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In a Sunburned Country [Hardcover]

Bill Bryson (Author)
4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (257 customer reviews)

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Product Description

x, 307 p. 25 cm. 4 small b&w maps - and a kangaroo, of course. Hardcover. In mylar-covered pictorial dustjacket.
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Customer Reviews

Most helpful customer reviews
7 of 7 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars Even after a dozen or so reads I still laugh every time Aug 7 2008
By Ayla Slessor
Format:Paperback
I can't even remember how many times I've read this fantastic, hilarious, well-researched and touching account of author Bill Bryson's travels across distant Australia. There are endless anecdotes which are worked seamlessly into an already wonderful piece of writing. The chapter on cricket on the radio always stands out for me, my mom often quotes favorite lines from that particular section.

But most of all, when I first read this book I was 13. I didn't really know anything about Australia aside from the fact that it was the home of kangaroos and dingos. Well, In A Sunburned Country made me fall in love with Oz. Now I see it as a kind of Canada of the Southern Hemisphere, rugged and very nature driven with a small population and friendly peacful citizens.

Now that I'm 19? I've been accepted to study abroad in Melbourne, Australia and I'm planning on rereading my favorite Bill Bryson book over and over until I'm standing on Australian soil.

What higher praise can there be for an travel author than to inspire his readers to pick up and fly 15,000 km to see the place he's painted so vivid a picture of?
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3 of 3 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars A Superb CD Book Listening Experience Dec 10 2003
By Benjamin Fitt
Format:Audio CD
I love to hear Bill Bryson read his books aloud. His 10 disc monologue on Australia was, by turns, fascinating, LOL amusing, astonishing, informative, good natured and good company. I won't describe the book's content here - others have done a fine job in their reviews. My focus is, instead, on the experience of LISTENING to Bill Bryson. I regularly listen to books on CD as I drive around Upstate New York for work. After spending many hundreds of hours hearing recordings of books, I fancy myself an experienced and discriminating listener. IMHO, Bryson is an engaging and sociable reader as well as a superb (virtual) travelling companion. I believe he genuinely enjoys the act of reading aloud for others. After hearing this generous yet informal treatment, I am reluctant to read the print verion. I fear that the inevitable change in my experience of Bryson's Voice, caused by experiencing him visually instead of with my ears, would strike me as a loss. Listening to the CD version of In a Sunburned Country, it was my happy experience to feel that Bryson was sharing his stories of Australia directly with me.
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1 of 1 people found the following review helpful
4.0 out of 5 stars I'm biased in favour of Bryson, I admit ... this is still a good buy Sep 6 2010
By C. J. Thompson TOP 100 REVIEWER
Format:Paperback
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 :)
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Most recent customer reviews
1.0 out of 5 stars Habituelle - Montreal
I ordered a used paperbound book on December 19th from Habituelle-Montreal but it was never received. Read more
Published 16 months ago by First-time Customer
3.0 out of 5 stars An amusing light-hearted read.
First off. I haven't lived in Australia and I'd never read any of his books before this one. I went in to this book with limited expectations but found myself quite pleasantly... Read more
Published 24 months ago by Michael
3.0 out of 5 stars Off to a really slow start (but it gets better)
The first 40% of the book is made up of lame non-adventures (he hikes through endless suburbia, is chased by dogs in a park, goes on and an meandering search for drinking... Read more
Published on Nov 3 2010 by Leslie Carmichael
5.0 out of 5 stars In A Sunburned Country
Bill Bryson is a wonderful writer, witty and descriptive. I laughed alot while reading this book. Having just been to Australia myself for the first time, I enjoyed all the extra... Read more
Published on May 2 2010 by L. Penner
4.0 out of 5 stars Good Laughs
This funny account of travel in Australia isn't necessarily the greatest of Bryson's works, but it is worth a read! Read more
Published on Feb 11 2008 by Mark Nenadov
5.0 out of 5 stars A very witty story told about visiting and history of Australia
This book was originally recommended to me by a co-worker when he found out I was taking my annual 3 week vacation this year to Australia. This will be my first trip Down Under. Read more
Published on Oct 21 2007 by Petra Mehner
5.0 out of 5 stars A Quirky Take
The day I picked up this book, I was sitting at the bus stop reading the first couple of pages, chuckling to myself at Bryson's turn of phrase and ability to see humour it the... Read more
Published on Jan 18 2006 by marji
2.0 out of 5 stars Unimpressed
Picked up this book after having heard it was funny, informative, and easy to read. Within the first few pages i became disillusioned! Read more
Published on Jan 6 2004 by alistair w
5.0 out of 5 stars Bryson's A Great Guide
Bryson delivers the world's biggest, best kept secret in IN A SUNBURNED COUNTRY. Australia is a truly miraculous place. Read more
Published on Jun 16 2003 by C. Ebeling
4.0 out of 5 stars Bryson can make plain dirt intersting
Bryson can write about absolutely anything - watching grass grow, watching fish not bite, watching dirt just lie there by the side of the road - and make it interesting. Read more
Published on Jun 14 2003 by Peggy Vincent
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