Paulclem
05-17-2011, 05:43 PM
I’ve grown to like Bill Bryson’s books. I’ve read Notes From a Small Island, Down Under, A Short History of Nearly Everything, Mother Tongue, A Walk in the Woods and now a collection of his columns from the Sunday times in his Notes From a Big Country.
It is the weakest book on the list, it being very much limited to his Sunday column format. Having said that, it is still what you would expect in that it is funny and illuminating about the condition of the USA in the 1990’s.
Bryson is an amiable narrator. He’s like an older mate sharing the absurdities of life over a glass of beer in a quiet pub. His book persona, the bumbling middle aged man stumbling through minor daily crises to the tuts of his family, is a familiar figure for those of us with wives and children. He can also evoke pathos. the chapter where his son leaves for College is touching. Mostly though there are laughs in abundance.
There are a couple of dated chapters where he satirises the difficulties of using computers in the 1990s. I clearly remember the state of frustrated unknowing upon trying to use my own first computer in the late 90’s. Yet, although I remember this feeling, I‘ve come far enough with computers to see through the mock tech speak he uses.
On the whole though, his observations are insightful, funny and still relevant. It was a great book to pick up for a five minute read – I did this whilst the adverts were on for some of the sky channels. It is also laugh out loud in parts, as you would expect given his pedigree.
It is the weakest book on the list, it being very much limited to his Sunday column format. Having said that, it is still what you would expect in that it is funny and illuminating about the condition of the USA in the 1990’s.
Bryson is an amiable narrator. He’s like an older mate sharing the absurdities of life over a glass of beer in a quiet pub. His book persona, the bumbling middle aged man stumbling through minor daily crises to the tuts of his family, is a familiar figure for those of us with wives and children. He can also evoke pathos. the chapter where his son leaves for College is touching. Mostly though there are laughs in abundance.
There are a couple of dated chapters where he satirises the difficulties of using computers in the 1990s. I clearly remember the state of frustrated unknowing upon trying to use my own first computer in the late 90’s. Yet, although I remember this feeling, I‘ve come far enough with computers to see through the mock tech speak he uses.
On the whole though, his observations are insightful, funny and still relevant. It was a great book to pick up for a five minute read – I did this whilst the adverts were on for some of the sky channels. It is also laugh out loud in parts, as you would expect given his pedigree.