In a Sunburned Country

Rating:
Summary: insipid superficial slapstick look at a magnificent topic
Review: The good news is Bryson is a lyrical writer and storyteller who can spin out wonderful strings of diaphragm-exhausting laughable adjectives (like describing a cricket match and long-memoried commentators as akin to a slow-mo tea party). The bad news is he takes a wonderful place and topic and doesn't do anything with it. Bryson sits in a car and motel rooms and describes places (quite often inaccurately) then moves along. He meets few people, talks to fewer, and misses just about everything. The first six pages contain four major factual errors, for example. I've met some of the (few) people he talks about - the underground innkeeper at White Cliffs, for example - and can almost hear them laughing AT - not with - the author. This truly is a shame because Bryson DOES have the capacity for lyrical description when he works at it, and Australia is probably the most evocative place on earth. He just doesn't DO anything. And of everyone, he's the poorest of all, because the most wonderful thing about Australia is the Australian people.

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Summary: Bill Bryson's Australian Adventure
Review: Prompted both by the Sydney Olympics and by an appreciation of Bill Bryson's work, I listened to In a Sunburned Country during a long drive from Ohio to New York. The 16 hour round trip was made much shorter because of this book, which is both entertaining and informative.

Bryson, a reasonably well respected travel writer, was born in Iowa and has spent much of his adult life in the UK. This gives him a unique perspective on Australian culture, which is reasonably (un)related to both the US and UK in its national character. Bryson travels to all of the populated areas, and many of the unpopulated areas of the continent. He marvels about the desolation, fears the animal life, and examines the plight of the aboriginal peoples from an outsiders perspective.

Bryson's works are entertaining because he doesn't pretend to be an expert traveler. He doesn't always know where he is going, or what he is going to find there. He is inquisitive, often finding himself backed into a corner with wild dingos at his heels (figuratively). In many ways, you can travel vicariously through him - he always seems to ask the questions I would ask, and notice the details that I would be interested in.

If you are curious about Australia after watching the Sydney games, this is a good place to look.

Rating:
Summary: A happy local
Review: I am a great fan of Bill Bryson's work and have laughed my way through many of his books. When I heared he was writting a book about my country I was both facinated to read his assesment and more than a little worried that we may have been portrayed poorly, or savaged by his cutting wit.

I loved the end result. It's clear that Bill is a "fan" of Australia but he does seem to have developed an excellent understanding of the country, it's people and idiosyncrasies.I can highly recommend it both as an interesting read in itself and as a guide to anybody trying to come to grips Australia and our mystifying ways.

Rating:
Summary: Bryson scores again
Review: Bill Bryson is becoming one of the best known travel writers in the world, a reputation well-deserved. With his lastest effort "In a sunburned country", Bryson continues his original mix of history, humor, anecdote, and witty observation. As he travels around Australia, he relates stories of large, ornamental lobsters, small towns and interesting characters of the outback, and fascinating tales of the early explorers and settlers of this amazing country. And of course, his prose is some of the best being written today: intelligent, insightful, and always with the most playful humor. You can't miss with this one.

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Summary: Is this book a copout?
Review: I love Bryson's books.

I discovered them by accident without having anyone tell me about them. I anticipate each eagerly. However, "In a sunburned country" was dissapointing. I thought it was because I actually lived in Australia that I might be a tad "jaded". But No. From the clues in the book, it appears Bryson spent very little time actually in the country as compared to his other books about England, US and Europe. Sections of the book could have been written simply by reading australian history and wildlife books. At times I felt his constant praise may have been inplace of considered judgement as considered judgement can only come from being in a place a reasonable time to known what really is going on. In his worldwind tour of OZ, he didn't go to Brisbane , Tasmania or Adelaide (?I think.). There are typically hilarious stories in the book (about 3) but the rest was froth and bubble written on autopilot. The book certainly was being sold at a substantial discount not long after it's release in Australia.

