Rating: 
Summary: Bryson on Australia
Review: This is an enjoyable read. It combines huge treks with lots of interesting scientific and historical background. On annoying thing is Bryson always seems to be trying to get as much in the middle of nowhere as possible. He delights in being thousands of kilometers from any trace of civilization. Evidently, there are lots of places in Australia that fit the bill. Bryson seems to regret he couldn't reach all of them.
Rating: 
Summary: A Wonderfully Weird Country...
Review: In looking for something to read during a rather stressful finals week, I took the recommendation of a friend and picked up Bryson's "In A Sunburned Country". Not only did it turn out to be a wonderfully light read, but it filled me so full of legitimately interesting Australia trivia that I'm torn between wanting to go there and trying to find my way onto an all-Australia version of Jeopardy.Bryson does an impressive job of detailing the entire country through a series of four trips between 1997 and 2000 that cover all the Australian states and provinces except Tasmania. In the process he visits everything from the famous (including events like the 200 Sydney Olympics) to the incredibly obscure and gives more than equal weight to the biological curiosities of the island (which go much further than simply marsupials and the Great Barrier Reef). Through this he has done extensive historical research and takes us through such bizarre events as Harold Holt, the Prime Minister in 1967 who dived into the surf one day on vacation and was never seen again. In his honor, the people of Canberra (the capital) named the municipal swimming pool after him. He discusses how Aum Shinrikyo (the cult behind the Sarin Tokyo gas attack) may or may not have set off the world's first nongovernmental nuclear explosion in a desolate corner of the Outback - for some reason, it's never been investigated. He takes an in-depth look at Australian cricket matches and the general bizarreness of Australian politics. Even with all of this wonderfully witty Australian history and the numerous biology lessons, he still finds time to visit every major city on the continent. If there are any flaws to be found in his book, it is perhaps in the way he leaves his discussions of the Aborigines hanging as he ends it. He spends a fair amount of time discussing the intense difficulties in Caucasian-Aboriginal relations over the last two hundred years and finds much to be unhappy about. He takes a serious (if brief) look at the cultural prejudice inherent even today in the Australian culture, but he ultimately ends with shaking his head and noting that he doesn't see an answer either. While glad to see the subject addressed, I found the scope of his discussion disappointing. Admittedly, a travelogue may not necessarily be the best place for this discussion, but to get so far into the discussion and then abandon it seemed unfortunate. Nonetheless, this doesn't interfere with my enthusiasm for the book as a whole and I am at least glad to see the topic tackled somewhat substantively. This book is simply wonderful from cover to cover. It makes great summer reading, great waiting-room reading, great reading for when you're stressed out or just plain great reading period. Having read this one, I'm now going to have to take a look at his other works. I may have to take a look at visiting Australia sometime, too...
Rating:
Summary: Better than a herd of echidnas!
Review: Two words come to mind after I've closed the covers of this book... Hilarious and Informative. And Bryson wastes no time at getting to the hilarious stuff. A few pages into the first chapter he describes how he went into a jet-lag induced coma during a sightseeing tour of Sydney. I was reading this in a public place and laughed for about five minutes without breathing... seriously, tears and all! It was very therapeutic for me. Every few pages he again says something undeniably witty, and this makes the book a joy to read. I loved every minute of it.
On the informative side, I felt that the book covered as much of "habitable" Australia as possible. It seems very thorough, I followed along with an actual travel guide, cross-referencing and reading further about every site that Bryson mentioned here. I was not aware of the incredible vastness of this country, it's almost unbelievable. 23,000 miles of coastline! Having driven the length and breadth of Canada many times (always with an eye to the odometer), I tried to gauge what is comparably going on here in the Sunburned Country... wow, Australia is crazy man! Keep a gas can and canteen handy if you're driving through...
And secondly, I was not aware of the political history of this land and the diversity of living creatures (including trees) that call Australia home. Now I know. Bryson's book is not only a personal travelogue, but it's also a regurgitation (maybe that word is a bit too vomit-like, but you know what I mean) of a lot of obvious research and study on his part.
Bryson is the intrepid wanderer. He is always more curious, and walking a bit further into things than anyone else. And at times, he's so well-researched that he helps out the tour-guides! He demonstrates a respect for the country and for the living things there (including the people). Towards the end of the journey, he is on one of his rambling jaunts, this time in King's Park in Perth. There in front of him, an echidna ambles across the path, and just as quietly disappears into the undergrowth. Bryson says, "I couldn't have been more thrilled." This is the spirit with which he travels, and writes. He is ever ready for amazement, and I know his interest in the natural beauty of things is infectious, because I caught it! About the echidna incident, he says "In a country filled with exotic and striking life-forms my high point was finding a harmless, animated pincushion in a city park." This attitude is consistent with what he considers one of Australia's "most amazing wonders of all"... the living prehistoric stromatolite beds at Shark Bay on the Western Australian coast. These aquatic growths are virtually unchanged from how they existed 3.5 billion years ago. Bryson again... "Now, if that is not an exciting thought, I don't know what is."
