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Summary: For all Australian lovers
Review: After 3 years in Australia I recently moved to the United States. That's why I really enjoyed this great book. He wrote about all the places I visited - it made me feel like being home in Australia again. I also learnt a lot of stuff I haven't heard about before. It is probably hard for someone to appreciate this book who hasn't lived down-under. But if you did, go and buy it. You will just love it. There is only one thing which I don't understand: sometimes the author makes sexual references which are so untypical American. It doesn't spoil the fun reading this book, it's just something I noticed.
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Summary: Wonderfully Warm
Review: Since I live in Bill Bryson's place of birth (Des Moines, Iowa), I feel a certain connection to him. Having disclosed my bias, I really loved this book. I found myself laughing out loud in several spots. Particularly when describing any number of ways a person could be poisoned by some member of the Austrailian animal kingdom. There are also several poignant moments, especially when he describes the plight of the Aboriginies. This book is more than just a travel memoir. It's a journey of history, social studies, adventure, but most of all it is truly an entertaining ride. This book is a must read for all.
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Summary: I'm ready to hop a flight today!
Review: Disappointed in the cynicism of "The Lost Continent," I approached reading "In a Sunburned Country" with less eagerness than I had anticipated when I bought the book. However, whereas the former book was full of Bryson's boredom and disgust with much of the U.S., he finds Australia a continually fascinating country and sparks my interest in touring it someday soon. Bryson sprinkles anecdotes about Australian cultural and natural history liberally throughout his text, which enlivens his present adventures and sets a valuable context for a vast country. Personally, I love the historical insights and am pleased Bryson includes them because so much of what he writes is not found in most history books. The same goes for the natural history details. Far too many tourists fail to appreciate the significance of their natural surroundings, sounding instead like the woman who, viewing the unbelievably ancient stromatolites, could only remark, "Are you telling me we just crossed a continent for this?" She completely missed the awe which Bryson felt upon reflecting on stromatolites' role in the development of life on earth! Bryson's books are invariably informative, almost always funny, and consistently insightful looks at the areas he visits. His under-the-surface style of revealing the past and the present of Australia is most appropriate and he has convinced me that I must put Australia on my "to-visit" list!
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Summary: Makes my Aussie heart beat proudly!
Review: As an Australian citizen living in North America, it would be a crime for me not to review this book. Bryson's book is guaranteed to be an entertaining and thought-provoking read for readers with any remote connection or interest in Australia. Bryson is a North American, and in this book describes his visit down under. Details of Australian history and culture are presented in a most enjoyable way, and Bryson's own anecdotes and experience make delightful reading. What makes the book especially enjoyable is that Bryson describes Australia as an outsider, and has wonderful comments to make about everything that is distinctively Australian. The only negative about this book is that Bryson's humour is occasionally off colour, although this is fortunately the exception rather than the rule. Travel agents selling trips to Australia would make a killing if they took a leaf out of Bryson's book, since readers of this book are guaranteed not only to be entertained, but also to have a growing appreciation for this unique country and continent. Another of Bryson's books, "Notes from a Big Country" makes similar observations about American culture, and is also highly recommended for a unique insight into life in North America.
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Summary: Even the rocks can kill you.
