Rating: 
Summary: liked "Walk in the Woods" better
Review: Perhaps because I once hiked part of the Appalachain Trail, I liked "A Walk in the Woods" better than this book. I mean, I like Austrailia, but I never warmed to the story as much. I'd like to read other books by the author before maiing my final decision, though. I just never got as emotionally involved this time.
Rating: 
Summary: Tickled me immensely
Review: Like Bill Bryson, I am also a transplanted American. I have read most of Bryson's book, and enjoy them immensely. The highlight of this book (I read the English version: Down Under) is the hilarious description of Cricket using baseball references.Very enjoyable, with lots of interesting trivia to keep you both laughing and thinking.
Rating:
Summary: Hilarious and dead-on
Review: I've read most of Bryson's books, and I don't think he's capable of writing unfunny. They're terrible books for reading on airplanes, because all the other passengers will look at you sitting there doubled up with laughter and will quietly ask the flight attendant to move you elsewhere. Like the cargo compartment. Bryson is not only funny, though; he's got a way of gently conveying the absurdities of a place in a fashion that only makes you appreciate it more. I spent a month in Australia and New Zealand, and though I liked NZ more at the time, I found when I got back that it was Oz, or more precisely its people, that I really missed. Bryson will tell you why.
Rating:
Summary: It's a big country...*somebody* has to travel it
Review: I have a great deal of affection for Bill Bryson's writings. I'm a long-time fan of travel essays, but I always cringe at those that take their subjects too seriously...reflecting solely on the majesty, history, culture, and tradition of a place. I want to shout at these writers: C'mon! You're looking for a clean public toilet too, just like the rest of us! Bill Bryson isn't the only humorous travel writer, but he's one of the most effective at taking the p*ss out of travel as a holy grail. He's well informed and read on his subjects, but not afraid to say he's forgotten the name of Australia's Prime Minister (and reflect that that says a lot about the rest of the world's focus on Australia in the global stage). He's curious and willing to try new things like body surfing, but not too proud to let you know he's dead rotten at it. He'll seek out exotic wildlife, and then retreat quickly to safety if it's venomous. He loves to try out the local cuisine, but spends much of his time looking for a cold beer. In short, he's someone *I'd* like to travel with--informed, funny, and personable. He's less grumpy than usual (then again, these travels are less physical arduous than hiking the Appalachian Trail in "A Walk Through the Woods"). His anecdotes are entertaining and informative. I read this book the weekend before the airing of the PBS mega-series on Australia, and learned much more (and laughed a whole lot more too) from Bryson than from Robert Hughes. From the big cities to the Outback Bryson travels (sometimes in a good nature, sometimes in a humorous grumpiness), talking to the people we wish we'd meet on our travels, doing the things we'd like to do, and asking the questions only a man with the outspokenness of an American but the politeness of an Englishman could ask. Which is not to say the whole book is a laugh riot. He's remarkably effective discussing the treatment of Australia's Aborigine tribes by modern culture, and the self-fulfilling prophecy of the country's educational failure in teaching the Aborigines' next generation. That's the mark of the best travel writer, in my view: he makes you laugh, he makes you think, he teaches you something, and best of all, he makes you long to visit and experience the country for yourself.
Rating: 
Summary: A nice read, but a little lacking...
Review: I see this book on display everywhere from the local Barnes and Noble store to my supermarket. I guess it's because Bryson's other book "A Walk in the Woods" was so popular and the fact that the Olympics have peaked an interest in all things Australian. However, this being the 3rd book on travelling around Australia that I've read this year, I have to say that I was a bit disappointed. I kept waiting for this book to really capture my interest, and it was a pleasant read, but the entire book seemed to just touch on the surface of things and not really expose the heart of Australia. The perfect example of this is that a large part of his travels throughout Australia was done from the comfort of a 1st class seat on a train--not really ideal for meeting the people of Australia, experiencing the terrain first-hand, or seeing Australia's diverse wildlife (besides kangaroos). Bryson, at his best, does a decent job of offering some interesting history, but never delves too deeply. He also has a nice sense of humor, but it is very subdued. If you are looking for a more 'hands-on' travel experience that is much more funny (hilarious, in fact), check out Sean Condon's "Sean and Dave's Long Drive" from the Lonely Planet Journals series--it's great, although more geared towards a gen-x audience.
Rating:
Summary: 1st Bill Bryson title I've read!
Review: Just completed this book - haven't read any of Mr. Brysons' prior published works. With this book in hand I felt like I have traveled the continent of Australia and loved every minute of it. Not only is this a humorous travel documentary but it is also a study of the often forgotten or neglected history of this continent. I found it to be refreshing in every sense. I couldn't put it down and honestly looked forward to reading it to see what the next days adventures would be for Bill! Having never traveled to Australia I can certainly see why others would travel across numerous time zones and the international dateline to boot to get there. - Can't wait to read more of his masterpieces of travel delight!!
Rating:
Summary: Great travelogue just in time for the Olympics!
