In a Sunburned Country
by Bill Bryson
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Book Reviews of In a Sunburned Country
Book Review: If you liked "A Walk in the Woods" you'll hate this
Summary: 1 Stars
I read Bill Bryson's "A Walk in the Woods" and laughed hysterically at many parts of the book, and through the rest was either duly entertained or pleasantly educated (for the "educated" aspect, Bill interlaces the book with fascinating factual tangents).
I started into "In a Sunburned Country" with similar expectations, and especially since I have always longed and planned to visit Australia. To state that I was disappointed is a severe understatement. After reading this book I now have little to no desire to visit the "land down under;" my only hope is that I will completely forget what I read in Bryson's book so that I may one day look forward to and enjoy visiting Australia. (Senility be merciful and consume me hastily!)
My best estimate is that Bryson was commissioned to write a ~350 page book about Australia. During and / or after his trip, his creative sense must have taken a vacation of its own. I have rarely struggled so much to get through a book as I did with this one. Bryson even stooped so low as to use an urban legend as a "story" relayed second-hand from one of the Australians he "met." Such a stunt makes me question if any of his accounts are real in any of his books.
The only saving grace to this book was the educational tangents. These, at least, provided for some interesting reading.
After comparing notes with another person who ventured to read another of Bryson's books ("I'm A Stranger Here Myself") after she read "A Walk in the Woods," it would appear that "In a Sunburned Country" is not the only snore-fest that Bryson has churned out. Perhaps he isn't a "one hit wonder," but I for one am not going to waste my time or money finding out.
So, if you are looking for the same caliber of writing that Bryson provided in "A Walk in the Woods," look to another author or prepare to be greatly disappointed.
Book Review: Frühstück mit Kängurus ....
Summary: 5 Stars
source: http://www.nytimes.com/books/first/b/bryson-sunburned.html
excerpt: (C) 2000 Bill Bryson All rights reserved. ISBN: 0-7679-0385-4
It is the home of the largest living thing on earth, the Great Barrier Reef, and of the largest monolith, Ayers Rock (or Uluru to use its now-official, more respectful Aboriginal name). It has more things that will kill you than anywhere else. Of the world's ten most poisonous snakes, all are Australian. Five of its creatures--the funnel web spider, box jellyfish, blue-ringed octopus, paralysis tick, and stonefish--are the most lethal of their type in the world. This is a country where even the fluffiest of caterpillars can lay you out with a toxic nip, where seashells will not just sting you but actually sometimes go for you. Pick up an innocuous cone shell from a Queensland beach, as innocent tourists are all too wont to do, and you will discover that the little fellow inside is not just astoundingly swift and testy but exceedingly venomous. If you are not stung or pronged to death in some unexpected manner, you may be fatally chomped by sharks or crocodiles, or carried helplessly out to sea by irresistible currents, or left to stagger to an unhappy death in the baking outback. It's a tough place.
Oh yes, I read it, also the German version Frühstück mit Kängurus, both several times. And I will have to warn you: First you will read a lot about a lot of things, events and facts you never never knew before, and secondly: You schouln'd read this book in public places (like buses, trolly, metro, libraries etc). You outbursting laughter will make people worried about your well being.
You will not be able to narrate from this book to your family or as a teacher to your students. At least not continuously for more than 3 minutes. Bill Bryson is not a clown, he is very serious ..... me too.
Book Review: An Australian perspective
Summary: 3 Stars
I have to admit at the outset, i am not a Bill Bryson fan (which i believe puts me in a minority). There is something about his writing that rubs me up the wrong way. And i put off reading this book for a long time, as i had heard many Australians say it was just not very good.I am therefore happily surprised to say it is not that bad. It is always interesting to see what an outsider thinks of your home country, and i would say that this is a good insight into others' opinions of Australia if not Australia itself. I have recently embarked on travelling through the UK and Europe, and have been trying to find a book to recommend to others that gives a non-cliched view of Australia, and Bryson's is one of the few i would recommend, with caveats (it is full of cliches, but less than many).
