Rating: 
Summary: disappointed
Review: After much anticipation, I was disappointed at the flippant tone of this book. As an expat Australian living in the US I devour any books about Australia. There are several inaccuracies - sentences that appeared to be tossed off for effect rather than content. I agree with the previous reviewer - a quick best seller for the author, without much input.
Rating: 
Summary: Interesting, but not as good as his other works
Review: As an Australian who is currently into a several year stint overseas, I expected this book to provide an insight into Australian society and culture from a foreign perspective. I don't feel it lives up to my expectations, nor to the standard of his other works. 'Notes from a Small Island' had me howling with laugher, because as an outsider to England, his wry observations and comments touch upon things that seem superficial, but resonate with greater depth across all parts of society. He digs at the the seams of the fabric to find the things that are idiosyncratic, and amusing to an outsider. Unfortunately, this book reads like a tour of a country that he doesn't know very well: his commentary and insights are 'interesting', but I feel that they are superficial, they don't capture the true essences of the country. It's like a diary, and even then, not one that echos with universal wisdom. His recount is interesting, but not side splittingly humourous - because his observations don't grab at a deeper level. A large part of text is about revealing himself or describing situations which could have occurred in any country, not just Australia. Having said that, I've given the book four stars because it is a worthwhile read about interesting Australiana, and should be part of the diet for anyone visiting the vast land. But as an insight into the culture, and compared to his other works, I don't think it comes up to scratch.
Rating:
Summary: I know this isn't quite a review but ...
Review: Bryson provides an enjoyable though frustrating examination of Australia for which I am giving him four stars (on the basis that it is a vast improvement on what has previously been written about this country). Anyway, that's not why I am writing. I am here to provide a further reading list for those who want to follow up on some of Bryson's stories. 1st- Jim Cairns. Remember the old man crossing the street in Melbourne with the card table from which he sells his books and its turns out its the former deputy-prime minister. As someone who has interviewed him, I can testify that Cairns is one of the most extraordinary people I have ever met. I can really recommend his book SILENCE KILLS but amazon.com lists 12 other books of his that I am sure are worth a read. 2nd- The PM Who took a very long swim. Yes, its true. We lost a Prime Minister but some people aren't so sure about the fish food end of the story. Anthony Gray's THE PRIME MINISTER WHO WAS A SPY is distirbingly convincing in his account of what happend to Harold Holt; recruited as a student to write reports on Australia which he continues to write throughout his political career until he goes for a swim at Portsea (at an oddly isolated and dangerous spot) and collected by a passing Chinese submarine. While I am not one for conspiracy theories this is one that is definetly worth a read.
Rating: 
Summary: Interesting Social Commentary
Review: I'm a big fan of Bill Bryson's work and especially like his willingness to interact with the people he meets on his travels in order to get to the core of the country he is in. As an Australian I found his observations on Australia and how we live both an interesting travelogue and a revealing social commentary. Apart from prompting me to visit a few places I am yet to see, this book certainly gave me plenty of food for thought about how much we take for granted. Bryson's obvious pleasure at being here in Australia was refreshing and (seemed) genuine. I look forward to a sequel where he could maybe visit more of Queensland (ie Brisbane) and Northern NSW and of course, Tasmania. Maybe on the same trip he could visit NZ. However, unlike other readers, I don't think he should be forced to take Stephen Katz along!
Rating: 
Summary: A pretty good read, I reckon.
Review: I guess expat Aussies everywhere are pleased to find new travel books about their homeland, with the hope they can sneak to a quiet corner inside the book and joyfully roll in the often incredulous (and favorable) remarks - just like a queensland blue-heeler dog in 'roo dung. I know I do ! And I had a good roll in "In a Sunburned Country". The author is accurate and fair (perhaps a bit starry-eyed) and I enjoyed the travelogue and the anecdotes. But the book is disjointed. It chops and changes, and the reader has to either cover vast distances in a paragraph or tediously explore some private fascination for half a chapter. The editing could have been tighter. This 'wide brown land' is too big for one book by one author. Nevertheless, Bill Bryson's book is a good read. The average 'Pom' will get further insight as to why the convicts stayed in Australia when their terms expired. And 'Yanks' will see that if they want to experience the 60's and 70's (of their parent's memories), then they should 'go bush' in Australia. Buy the book. Go there. And take spare urine (read the book and you'll understand).
