Rating: 
Summary: Typical Bryson
Review: Bill Bryson is not so much a travel writer as a teller of shaggy dog stories. He has travelled to Australia a number of times and this is the recounting of adventures that he had on one longer trip where he rented a car and drove huge distances around the country. Each place he visits gives rise to a story. Thus he visits a small pub in the Norther Territory which used to be a stop of air strip in times when planes had shorter ranges than they do now. He gives a description of the "town" and some background and then recounts the exploits that he had staying there. The device he uses is to describe waking up and having a coffee with his travel companion. Both are hung over from a solid night on the booze and they work out what has happened by looking at the items they have in their pockets. As they do so the memories of a rightous and funny night come back. One of the other great stories in the book are the description of listening to five days cricket commentary when Bryson is completely unaware of the rules of the game. His attempts to work out what is happening from the jargonised language of the broadcast is a classic. The only slightly strange thing in this book is Bryson's gentleness in talking about Australia. He can be a little more biting but in this book he is rather complementary.
Rating: 
Summary: Loose in the Lucky Country
Review: Once called "the Lucky Country," Australia may wonder if the designation still applies after Bryson's string of visits. Sunburned Country isn't a travel guide. It's a traveler's journal. This makes the book a bit difficult to assess. It's usually displayed in the Travel section of your local bookstore. If you're looking for recommendations of places to stay, you'll find little guidance here. If you're looking for places to visit, this book is a treasure. If you're looking for a good read, it's doubly a treasure. If you already have feelings about Australia, pro or con, then this book is certain to arouse ire. You cannot leave this book unmoved. Besides, for all its shortcomings, it's a fun read. Divided into segments due to intermittent trips across the Equator, Bryson manages to present his journeys as a nearly continuous narrative. Americans travel journalists are uniformly surprised by the size of Australia, and Bryson's no exception. His travels around Australia are at a frenetic pace trying to cover the ground. He's dismayed to discover Brisbane isn't "just up the coast" from Sydney. Five minutes with a map would have disabused him of that myopic view. He seems always in haste, his pace leaving little opportunity for serendipitous exploration. Mostly standard travel fare, he targets the urban sites: Sydney, Brisbane, Adelaide, Perth, Darwin, Perth and The Alice. A couple of exceptions will be noted. Bryson is concerned with his comfort. He never camps, preferring hotel/motel convenience - they usually have, or are near to, pubs. For most of the book he's on the road from one town to the next. The result, particularly driving from Darwin to the Alice, allows no time for close examination of what he terms "featureless" and "inexhaustible" deserts. A little more research might have directed him to the Red Center's fascinating variety. But you have to stop the car and walk around a bit to accomplish that. Part of the reason he failed to make even brief saunters is his nearly pathological fear of Australia's fauna. The worst aspect of this book is Bryson's litany of Australia's dangerous creatures. From the box jellyfish through taipans to the infamous redback spider [which he incorrectly describes], he presents the reader with numerous examples of how careless people have suffered their defense of territory. There's a strange ambivalence here, since he's clearly enthralled by many aspects of Australia's natural wonders. His circumvention of Uluru [Ayer's Rock] comprises but two hours, all of it by vehicle. He's disappointed with the monolith's colour, unaware of the impact of changing light on The Rock. Yet, on occasion, when he deems it safe, he alights, closely viewing some of the natural wonders. How many travel writers have the acuity to visit [and recommend] Hamelin Pool in Western Australia? As Bryson is at pains to point out, Hamelin Pool should be one of the premier World Heritage sites. It contains one of the few sites where the original organisms leading to writers and readers [after some 3.5 thousand million years] still reside. It would have been an experience to stand beside him as he explained this phenomenon to the tourist woman who disparaged what she observed. Bryson, bless him, relies heavily on Richard Fortey's LIFE; AN UNAUTHORIZED BIOGRAPHY in educating this woman. He could find few better authorities to use. And he believes what he writes. As a travel writer, he deals with many people. Hotel clerks, restaurant waitresses, museum tenders and other tourist contacts. As in any country, there are the good ones and the others. He's forthright in his assessments, but his comfort and convenience stand paramount. He's good at laughing at himself, especially in regard to his fear of venomous creatures. Mostly the journeys are solitary, but his trips to the Barrier Reef and along the highway from Darwin to Alice Springs are in company with journalist Allan Sherwin. It becomes another chance to expound on the wildlife - particularly the deadlier forms. Among his chants of dangerous fauna, he manages to provide numerous historical anecdotes. He truly shines here, bringing to life people who have crossed the Australian scene. From the first Dutch landings [where stranded mutineers gained notoriety as the first white "settlers"] to the "dullest man in Australia [Prime Minister John Howard], Bryson fills in details on places and events. If nothing else, these vignettes provide excellent background material for his travels. It may be enough to prompt reading another Bryson book. There's a wealth of them to choose from.