For those who have read the book - Bryson obviously is not very good at exploring cities though - i would say that Canberra has some excellent bars and some bloody good restaurants. It's not Sydney, but it is not nearly as dire as he makes out.There are lots of little mistakes too, that on their own are not much, but added up make you wonder at times. The most annoying thing is that he never seems to ask anybody - again Canberra is a good example. The city that probably has the largest population of journalists, military members, politicians and civil servants in the country - and he can't find a decent bar?? Maybe he should have asked a local. There are other times in the book when i wish he had asked someone for advice or something.
For those that are considering reading the book - go ahead. Just remember, travel writers are all biased. They all have their own interests, they all have their own angle. That is just how it is. Bryson's Australia is a humourous one, but perhaps not the only one. My suggestion would be to get to Australia and see it for yourself!
Book Review: I'm biased in favour of Bryson, I admit ... this is still a good buy
Summary: 4 Stars
Bryson loves England - that is obvious in Notes from a Small Island. In Australia, however, he is an outsider on a visit (not a resident) and the difference is obvious in the style and character of this book.
In 'Notes from a Small Island', Bryson skips easily from topic to topic, highlighting whichever particular memories strike his fancy. Here, however, we are presented with much more of a standard travelogue in which a good deal more historical and geographical detail provided. Most of it though, I am glad to say, is presented in the light, humorous way in which this author usually entertains me and I enjoyed it immensely. I am cognizant that some reviewers have criticized Bryson for being less than accurate and not 'in-depth' enough, but I didn't buy this book as a sociological, political, or 'what-have-you' treatise, I sometimes just liked to hear a story about somebody's experiences... that's what this book is. I should add that, while my wife and I have very different tastes in literature, I gave her this book before she took a trip to a conference in Sidney and she enjoyed it very much.
My only quibble about this book is as follows: When Bryson is at his most fluid and honest, his humor is easy and very natural. When he *tries* to be funny, however, the prose becomes noticeably forced and the resultant humor declines proportionately. In this book, he confesses to a fear of dogs and goes into a lengthy description of an encounter with one in suburban Sidney. Unfortunately, his particular reaction to canines is not one shared by most people so this whole attempt at to provide a comic 'filler' ended up being little more than tedious... for me at least.
Still a great book though :)
Book Review: A Confusing Trip In A Vast Kingdom
Summary: 3 Stars
Bill Bryson's unqualified and unquantified enthusiasm for Australia is never in doubt. Therefore, it is puzzling why it seems he slotted his visit between more pressing duties like book tours, taking a hike in the Middle East, and attending to business in London. I felt curiously stranded when I was left at long-gone Surfer's Paradise in Queensland while Bill winged off to Africa cheerily telling me he'd be back in a while. When we next met up, we were in an entirely different part of Australia. These departures and arrivals make reading the book a disjointed experience. You never know exactly where you are.The writing is vivid, clever and frequently humorous-what we expect from Bill Bryson. He describes the capitol Canberra: "-reminded me less of a city-much less-then say, a preserved battlefield. There was that sense of spaciousness and respectful greenness that you would expect to find at Gettysburg or Waterloo." This was delightful and gave an instant picture. His keenness for the small oddball wonders and places is always diverting.
Bill travels happiest when alone. He meets with a few old friends and travels awhile with a buddy who mostly annoys him, but seems truly content when solo. As a reader, I felt marooned from the day-to-day encounters one has with real live people when traveling. I would have liked more interaction with the people who are justly called the "friendliest on earth." Instead, there is far more natural history and botany than I bargained for. I was informed, but not particularly entertained.
I think Australia is too enormous and complex to cover in such a haphazard manner. He needed to spend less time on his homework and more time being there, feeling it, and absorbing its uniqueness.