Rating:
Summary: You Beauty Mate! (an Aussie expat living in England)
Review: Note: I read the English Version of this book, titled "Down Under". Question why the difference in names? I have loved all of Bryson's books. He has a cynical yet affectionate way of viewing things that hits the nail on the head but doesn't hammer the people or culture he is reviewing. I received "Down Under" yesterday, chuckled all through my lunch break sitting at my desk at work and forgot to eat last night as I ploughed on to finish. Having done so at about 11pm I called my parents in Oz to discuss the book (9am their time). This is by far his most enjoyable book to date in my opinion (whether he gets even better or this one was more unputdownable because I am Australian I am not sure). I found out things about my own country that I had not known and laughed at his gentle ribbing of the Australian psyche. His fascination with the venomous side of the Aussie bush struck a cord. I can't count the number of times English friends have asked how we live with all those life threatening animals (this from a nation that has had 25+ years of terrorist threats from the IRA!) Even as an avid Australian cricket supporter I found his absurd descriptions of the sport hilarious. I would like to point out that his own country invented an even sillier game. Were else do grown men run around in a type of ballet hose with enough padding on their chests to stop a freight train? Unlike the reviewer from Melbourne, I loved the snippets of history that Bryson used to flesh out the Australian culture and felt they went a long way to help any non-Australian understand how an essentially English colony can have ended up as such a sophisticated and multi-cultural society. While it is true that 80% of Australians live within 80 miles of the sea and nearly all in the major cities (and Bryson states this SEVERAL times) most travellers to the country would be doing exactly what Bill did; see the great outback, so I felt the book was more balanced than most travelogues on Australia have been. I also admired the accuracy of the book. I have lived in both the US and UK and it still amazes me the totally out of date and just plain false stereotypes that are held about Australia. It is a refreshing change to read a book where the author has taken the trouble to look below the commonly held views and put forward researched facts! The only complaint I could find was why, when so much of the book showed meticulous research, did he not look into the history of our "unofficial" anthem "Waltzing Matilda"? Just about any Aussie he asked and the numerous web sites dedicated to the song's history that could have explained that the term "waltzing matilda" was slang for going on the road as a swagman (itinerant traveller). He had found out that "Matilda" was from the German female name "Mathilda" but had failed to discover that this was an affectionate term given by German soldiers to their great coats (kept them as warm at night as a woman would). "Waltzing" made its way into the Aussie dictionary from our German settlers as well (there were a lot of them in the last couple of decades of 1800s) and derives from the term "auf der walz" (go on the walz or tramp) and referred to the practice of an apprentice travelling around the country to gain experience from different employers in their trade. Bill Bryson praises the egalitarian lifestyle he found in Australia. It would have been nice if he had included just a little of the history around "Waltzing Matilda" as it was written as a political ballad at the time when events that forged our society were taking place. If you are interested type "Waltzing Matilda" into a web search engine and learn a bit more of Australia's forgotten history. All up if I could give this book 6 stars I would and it has solved my gift giving ideas for the foreseeable future. Well done yet again Bill!
Rating:
Summary: Prime Bryson
Review: Another smooth effort by Mr. Bryson. I bought this book solely for the entertainment value but the author managed to throw in a little history, geology, zoology, botany, etc. which to me was a bonus. As he says at the start of the book, most people don't know anything at all about Australia. It is almost never in the news. Geez, all my life I didn't realize I was mispronouncing Canberra by putting the emphasis on the second syllable rather than on the first! I had never heard of the prime minister, Harold Holt, who in 1967 went for a swim which, as Mr. Bryson delicately phrases it, "required no towel" and was never seen again! I didn't know that people in Sydney make Melbourne jokes, such as "Do you have any children?" "Yes, 2 living and 1 in Melbourne". If you read this book you will also discover 12 foot earthworms, kangaroos that live in trees, and the cassowary- which is as big as a person, looks like an emu but has a bony growth on its head and a murderous claw on each foot. They attack by jumping up and striking out with both feet together. The book is full of interesting stuff like this, just about on every page. As Bryson says, "Australia, what a great place!"
Rating:
Summary: Down Under Revealed
Review: Finally there is a factual and entertaining book about Australia. Having lived in Australia for several years, I can attest to the veracity of the author's research and conclusions. I loved Bryson's droll and conversational style of writing. Moreover, he reveals all the idiosyncracies and facts that Americans should know before venturing Down Under. Thankfully, he mentions all the unimagined vastness and deadly creatures found everywhere. My only disappointment was that he did not visit Tasmania, which I and many others regard as the most beautiful state in Australia. But, hey, he couldn't see everything - that would take months. I would highly recommend this book to everyone interested in this unique continent and the incomparable and wonderful Aussies.
Rating:
Summary: Bonza!
Review: I have to admit that I'm a Bryson fan. I have read nearly all his books and I've enjoyed every one, but this one was excellent. He avoided the preaching which sometimes crept into "Notes from a Small Island" and he seemed more at ease with himself than in "A Walk in the Woods". I've never previously had a great desire to visit Oz, but after reading this I do. I can't think of a better recommendation for the book! His description of listening to the Australia / England Cricket match on the radio was priceless - and I'm English and a cricket fan! If you've not read Bryson before (where have you been? ) then this is a great place to start! John
Rating:
Summary: I think Bill forgot part of Australia!
Review: This book is certainly one of Bryson's better travelogues. But, then again, he had a wonderful country to discuss. I am a huge fan of Bryson and Paul Theroux, the latter tending more toward the sarcastic observation. However, I am genuinely puzzled as to how he could simply forget Tasmania! I still have a few chapters to go, but I have scanned through them and nothing, no mention of this gorgeous island hanging off the bottom of Australia. Quite a large oversight for someone who is writing a book about the whole of Australia.
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