Notes from a Big Country - Softcover

Bryson Bill

Softcover

ISBN 10: 1784161845 ISBN 13: 9781784161842

Publisher: BLACK SWAN, 2016

Synopsis

Bill Bryson has the rare knack of being out of his depth wherever he goes - even (perhaps especially) in the land of his birth. This became all too apparent when, after nearly two decades in England, the world's best-loved travel writer upped sticks with Mrs Bryson, little Jimmy et al. and returned to live in the country he had left as a youth.

Of course there were things Bryson missed about Blighty but any sense of loss was countered by the joy of rediscovering some of the forgotten treasures of his childhood: the glories of a New England autumn; the pleasingly comical sight of oneself in shorts; and motel rooms where you can generally count on being awakened in the night by a piercing shriek and the sound of a female voice pleading, 'Put the gun down, Vinnie, I'll do anything you say.'

Whether discussing the strange appeal of breakfast pizza or the jaw-slackening direness of American TV, Bill Bryson brings his inimitable brand of bemused wit to bear on that strangest of phenomena - the American way of life.

About this title

About the Author:

Bill Bryson was born in Des Moines, Iowa, in 1951. He settled in England in 1977, and lived for many years with his English wife and four children in North Yorkshire. He and his family then moved to America for a few years but have now returned to the UK. He is the bestselling author of The Lost Continent, Mother Tongue, Neither Here Nor There, Made in America, Notes From a Small Island, A Walk in the Woods, Notes From a Big Country, Down Under and, most recently, A Short History of Nearly Everything. He is also the author of the bestselling African Diary (a charity book for CARE International).

Review:

"'Bill Bryson's answer to Alistair Cooke's Letter From America...not only hilarious but also insightful and informative'" -- Jeremy Atiyah * Independent on Sunday * "'Delightful bite-size essays that exude affection while debunking the ridiculous with wonderful succinctness...This is not a book to be read in a single sitting. It is one to be savoured'" -- Martin Fletcher * The Times * "'One of his best books'" -- Scott Bradfield * Independent *

About this edition

• Publisher: BLACK SWAN
• Publication date: 2016
• ISBN 10: 1784161845
• ISBN 13: 9781784161842
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 384