Review: If you are planning a trip to Australia, this book is a must! The author describes his travels to almost every corner of the continent, and mixes a delightful balance of physical geography, cultural "nice-to-know" facts, and some of the history of Australia. The geographical descriptions of his travels around and across Australia are a genuine pleasure to read. If you don't think you will ever get the chance to travel "down under," then this is definitely the book to read. Bryson's vivid imagery and pleasant narrative, as well as his eye for the subtler things that many travelers take for granted make this book the perfect "vicarious" vacation getaway. The ways in which Bryson describes the culture of Australia are fun in an anecdotal sort of way, but if this book does have any weak point, I would have to say that he never really does nail down the essence of Australian culture as well as I might have hoped. Once again, he does give a lot of very nice anecdotes regarding his visits with fellow travelers and native Australians, but he doesn't really tell us about the people behind the faces of the rough-and-tumble man at the bar, the clueless girl at the cashier window, or the urbane Melbourne stock broker. What makes Australians tick? Finally, Bryson has definitely done his homework with regard to the surprisingly rich history of Australia. He offers historical overviews of not only the "white man's" Australia, but also the geological and biological history of the continent, as well as some insights into the history and present plight of the first Australians, the Aborigines. This is a great book, that once again, is a great pleasure to read. Take a mental trip down under without ever leaving your chair, or prepare yourself much better for your upcoming trip by reading this book!
Rating:
Summary: My Favorite travel writers are Bill Bryson and Alan Epstein
Review: Bill Bryson is a very funny travel writer and he takes you to the most out of the way places, and into situations that are comical and real. Another great travel writer who transports you to a foreign country into the life of the people is Alan Epstein, whose most recent book "As the Romans Do: The Delights, Dramas and Daily Diversions of Life in the Eternal City" is a real gem . Somehow I can imagine myself enjoying the situations Epstein describes more easily than the ones Bryson gets into, although they are both witty, & culturally and historically fascinating. Either way, if you are an armchair traveler you will not be disappointed, it just depends on whether you want to go to Australia or Italy. By the way I gave "As the Romans Do" five stars. Not to be missed.
Rating:
Summary: Another Bryson success
Review: Bill Bryson, a travel-writer with a difference, in a league of his own. Bill Bryson could be you or me; an endearingly incompetent traveler who often gets lost, brings the wrong map, whose nerve sometimes fails when faced with steely service staff, who is not a great conversationalist (unless drunk), who likes good food and drink, and who, when hiring a car and bravely setting forth to some distant destination, more often than not spends half a day extricating himself from the suburbs. I'm British and have read all Bryson's books, except "A Walk in the Woods". In this book, his 6th travel book, he visits Australia, which he imagines as a sort of cross between Britain and the US, "Baywatch with cricket"; however, the reality turns out to be much more fascinating and complex than that. Bill Bryson is an honest man who gives his spontaneous, personal responses to what he encounters - Ayers Rock (now called Uluru) evokes from him a genuine awe, whereas some of the souvenir shops he sees are full of "overpriced shit". A knowledgeable man (Bryson was a journalist in the UK for 10 years, and has written 2 books on the English language) who clearly does his homework both before and after his trips, as attested by frequent references to writers on Australia, the wealth of background information, and the 3 pages of bibliography. He comes prepared, and knows what to look for, and plans his route accordingly. However, he is interested in the wacky and weird as well as the conventional cultural icons, and is often ready with an interesting anecdote about the people involved. The opening page of this book contains "the startling fact that in 1967 the Prime Minister, Harold Holt, was strolling along a beach in Victoria when he plunged into the surf and vanished." A little further on he tells of Sir Eugene Goossens, head of the Sydney Symphony Orchestra, whose goading led to the Sydney Opera House being built, but who failed to see his dream realized: "In 1956che was found to be carrying a large and diversified collection of pornographic material, and he was invited to take his sordid continental habits elsewhere. Thusche was unable to enjoy, as it were, his own finest erection." And then there is the Big Lobster - not a biological specimen, but made of wire and fiberglass, one of about 60 dotted around the country, which you can visit if, as Bryson puts it, "you have sufficient petrol money and nothing approaching a real life." Bryson visits the main cities and famous spots, including the Great Barrier Reef (complete with a hilarious description of Bryson trying to skin-dive, and a more somber account of 2 young Americans stranded on the Reef and never seen again), the Gold Coast, Uluru (Ayers Rock), Alice Springs, and various deserts (often with a gruesome anecdote or two). There are also not so famous spots, such as Shark Bay with its prehistoric stromatolites, Tree Top Walk, Daly Waters with its famous tree, the aviation museum in Alice Springs with the wreck of a famous airplane, Red Bluff Beach where 2 Dutchmen were abandoned, nearly 150 years before Captain Cook, and so on, each with its own background story or anecdote, usually humorous or at least enlightening. In the background to the travel is Bryson's potted history of Australia, including Captain Cook, "transportation" era, the gold rush, various expeditions to explore the country (still incomplete), the Aborigines, the rabbit invasion and myxamatosis, the "White Australia" policy, the republican issue, and horrific stories of crocodile attacks. This is what history and geography in school should be like! Full of humour, and human interest, as well as information. This book told me a lot of things I didn't know, not only about Australia but also terrestrial evolution; it made me want to visit the place again, and, as Bryson's travel books always do, it sometimes made me laugh till I cried, tho, as others have noted, it is not trying so hard to be funny as his previous books. (I read the UK version of this book, entitled "Down Under").
Rating:
Summary: I want to go to this place !
Review: I enjoyed Bill Bryson's Sunburned Country, immensely. I was in hysterics immediately as he described succumbing to jet lag and falling asleep in a friend's car and waking up covered in liberal dribblings. His whole journey was most splendid and entertaining. Bill Bryson has the ability to take you right to his place of observation and makes you want to ring up and book yourself on the next plane. As usual, his pages are spattered with lots of anecdotes and all sorts of interesting facts - I mean what country goes and loses its Prime Minister to a morning paddle ? The book is fascinating to everyone with an inkling of an interest in travel and/or anyone who enjoys having their ribs tickled at regular intervals.
|