Rating:
Summary: NOT PERFECT, BUT HIGHLY ENTERTAINING
Review: Bill Bryson's book is a very interesting mix of humor and travel writing that does a fairly good job of covering the subject of Australia and what may be found there. I enjoyed the nice touches that other writers might have missed (i.e. the atomic bomb that may have gone off in the outback, the crocodile named "Sweetheart", etc.). I also enjoy his frequently funny observations about the people he met while there. My only real criticism is that Bryson has a juvenile fascination with bathroom humor which repeatedly injects itself into his writing. Bryson does need to grow up a bit. But on the whole, it was an enjoyable read.
Rating:
Summary: amusing, although a bit uneven
Review: Bill Bryson is the incredulous tourist, no matter where he goes. In this book, he sets his sights on Australia, that vast undiscovered and mostly-ignored continent-country in the Southern Hemisphere. His descriptions of Australia, its people, flora, fauna, and landscape are by turns amusing and insightful. With wide-eyed wonder, he tells us the story of the Prime Minister who just disappeared into the surf, the American couple left behind on a diving expedition, and several stories of people just discovering something by walking through the bush. Imagine walking back into town with a 60-pound nugget of gold, that had just been sitting in the desert! In some places, his writing is uneven. Sometimes we are walked though pages about something he finds interesting, but which made me yawn; other times he skips over what I think is fascinating. His humour makes up for the oversights, but these oversights keep me from giving the book a fifth star. If you've ever lived in Australia, it's useful to see the country from an outsider's point of view. If you haven't been there, but would love to go, pick up this book for an entertaining introduction to the country. It's not a heavy-hitter, certainly not something you'd read if you want an introduction to Australia's vast history, but amusing and informative nonetheless.
Rating:
Summary: Bryson less cranky, just as witty
Review: In some of his previous books Bryson tended toward mocking, snotty humor (snotty humor does have its place, but it was a bit overdone). In this Australian travel book he is more gracious, but still observant and witty. All in all, I think that he is growing up.
Rating:
Summary: Fun To Read and Informational
Review: I have been to Austrilia and I thought this book gave a great desciption of the country itself and the people in it. I highly recommend this book to anybody curious, or traveling to Austrilia. My whole family laughed when I read them the description of the Sydney Museum, and other interesting stories Bill writes about. This book was fun and informational.
Rating:
Summary: I Absolutely Loved This Book!!!
Review: This is one of the best books I've read in a long time. If I hadn't of wanted to visit Australia before reading this book, I certainly would want to now! Bill Bryson writes with a great mix of humor and history. He made me laugh so hard sometimes that I would have to close the book and catch my breath. I really enjoyed the small "history lessons" that were interspersed throughout the book. Not so much a lesson as an insight on what it was that he was seeing or describing to you. I look forward to reading more of his books and I also look even more forward to the trip I'm planning to take "down under". I highly recommend this book for anyone with even a slight interest in our Aussie neighbors. I don't think you'll be disappointed!
Rating: 
Summary: Funny
Review: Mr Bryson undoubtedly is, as well as an original thinker who should also provoke thought in others. Funny that in 10 years of living in Australia, I never encountered any of the life-threatening creatures he writes so obsessively about - were they more interesting than the people? The bizarre fetish for creatures less likely to cross your path than a flash of lightening would put anyone off traveling anywhere : you know, Canada has cougars, bears and wolves; Italy has earthquakes and volcanoes; for many Europeans the US is frightening because of the large number of citizens who own guns. Funny that anyone from North America should presume (as Mr. Bryson offers to do at the end of Chapter 17) to advise the Australian government on its policies regarding indigenous (Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander) Australians. I remember learning a lot in French high school about Wounded Knee and other wars, battles and forced removals committed in North America by colonists on the indigenous peoples. Not so funny : the problems of aboriginal Australians' and aboriginal Americans' health. According to the US public health service website : "Indians experience disproportionately high mortality compared to other Americans from : Alcoholism : 740% higher, tuberculosis: 500% higher, diabetes: 390% higher, injuries: 340 % higher: suicide, 190%..." If Mr. Bryson has advice for the US government, I'm sure he can contact them through the site http://ihs.gov
Rating:
Summary: Wonderful
Review: During my two years working for a certain book store I resisted reading any Bill Bryson, despite having it constantly recommended to me. I was extremely nervous that they wouldn't live up to my expectations, which I must admit were extremely high. I really shouldn't have worried! It was absolutely excellent! I fell in love with In a Sunburned Country almost immediately, it was funny and informative, but more than anything else I related with Bryson in a way that no girl my age has a right to. Infact though, its hard to see how anyone could not share his delight in monotremes and stromatolites or cringe just a little when he discovered that he had drunkenly agreed to a house swap. And who can resist tidbits like the alleged nuclear bomb set off by Aum Shinrikyo in the outback. Bryson's work is consistenetly excellent and I see several of his books in my very near future and I can hardly wait. My only fear is that I won't get to satisfy my curosity about Uluru and Ned Kelly before I have a whole new set of sites to explore.
Rating:
Summary: Excellent Book
Review: This book is great! I don't think I have ever laughed as much while reading a book. I have had to close the book and compose myself just so I could continue! Really, Bill Bryson writes an excellent book. Besides all the laughter, you learn some very interesting things along the way about Australia's history, flora, fauna, people, etc. etc. If you get a chance, grab a copy of this book and settle in for a wonderful read.
| 
