Unabridged Audiobook
I am a Bill Bryson fan and this book is not nearly as good as most of his others. I was hoping for some stories about Wales (where I'm planning to visit this fall) and Scotland (where I visited a couple of years ago) and listened to very few. Far too many "absolutely lovely" places to see and things to visit in this book, which there undoubtedly are, but way too few discussions about the English men and women Bryson undoubtedly met. And way too many digressions into politics and how "lovely" things could be if only the actors in England could get their acts together. I listened as I walked the dog and rarely found myself the subject of stares as I chuckled or openly laughed at something Bryson just said. Neil
I am an enduring Bryson fan. The humor in this book and the vivid descriptions of his travels did not disappoint. The lack of a star comes solely from the misplaced political rant near the end of the book. The missing star on narration is due to the disappointment that Bryson himself did not lend his own voice to this reading. Overall, a terrific book.
Bill does it again! He is a treasure. Most of the place names were unfamiliar and at times the litany of places lost my attention, but then I was quickly drawn in by some cheeky, piercing observation. The conversational tone and occasional use of an f-bomb feels like Bill's sitting right in your living room...we can only wish.
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