Sorry Bill, I luv ya mate, but I felt you just didn't put the full effort into it.

Rating:
Summary: definitely funny, but not as sharp and focused as his others
Review: As a longtime fan of Bryson, I can say that this book has all the components that make his books good (humor, history, background information, insights), but as a whole, it doesn't hold up to his other books. Yes, there are many great stories from his trip through Australia and you will also learn more than you ever wanted to know about everything from poisonous critters to beer brands and temperatures. But, at some point, the narrative simply drags and you'll find yourself asking if you wanted to relive every single moment of this long trip. I've walked the Appalachian trail with Mr. Bryson, read his accounts of the English language, etc..., but never have I gotten to the point where I was actually bored and looking to see how many pages I had to slog through.

Perhaps if you are incredibly fascinated by Australia and its history, you won't find it slow going in parts. Bryson is still one of my favorite travel/humor writers, but this is definitely not his best book.

Rating:
Summary: Hilariously funny (if a trifle exaggerated)
Review: Published under a different name in Australia, Bill Bryson gives an enthusiastic outsiders view of the country I call home. In the process there are a couple of things that get overstated (while it may be true that there are many dangerous things here, Bryson's focus on them borders on paranoia) but on the whole this book is remarkably insightful into aspects of Australian culture. I found myself reading, laughing, and thinking "Why haven't I thought of it in that way?" He pulls out the quirks and the historical oddities so humorously that I almost didn't notice how much research must have gone into preparing the book. Perhaps the best thing is, there is so much more that he could write! Given the obvious love that he has for the country, maybe Bryson will be back to visit again (perhaps in winter, perhaps going to some other places) and write a sequel. If he does I will certainly be reading it.

Rating:
Summary: In a category all its own
Review: First, the bad news. Characteristic of most of Bill Bryson's travel writing, "In a Sunburned Country" is not really a travel memoir. It doesn't contain much reflection, reveals little about the memoirist, and doesn't really capture the essence of the country.

But that's it for the bad news. The good news is that "In a Sunburned Country" is probably Bryson's funniest book since "Neither Here Nor There." Faced with a country so full of eccentricities as Australia, Bryson has a field day here.

Furthermore--and I feel that this has always been underestimated about Bryson--he's an exceptional researcher. This book won't serve as a standard history of Australia, but it's chock-full of the trivia that most researchers would undoubtedly have missed. It is through these little tidbits that Bryson really touches on the soul of Australia in a way that run-of-the-mill travel essayists can't. He may not enumerate the prime ministers of Australia, for example, but his anecdote about seeing an ex-deputy prime minister selling copies of his autobiography at a market will tell you loads more about the essence of Australia.

With all his (pleasant) rambling and his slapdash itinerary, this book won't serve as a practical guide to anyone who's planning to travel Down Under, but it will give you a view of the country that you won't get from any other travel writer or guidebook around.

And did I mention that it's hysterically funny? Even those who aren't big on geography or history will appreciate those subjects here. With Bryson's wit and humor, things are never dry. And even when he gets sarcastic, it doesn't sting, because you feel that his humor comes from a good place. It's a trick so few other humorous writers can pull off.

Rating:
Summary: Very funny!!
Review: I read this book before and during my trip to Australia. Although the bood has a lot of boring historical facts, Bryson presented them in a hilarious way! I loved this book and would reccommend it to anyone who has a sense of humor about Australia.

Rating:
Summary: Wonderful Book
Review: This is one of those rare reading treats that is both very informative and very entertaining. If Australia weren't 20 hours away, by tedious and uncomfortable air flight, you'd want to leave today. But its remoteness is really what saves Australia and makes it unique -- as Bill Bryson very deliciously makes clear. My only real quibbles are the lack of a good overall map of Australia, making resort to a world atlas necessary, and the absence of an index and table of contents. Incidentally, the rather rudimentary maps that are included are on unnumbered and unreferenced pages at the front of the book.