there—side splitting at the start, tear-rolling near the end, and intermittently chuckle-worthy at nice intervals throughout.

It hasn’t aged perfectly, sensibilities being different today. But I could read it again in a decade and still appreciate it.

Bryson, as I remembered, can roam from a hilarious to tiresome curmudgeon, with spots of the intentionally un-charming 12 year old boy, to keen-eyed observer, intelligent and curious critic, and big-hearted human. He’s a complicated guy in a complex world who gives you a fun and smart ride through the quotidian, uncomfortable, and spectacular moments of being right there with him wherever he is.

Was talking about Bill Bryson only yesterday and realized I hadn't put any of his books on my shelves. This, as I remember, was the first Bryson I read and it was the classic case of ' you will become a source of real annoyance to anyone sharing a railway carriage as you giggle and snort your way from Truro to London' because this is exactly what happened. I went to the loo on the train and returned to find two people who didn't know each other but had the misfortune to share the table with me and had obviously had a brief chat whilst i was away. ' Is it really that funny ?' they asked. I had to say then and would now, yep. Hilarious

I wouldn't exactly classify myself as an Anglophile. However, I do obsess a bit over England and Wales. This is the home of my mother's side of the family. Although a couple generations removed, since the last person made their exit to the United States, we are still in marginal contact with the relatives who live around London and in Birmingham. And there are family friends in Mold outside of Chester. I wanted to read Bryson's book because it was his last swing around Great Britain before he moved home to Iowa. It took place in the 90's which was the second time I visited. It was a virtual sit down with a scone and cup of tea (with milk of course) and a chance to reminisce. I have always loved Bryson's wry sense of humor, slightly snarky observations of human nature and self deprecating anecdotes. While he pokes fun at some of Brit's odd habits and grouses about what has happened architecturally to destroy some of their heritage, he nevertheless celebrates joyously all that is British. On World Book Day in 2003, BBC radio listeners voted it the book which best represents England. A fun read!

Interesting observations on the inhabitants of England.

Let's all take a moment and be thankful that, whenever someone decides to move back to their home country, they don't decide to take a final whirlwind tour and write a book about it.

That's what Bill did here. It's once around England and then back to America!

Don't get me wrong: Bill Bryson can be very funny at times. Absolutely.

I just think he needed a better situation to employ his wit. The humor comes through, but not often enough to make this book notable. I actually want to forget it quickly, and don't think this will be a problem.

Most of Bill's humor is clouded over by observations about architecture. He liked some of it and abhored most of it, and because he is flying about the place, there is little else for him to experience beyond that and whether or not he 1. Had a decent hotel for one night or 2. Ate something decent for brekky/luncheon/din-dins.

Dull, Bill.

What's missing are human interactions. None of any depth take place so there is little soul sandwiched between the front and back covers of this effort. Recent travels have convinced me that travel itself suffers greatly if you don't meet interesting people along the way, and that's what this book suffers from: a lack of interesting interactions with people.

Question: What is Britain without its eccentrics?

Answer: "Notes from a Small Island".

I want to say this is the ultimate travelogue of a fascinating and exotic foreign country, but in point of fact, it's ENGLAND, and while it is fascinating and exotic even to people who are familiar with the English language, it is still ENGLAND.

I don't know about anyone else, but I liked the disconnect. I especially liked all bits that made fun of the oddball naming conventions not limited to food or towns. But for other countries somewhat familiar with the English language, we all know that England is the REALLY ODD practitioner of the language. Messed up. Bangers and Mash. Truly, this book is NOT x-rated.

But, all told, this book is mild, humorous, personal, and it shows the love for the country. Not only that, but Scotland gets a little love, too! :) Truly, I feel like I did a lot of traveling across the English countryside. Most of it on foot! But at least I got a lot of beer. :)

You know what I find really annoying? People who want to fly by the seat of their pants and do zero pre-planning for whatever it is they're setting off to do, then complain bitterly when things don't go perfectly.

It's like Bill Bryson knew all of the things that would most make me dislike him, then set out to cram them all into one horrendous "travel" book.


