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Summary: Hilarious!
Review: Bill Bryson is one of the few authors who can make me laugh out loud again and again while reading! Funniest book I've read in months (the last one to match it was Bryson's A Walk in the Woods).
Rating: 
Summary: Intelligent, Insightful, and Funny
Review: Bill Bryson's writing is great to read because he can make you think as well as it can make you laugh. He takes topics as simple as going to the grocery store or dining out and makes them engaging and entertaining (generally speaking, Bryson and food seem to have an interesting relationship). He also tackles tougher subjects in U.S. culture, such as our nearly pathological need to drive cars, with wit and insight. A perfect read for a summer trip or a day in the sun.
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Summary: Bryson Light, I found this collection disappointing
Review: Yes there are many humorous observations and bits of irony, however, I found this to have a little too much "David Barry" type writing in it. I very much enjoyed his last four travel books. His clever and insightful observations (along with the wonderful dialogues he becomes engaged in) do not work as well in this "collection of newspaper essays" format. While reading his other works, I was always sad when they were finished. I was fairly happy when this one ended.
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Summary: Oh yes Bill ... how right you are!!!
Review: Having read this book under it's English title, I'm actually surprised that Bill Bryson was able to get it published in the US. Some of it is not very complimentary to his fellow country-men. My husband and I moved to the US from Australia in 1997, and our voyage of discovery so closely mirrored that of Bryon's (both in timing and content) that I often felt the urge to write to him and compare notes. We have enjoyed Bryson's writing for years and this is probably his funniest book and the closest to home. I'd seriously recommend this book to anyone who is moving to the US from England or Australia; it should be issued along with each expats visa as an essential part of the cultural cross-over. He helped to explain some of the otherwise incomprehensible customs; plus I can't visit the supermarket without remembering his adventures with breakfast pizzas. Please Bill write more.
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Summary: US Version of Notes From A Big Country
Review: Excellent book, but if you have already bought Notes form A Big Country you will be dissapinted as it is the same book but with a different title for the US market!!! So don't get youself all confused.
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Summary: Actually, I give this book six stars
Review: I am English and have to say that the highlight of Sunday mornings was reading Bill's Column in the Night and Day magazine of the Mail on Sunday. To say that I was devastated when he announced in there that he was finishing these columns and doesn't plan to write anymore was an understatement. However, now I have this book, a collection of all of the columns and I have to say that it just goes to show why the English love Bill so much. He is funny, insightful, clever, self-deprecating, ironic. Did I mention funny?? I love the way he makes the most ordinary of everyday activities seem completely different. He talks a lot in the book (and even in the book's title) about how everyone around him seems to think of him as English and that gives him his distinctive edge. Sometimes its for comic effect - like going into a hardware store and announcing "I need some stuff to fill in holes in the wall with. My wife's people call it Polyfilla" (we do)and other times it gives him the opportunity to observe America and American attitudes from the perspective of an outsider. The Brits love Bill and his wicked sense of humour, and also his ability to laugh at himself. They also understand when he is being ironic, and when he is truly despairing of his fellow Americans, whether it be setting up a hot-line for dental floss questions or the litigation culture that has sprung up in America and other such examples. So, Bill Bryson, long may you continue. I look forward to your book on Australia.
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Summary: A typically Bryson fun read
Review: I nearly fell off my chair with excitement to read that El Bryson had penned another masterpiece. Only to find that this book also goes under the name of "Notes from a Big Country", which I bought here in New Zealand at Captain Bill's book signing. So I got to meet the man as well. Quite a treat. Yes, this book is a typically entertaining Bryson read. His humour is a delightful mix of British and American. He's so cynical, he could almost BE British! The fun thing with his book is his way of being able to find and explore the humour in the differences between societies. It differs from his previous works, in that it's broken down into smaller, more easily digestible chunks. But that means it's perfect for so many of us that are no longer able to sit down and devour "War and Peace" in a day. Yes, this one is a doozy! Top hole, Bill!
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Summary: A hilarious look at how internationals may view America
Review: This is a must-read for all Americans!; especially those who would like to know what the rest of the world may think of us. It will make you laugh so hard, you may actually cry, and it will let you step back and observe our daily living activities with a new perspective (which are, quite often, very hilarious). As someone who also has recently returned to America, I recommend it to anyone who ever wonders about some of the bizarre and sometimes outrageous happenings of life in America.
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Summary: Bryson is incapable of not being funny
Review: I have the British version, "Notes From a Big Country', which seems to be somewhat different -- my version is missing the 'rules of life' and the high school commencement speech, both mentioned in the reviews. Doesn't matter; I can recommend this version sight unseen. Having read four or five of Bryson's books (I particularly like 'English and How It Got That Way'), I have come to the conclusion that the man doesn't write anything that won't leave your sides sore.
Rating:
Summary: Very insightful
Review: This was recently published in Australia as "Notes from a Big Country" and is one of Bill Bryson's best works. His articles cover a broad range of issues and he looks at them with some of his trademark humour but tackles some serious issues. Hopefully there will be a followup publication of his new articles. I'm looking forward to his account of his travels in Australia.
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