Synopsis
Before returning to the United States after 20 years in England, Bryson embarks on a farewell circuit of the country. He integrates history and reflections of his own debut tour of England in this valediction.
| Details | | Publication Date: | 1997-05-01 | | Edition Description: | Reprint |
| Size | | Height: | 8.5 in | | Width: | 5.3 in | | Thickness: | 1.0 in | | Weight: | 9.6 oz |
Publisher's Note
The New York Times Book Review called "Notes From A Small Island" "Astute and funny...an amusing guide to the UK's foibles, as well as a tribute to its enchantments". Bill Bryson lived in England for almost twenty-five years, and before returning home to the US, he set out on a grand farewell tour. "Notes" is the delightful result: an uproarious social commentary that veers from the endearing to the ludicrous. The New York Times book Review called "Notes From a Small Island", "Astute and funny...an amusing guide to the U.K.'s foibles, as well as a tribute to its enchantments". After over two decades spent on British soil, Bill Bryson decided to return to the United Stales. 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.
Industry Reviews
"Before returning to live in the US, the incomparable Bill Bryson...made a valedictory tour of the UK by rail...It has to be admitted that the observations are not always the most original...But what makes it work is not so much what he says as how: Bryson's dry, tongue-in-cheek humour and deadpan asides can make even some pretty tired material laugh-out-loud funny."
Schwartz
"After two decades as a resident of England, Bryson bids a very fond farewell to that sceptered isle....The spelling is American, the writing is English..., and the wit is genuine."
Pavey
"Although Mr. Bryson glosses over many of Britain's problems, he is not a complete Polyanna....[He] writes a snappy, novelistic prose that's seasoned with little-old-lady Britishisms....Mr. Bryson enlivens his account with amusing descriptions of places and people....With this volume, he has succeeded in sending his beloved Britain a charming, if sometimes facile, valentine."
New York Times - Michiko Kakutani (08/18/1996)
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