Rating: 
Summary: Bill Bryson's Brilliant!
Review: Listening to the unabridged audioCD of this book while commuting to work in L.A. was wonderful! It made me laugh out loud and mometarily forget the drugery that comprises L.A.'s traffic and freeways. It also made me decide to plan a few weeks to visit Australia. Thank you Bill!
Rating: 
Summary: Fun, but a bit long winded
Review: I bought the book with the idea of reading it BEFORE our recent trip to Australia this past Christmas. That didn't happen. Then I nominated it for our book club to read -that didn't happen! Finally our book club choose it for a back up and I had to read it. I enjoyed it more after having been to Australia. Mr. Bryson's humor is terrific and the places he visited really gave you a true bird's eye view of being or visiting Australia. The book was wordy and he could have gotten to the point quicker to keep the reader more substained to hold the interest longer. I lost interest and find myself putting it down, and then picking it back up. On the positive side of that, you didn't have to worry about plot, etc. so if you missed something it was no big deal!
Rating:
Summary: Laugh Out Loud
Review: This was my first Bill Bryson book and as a result of reading it, I have now read all of his books. It is informative and full of neat facts without being scientific or dull. And, as always with Bill Bryson, truly funny. I am always amazed at how a middle-aged guy travelling alone can make his days sound so interesting.I read this book before my husband had the chance and was constantly interupting him to read him passages, even though they were sometimes incomprehensible because I was laughing so hard!! The interesting thing is that once he started reading the book, he read the same passages aloud to me, even though he knew full well that I knew exactly what he was going to say. The best part was they were just as enjoyable the second time. I love how Bryson seems to portray himself and his experiences honestly. Sometimes I am reading along thinking what a jerk he is for describing people or places with so little tact, but then I realize that he is only daring to write the things so many of us often think. I respect, too, that he applies those same critical eyes to himself and his own behavior. There is one thing that ticked me off - this book is also published under the title "Down Under". So, I, of course, grabbed it off the shelf in the airport, thinking I was getting volume two of Bryson's escapes in Australia. It is a great book, but I don't need two copies!! Don't make the same mistake as me.
Rating:
Summary: A really funny read.
Review: I read some of the reviews which gave this book only one star and was stunned to find that most of them came from Australians who are very pleased to read books which send up the idiosyncrasies of other countries but can't cop the criticism of their own.Lighten up and just enjoy ! This is such a funny book that I had to stop reading it in front of other people as I was chuckling so much at his SOO true descriptions of people, places and events. I loved every second of it !
Rating:
Summary: I'm There Now and He Couldn't Have Been More Right
Review: I've just moved to Canberra, Australia from Texas and have fallen in love with this book! While Mr Bryson was a bit hard on this beautiful city (OK, he eased up at the end of the chapter), generally speaking his observations of the people, the land and the culture could not be more right on. I laughed out loud many times when I first read this book. I still go back as a reference when I visit some of the same places that he wrote about.... and I laugh again. He really captures the essence of this place so well with a sense of wit and insight that you will not find in any other travel book. For anyone contemplating a visit down under this book is a must read. That said, I recommend it to anyone who loves a well written, amusing book which goes a step beyond in insight and in historical context. Highly recommended!!
Rating: 
Summary: A Fun Read
Review: Whether you plan a visit to Australia or not, this book is simply a fun read any way you look at it. Bryson's descriptions tend to be off-the-cuff rather than stylized and professional, making his experiences much more real to the reader than the average travel book. His descriptions are fascinating. Before reading this book, Australia never had any particular interest for me. Now I can't wait to go.
Rating:
Summary: Love it
Review: Brilliant, with all the usual wit....
Rating:
Summary: This is not Australia¿or it is?
Review: Throughout the book I kept saying to myself, 'Bill you're a bloody brat'. Focusing on nasty animals that can kill, going to places that I wouldn't send my worst relatives to, and a lack of preparation, continually frustrated me throughout this book. But then I realised that this was deliberate. Bill was not looking to create a travel brochure on Australia; he was creating a tale about Australia - warts and all. He discovers that how vast the country is in size and also gets an insight into its relationship with aborigines. My favourite part was his description of listening to the cricket on the radio, while driving to Adelaide. This book will be lost on all but those with some experience of Australia - either having visited the country or knowing an Australia. Don't buy this in place of a Lonely Planet or Let's Go guide.
Rating: 
Summary: Expected much better.
Review: Disappointing.
The book seemed rushed, and Bryson too easily reverts to stereotypical Australian characteristics as his subject matter.
He provides very few intuitive insights into the foibles and quirks of the locals, as canbe found in so many of the other books that he's produced. That could possibly be put down to the fact that he has not lived in Australia, and as he appears to have been in some haste to get through his travels in this country, it's perhaps not surprising that he would come out of it with nothing more than a superficial view.
Rating:
Summary: Two titles - same book
Review: I believe that "In a Sunburned Country" is also released as "Down Under".
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