Customer Reviews

Notes From a Big Country

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Bill Bryson knows America, he was born here, He knows England , he lived there for many years, and Bill Bryson knows how to write satirical sendups on eveything our wonderful (?) culture has to offer. His "Drowning in red tape" offering is so funny it could probably make the Immigration authorities laugh, and that's pretty funny. If you want a good chuckle at the foibles of America, get this book, you'll love it.

Bill Bryson is hilarious! I read this book on the train to work and many a times i had to resist myself from laughing out loud !!
In this book, Bill Bryson has complied a collection of short essays which he wrote when he returned to the States. The essays are both informative and hilarious!
Don't read this book in one sitting. Safe it for days when you are feeling down and in need of a good laugh!

When I first read this book I was commuting two hours each way between my home and my college in Sydney AUS. So I had plenty of time for reading everyday. I was reading this coming home late one evening and embarrassing myself every few minutes with snorts of laughter. I drew so much attention to myself that an off-duty rail worker asked me to please keep the noise down as other passengers were trying to sleep, then asked to see what I was reading as he said it "sounded" so good, he was going to buy it! This book is my favourite Bill Bryson book and is a brilliant read, and keeps very well (I think I'm onto my 5th re-reading!). I can't wait to get back to Australia so I can read African Diary and A Brief History of Nearly Everything.

In 1996, Bill Bryson was asked to write a weekly column about America for the "Mail On Sunday's Night & Day" magazine. Even though Bryson claimed not to have the time for writing those "Notes From A Big Country," his friend Simon Kelner insisted on his doing so. The result is an often hilarious, sometimes thought-provoking approach to the unique US culture. Having been born in Iowa, but having lived many years in Great Britain, Bill Bryson has the advantage of being American and being able to see his own culture from a different perspective.

The book "Notes From A Big Country" contains 78 columns from the first 18 months of Bryson's work. In the first one titled "Coming Home," he tells the reader how it was for him to come home after spending nearly two decades in England: "Returning home after such an absence is a surprisingly unsettling business, a little like waking from a long coma." (p 15) Reading the remaining 77 columns is like being taken by the hand by the author, who re-discovers the uniqueness of his own culture -- things he remembers from his childhood, things which have changed since he had left, and things which are new for him. Bryson talks about the positive sides of the American Way Of Life, but doesn't hesitate to mention negative sides. Some of the columns' headlines are somewhat telltale: "Dumb And Dumber," "Junk Food Heaven," "Commercials, Commercials, Commercials," "Friendly People," "Those Boring Foreigners," "Why No One Walks," "So Sue Me," "The Waste Generation," "Shopping Madness," "The Fat Of The Land," and "Stupidity News" to name only a few.

Bill Bryson did an excellent job bringing out the essence of US culture in a highly entertaining way. The book is a great read both for Americans and non-Americans. Some of the essays might lead to interesting discussions -- teachers might want to use them for their English classes. All in all, "Notes From A Big Country" is a fun and also educating book for everyone interested in learning more about American culture while being aware that Bryson is also a master of irony.

I was just unwinding after an intense period of work and looking for an easily digestable, fun read. This book fulfilled my conditions- sharp, astute perceptions of Americana. It's a collection of a newspaper column so each chapter is short and never outstays its welcome, which was a problem I had with Notes from a Small Island.

The problem I had with some articles is that Bryson is no researcher/ reporter and he should steer clear of trying to generalize complex problems, such as environmental problems, in 2-3 pages. His opinionated tone can backfire, especially when it displays his lack of knowledge. For instance, he complains that a guy left his engine on while spending 4 minutes buying stuff from a grocery. I think it's common knowledge that starting the car consumes a lot more energy than leaving the engine on for four minutes. He misses the irony, ironically for a person writing books about humor, of the New York Times movie review - he says "The New York Times recently concluded a review of a new Chevy Chase movie with this sombre warning:'Vegas Vacation is rated PG. Besides sexual suggestiveness, it shows rattlesnakes and gambling.' He confuses the idea of overpopulation with no. of people/ square mile- the relatively low ratio of no. of people / area that the US has doesn't mean that the cities (where immigrants flock to) aren't overcrowded.

So, if you can take his opinions with a pinch of salt and remind yourself that this is only a humor column, you're less likely to nitpick his views and just enjoy it as a diverting read.

If you have a sense of humour you will enjoy this book no matter what country you are from. Bryson takes a look at the simple things in life such as basements and post offices and makes you think twice about them in a different way, usually a more humourous way. If you enjoy comedy or his other books, then read this one, you might even learn something, like what not to put in the garbage disposal.

If you have a sense of humour and you've been to America you will love this book. From TV shows to fast food, from government red tape to the obsession with fire arms, it is all there. Bill Bryson has a keen eye and a sharp pen. The foreigner living in America will find it oh-so-true. For the American who has only lived in America - and nowhere else - it is an eye-opener.

Most of this book is criticism of Americans and most of it is just ridiculous.

When he made the comment that having your groceries bagged for you, he has obviously never bought any more than a handful of items and definitely not with children along. I challenge him to buy a week's worth of groceries with two kids in tow and see how much time he has to stare at the cashier. And even if he is magical enough to get it all on the counter, watch it being rung up and keep an eye on the kids why should the cashier, who is getting paid to be there, sit and watch you bag the food?

If we are given too much information so we don't have to think and we are out of the habit of thinking, than why just a few minutes later in your book do you say we seem to have such a huge knowledge about medications? Sounds like the NHS has dumbed you down a bit. At least we are well informed about what we put into our bodies. And while I'm on the subject, the reason you don't see as many medicine commercials ( and believe me the ones that there are make just as many claims about the effects- because lets face it they are trying to sell the product) is because you aren't allowed to decide for yourself. The only cold medicines you can take without permission from the pharmacist (or clerk behind the pharmacy counter) are cough syrup made from lemon and glycerin and maybe a decongestant if you are lucky. Although that is starting to change a little thank goodness.

And I was wondering how much agreement you would get about the wonders of the NHS from all the people waiting for hip and knee operations who are suffering in pain every day.

He makes it sound like the only thing on American TV at night is X-rated programming, and the funny thing is that American television is much more tame than any European programming (where your kids can actually run into soft porn if they stay up past 11 PM, we are talking non-cable TV).