Me neither.
This book is an unqualified gem, and should be read by everyone who has already been, or has not yet been, to Australia!
Rating: 
Summary: An Australian perspective
Review: I have to admit at the outset, i am not a Bill Bryson fan (which i believe puts me in a minority). There is something about his writing that rubs me up the wrong way. And i put off reading this book for a long time, as i had heard many Australians say it was just not very good. I am therefore happily surprised to say it is not that bad. It is always interesting to see what an outsider thinks of your home country, and i would say that this is a good insight into others' opinions of Australia if not Australia itself. I have recently embarked on travelling through the UK and Europe, and have been trying to find a book to recommend to others that gives a non-cliched view of Australia, and Bryson's is one of the few i would recommend, with caveats (it is full of cliches, but less than many). For those who have read the book - Bryson obviously is not very good at exploring cities though - i would say that Canberra has some excellent bars and some bloody good restaurants. It's not Sydney, but it is not nearly as dire as he makes out.There are lots of little mistakes too, that on their own are not much, but added up make you wonder at times. The most annoying thing is that he never seems to ask anybody - again Canberra is a good example. The city that probably has the largest population of journalists, military members, politicians and civil servants in the country - and he can't find a decent bar?? Maybe he should have asked a local. There are other times in the book when i wish he had asked someone for advice or something. For those that are considering reading the book - go ahead. Just remember, travel writers are all biased. They all have their own interests, they all have their own angle. That is just how it is. Bryson's Australia is a humourous one, but perhaps not the only one. My suggestion would be to get to Australia and see it for yourself!
Rating:
Summary: Excellent read!
Review: I loved this book! Like many Americans, I've never been to Australia, but would like to visit. This book is a lively tour of all the places an American visitor probably wouldn't venture on a one or two week vacation of Australia. Best of all, Bryson is an honest and witty writer, making his books easy and pleasurable to read.
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Summary: Must read for all travelers
Review: I bought this book in England, at the airport, for something to read on the way home. Having traveled to Australia a few years ago, I thought it would be nice to read someone else's impressions of the country. I loved it! Some parts had me laughing out loud so hard I was crying (which I am sure the flight attendants thought strange) while insights about the treatment of the Aborigines inspired some serious reflection. This is not a 'how-to' guide for planning a trip to Oz, but it is wonderful at giving gut reactions, background information and history, as well as the pure, honest emotions involved in traveling somewhere far from home. So, after talking to your travel agent and reading Fodor's or Lonely Planet's guides... read Bryson before boarding the plane. And if you fly into Sydney, you will know more than the locals about Kingston Smith, for whom the airport is named! Even if you aren't bound for Down Under, Bryson can transport you through the sights, sounds, and conversations that he reports so well.
Rating:
Summary: Excellent
Review: In A Sunburned Country was a very informative and entertaining book. Bill Bryson has a very witty and sometimes cynical sense of humor. He uses that to convey his thoughts about the people and places of Australia. He also has a very deep understanding of the history of one of the oldest countries in the world. I was able to grasp a better knowledge and understanding of this distant country. I would recommend this book to anyone who wants to know more about this unique land.
Rating:
Summary: Heaps good
Review: I just finished reading this book, and what can I say. I thought it was fantastic. Bill Bryson not only talkes about his interaction with Aussies, but also gives some history about the different parts of Australia that he travels to. He continues by giving some dates, names, and stories so the reader could have a better understanding as to why a town, city, desert, or what have you, is the way it is. Some of the stories he tells are extremely funny. I knew some facts about Australia, but after reading this book I definitely have a better grasp of the country. It was very informative and entertaining.
Rating:
Summary: Greatest Book Ever
Review: This is a great book! I would recommend it to anyone. It is funny entertaining and Bill Bryson is an awesome author. This book deserves 50 stars not just 5. This book will really come in handy and I recommend it to everyone.
Rating:
Summary: Funny and Fact-Filled!
Review: Bill Bryson invites us to join him "In a Sunburned Country." He takes us into the Australian outback, to the Boomerang Coast, to the famed Uluru (Ayers Rock), and never misses a chance to tickle our funny bones or fill our heads with wonderfully useless facts about Australian history, politics, geography, etc. Along the way he meets eccentric characters and fiesty animals and awe-inspiring sights. This book, although funny (hilarious in spots), never matches the outloud laugh factor of "I'm a Stranger Here Myself." Instead, Bryson fills the chapters with salient facts and anecdotes, capturing our attention in a fully satisfying way. I finished the last page feeling that I knew quite a bit more about Down Under. Through his unique and vivid wordage, Bryson captures the sheer immensity and wonder of this incredible place. Not only does he make us want to go visit, he makes it seem as though we've already been. Now that is the mark of a wonderful writer!
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