Review: Bill Bryson, In a Sunburned Country (Broadway, 2000)
availability: it's on the bestseller list innit? I originally encountered the writing of Bill Bryson in a small article he wrote for National Geographic on the Orkney Islands a year or so ago. By the time I had finished the article, I was (and still am, to an extent) seriously considering relocating to the Orkney Islands. Well, I've now finished In a Sunburned Country, Bryson's travelogue of Australia-- and I never, ever want to go there. Bryson gives us the world's forgotten continent (really, how many of you who don't live there can name Australia's Prime Minister?), mixing personal experience, history, and bewilderment in roughly equal doses. While the history does bog down in places, I found myself-- especially in the book's first section-- glad that I was the only person in the room while reading it, since I might well have been committed involuntarily for laughing so hard in stretches. The most disturbing thing is that I was laughing about the sheer number of things in Australia which are capable of killing human beings. This is not a place you should go if you fear death. "The sea snakes are especially unnerving, not because they are aggressive, but because they are inquisitive. Stray into their territory and they'll come to check you out, all but rubbing against you in the manner of cats seeking affection. They are the most sweet-tempered creatures in existence. But cross them or alarm them and they can hit you with enough venom to kill three grown men." Not only will the unfriendly creatures kill you, the friendly ones will as well! Those who have read more Bryson than I have hastened to say that this is a less humorous book than his others. I'm not sure I could stand the others, for I might die of asphyxia before reaching the end of chapter one. This is good stuff, funny most of the time, sobering on rare occasions, and always edifying. And don't be concerned if you forget three quarters of what's in here by the time you're finished, including the name of Australia's present prime minister (or the name of the silicon-tipped grass I've been wracking my brain for for a week now). According to Bryson, there's something about Australia that causes people to forget it exists, so as long as you remember there are seven continents on this planet, you're ahead of the game. ***
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Summary: Fair to dinkum not
Review: Bryson's descriptions of Australia are fascinating and evocative at his best. Unfortunately he's not always at his best, but in a pub whining about the obvious under the pretense of discovering local character. I'd compare "In a Sunburned Country" to a fantastic Lobster Thermidor sauce with mostly stale cheerios lurking down under, and a few bits of succulent lobster to keep you in the hunt. Occasionally there's a delight to savor, but mostly a disappointment that so much potential is wasted. Case in point: Uluru/Ayers Rock gets a few pages because Bryson couldn't read the scale on a map and didn't make overnight reservations. I also found it odd that while Bryson freely spouts opinions on the Aboriginal Australians and their part (or non-part) in Australian society, apparently he couldn't be bothered to talk to someone of Aboriginal heritage. Guess they weren't in the restaurants & hotels he frequented except to leave their artwork. Lazy writing. But at least he shared stromatolites.
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Summary: truly Australia
Review: Last year- while visiting Australia- I decided nearly the same thing that Bryson did- that there simply isn't any other place in the world so mysterious and so beautiful. Bryson's account of the land down under (from an undoubtedly American perspective) is the best I have ever read. The book is also filled with hilarious episodes, fascinating history, and tips on which cities to see and which to avoid. One could easily plan a trip of their lifetime based just on the experience and insight in this book.
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Summary: Hey, Mate...
Review: Having visted Australia many times but always short stays, I find Bryson captures the essence of the Aussy culture without boring the reader. I have the audio version read by Bryson and this adds the extra dimension of his witty personality. This guy would be a fun to travel companion. Highly recommended!
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Summary: It's a really great country. <yawn>
Review: Bryson mixes a history lesson with his personal experience to bring his Australia to the reader. He gets to write the whole thing off as a business expense, I imagine. Nice for him! He covers a lot of ground, slaps a lot of bugs, quaffs cold beer every night, and expresses a sincere appreciation for the miseries of travel in "A Sunburned Country." I laughed out loud on many occasions, expressed an occasional 'wow really?' and overall, enjoyed the book. If I had not participated in a very boring online chat with Bryson on CNN I would not have been familiar with the book at all. I probably would not have missed very much.
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Summary: Maybe Katz should be a permanent fixture!
Review: From the first moment I read Bryson's pre-published first bit of "A Walk in the Woods" in the fall of 96 I have been a proponent of his work... (Bill, you owe the royalties of several copies to my efforts..) But honestly, "In a Sunburned Country" is superficial, and appears to be written in the face of a looming deadline.
While I am the first to admit that most Americans probably don't know that there is both an Austria and Australia, I felt like this book might have been (better) written with the help of a Discovery Channel documenatary, rather than your several trips there. I am an avid hiker, and am certainly familiar with some of the basic facts regarding the Appalachian Trail. Nevertheless "A Walk in the Woods" was both informative and inspiring. "In a Sunburned Country" however, does nothing to inspire me to visit Australia,...even though it is a place I have always dreamed about seeing... You do a good job of back seat commentary, your sarcasm is Twain-like, but you moralize better against the backdrop of a a goofy side-kick like Katz. Oh, and what is with all the foul language now? i cuss like a sailor and am anything but offended, but take a lesson from Adam Sandler, Sometimes less is more..
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