Hmmm...Bill Bryson...how do I loath thee? Let me count the ways:

1. "How dare these small English villages tear down their glorious architectural heritage and replace it with Boots, Marks and Spencer, and chain restaurants...

...Why are none of these mom and pop places open at 9 pm in this cursed tiny village?!?"

2. "I've been dying to see this one thing in particular for many years, now I finally can! I have just one day to see it. Shall I call ahead to determine if they're open on my one day? I think not.

...How dare they be closed on a Friday during their off-season!"

3. "The next town on my itinerary is just 30 miles from here, surely I can travel directly there on public transport with no inconvenience whatsoever.

...What?!? You mean there's not a direct route from small village A to small village B, and I'll have to spend hours travelling hither and yon on trains and buses to reach my destination?!?!? I curse you, Margaret Thatcher!"

4. "Walk near me on the beach with a dog, will you? Charge me more than I want to pay for a hotel breakfast, eh? Ask me if I want to add an apple pie to my McDonald's order, hmm?

...How dare you! Ready yourself, sir, for the tongue lashing of a lifetime!"

5. "I see fat people eating nearby. How utterly disgusting. Don't they know fat people should never be seen eating in public?!?!?"

6. "Why are there so many old people in this hotel?

Must be a Parkinson's convention..."

"...Why won't this bloody annoying person stop going on and on about trains?

Must have Aspergers..."

"Aren't I just hilarious?”



Well, honestly.

If I didn't know this book was supposed to be some sort of love letter to England, I'd say Bryson absolutely hated the place.

Bill Bryson is on tour on Britain and funnier than ever. The way he describes the british people, towns and way of life as an outsider and insider(since he lived there at the time) is delightful, witty and very clever. great book !

There is something joyous in a rational voice. Bryson brings his gentle wit to bear on the foibles of British life, and to rail passionately against ugly architecture - one of the few things that cause him to lose his teddy bear demeanor and explode in a torrent of unexpected, delightful, Anglo Saxon fury. He has the Dickensian quality of summing up characters in a series of humorous traits, and adds colour to the most dismal of settings. How I wish he'd do a book on Ireland. Sometimes it takes an outsider's eyes to give you a better perspective on what you take for granted. Bryson is an author I read safe in the knowledge I will be entertained - how many writers fit that (ahem) bill?

Summer is a time to travel, which in my case means a good travelogue and that particular small island is one of my favorite destinations, so I thought a Bryson guided tour would be great. In a way it was and occasionally it wasn't. The latter typically occurred when Bryson made the book more about himself than his subject. Meaning...this is essentially a grumpy man's journey around England and Scotland. Mind you, Bryson is erudite and funny, two qualities I normally value enough to overlook a variety of shortcomings, but every so often he is just an unbearable git. He's the sort of man who firmly believes himself to be more clever than the next person and unleashes his wit like flatulence irrespective of aim or company, which just comes across as obnoxiousness (despite the much lauded British manners). Something about making fun of obese while himself being overweight or unleashing his rage on help, particularly some helpless kid at McDonalds is just unpleasant and mean, no matter how funny the author finds it to be. Bryson is also miserly with occasional splurges, curmudgeonly and ornery, which are all presumably part of his charm, but it does get to be too much now and again. Aside from that, it's a lovely book, albeit now dated. The man obviously knows and loves his adapted country and so this sort of farewell tour he takes around (using notably mostly public transport) before leaving the country for US is quaint and lovely. The descriptions are terrific. I would have liked to see more history (at one point actually dismissed as Who gives a F by author) and less personality as it were, but it is what it is. Plenty funny, very entertaining, occasionally annoying. The peculiar thing is that Bryson is often very midwesternly American in his insights, while having a distinctly English droll humor. Makes for some interesting cultural observations. Pretty good for an armchair trip because and in spite of the author at the same time. Fun read.

Bill Bryson embarks on a journey across the United Kingdom, primarily using public transport and his own two feet.

Notes from a Small Island is a non-fiction book about these travels. Charming, witty, and humorous, a delightful way to discover a new land without ever leaving the comfort of your couch.

At times the book is a bit slow, and it would be further enhanced by a map and some pictures. This book also screams to be updated. Jack Edwards, are you available?

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