bill bryson notes from a small island review

How rude! Anyone who has ever had to endure a fast food job knows you are sometimes required to suggest another menu item to the customer. Bryson asked if he thought he was brain damaged and ranted. The young man asked if he’d like an apple pie with his order and Bryson went off on him. Surprisingly he relayed a story about verbally abusing a McDonald’s counter clerk. Usually we don’t include antidotes and stories that place us in a bad light I know I don’t. While I won’t say it ruined the book, it made me sad to know the image he portrayed as ugly American. That being said, there were a few disappointing passages which revealed Bryson as arrogant and condescending. This book is a result of those journal observations. He hiked, he took buses and rented cars in this quick walk-about, all the while journaling the sights, and his impressions/opinions about various towns, histories and the people he encountered. Once he and his family decided to move to the USA, Bryson made a 7 week tour of England, Wales and Scotland.

He met and married an Englishwoman when he was working at a hospital. Here is a writer who brought England into my home, vivid imagery of places we visited as well as lovely accounts of English villages we have not been fortunate enough to see on a vacation.īryson had the good fortune to live in England for almost 20 years of his adult life. He has an ability to describe a situation so you could mentally visualize the setting….

When I started this book I was laughing at his spot-on descriptions of everyday scenarios.

Bill bryson notes from a small island review