Rating: 
Summary: The new American pilgrim
Review: A wide gulf separates the "travel writer" from those who keep journals of their rambles. The former wishes to entice you to visit the places he's seen - indeed, he's generally paid to accomplish that end. The travel journal is often a pure record of sights, events, people encountered. It is also an honest record of what is experienced. Bill Bryson writes journals of his travels. His accounts are forthright, often with scathing wit, but devoid of malice, even when deeply critical of their subjects. In this book, mainly a walking tour of England, Wales and Scotland, he writes a valedictory to his years in Britain. A delightful read, Notes provides rich entertainment with a serious look at the current British scene.Bryson deserves full marks for courage. He walks. He covers vast distances in weather that would dismay a seasoned fisherman. He risks his life along wind-blown cliffs, looking down for surf lost in driven fog or slashing rain. No-one wet, cold and hungry can maintain their humour long. Bryson conveys his feelings with honest vigour, but veneers his stress with vivid descriptions of the environment he traverses. He struggles to make sense of British Rail [something even the natives have abandoned hope of achieving], more than once falling back on irregular bus services. He suffers a day's dogleg travel to cover a twenty mile distance because no connecting line exists. Still, he persists and is often enough rewarded to make the effort worth the time. And his descriptions of these events rewards the reader through sharing his reactions yet not pointing an accusatory finger. It's "the system" that's at fault. As an American from Iowa, Bryson may be relied on to take a detached view of Britain. He's no royalist, but he has a strong affinity for the traditional. He admires old buildings and wants money spent to keep them intact. He grieves volubly over the supplanting of "heritage" buildings by modern steel and glass monuments to capitalism and modernity. In this vein, perhaps the best chapter is on Oxford - the town and the uni. He virtually takes you by the hand, leading you about the town, up one charming street or along "some forgotten lane." Regrettably, you emerge in a desolate square swamped by parked cars. Grungy shopping centres abound, and he [and you] find little refuge unless you choose the right pub. His anguished cry for Oxford, " . . . there is so much that is so wrong. How did it happen?" is
repeated throughout the book as variations on a theme. His tour completed, he returns to his family in preparation for a return to America [he's now in New Hampshire - not Iowa - a telling point]. His British home in Yorkshire seems unsurprising in view of his travails in the South. He likes the North's warm-heartedness, although he admits it is manifested only over a long duration. He adores the scenery, but has never had to make a living from that land. His favourite town names are Northern ones and he'll leave with more than mild regret. Yet, at the end of this book, as he declares his bliss at returning to Yorkshire, one cannot but wonder whether the long journey was worth the effort [other than to produce the book]. Because this book is a journal of a pilgrimage, it fails to entice the reader to duplicate it. Bryson's superb wit and descriptive powers hold you to his side as he journeys. But on closing the pages, this reviewer felt no compulsion to emulate the tour. There are other places that appeal more and Byson's otherwise admirable account doesn't evoke a desire to divert from them. A wonderful book to read, but only once.
Rating:
Summary: Brit Bill
Review: I've gone through Bryson's travel narratives in no particular order. "Notes From a Small Island"is the most recent I've read. Other than a not short enough changeover in Heathrow, I have not yet been to England. However, I've met several British tourists abroad, as well as other travelers who have been to the U.K. So I thought I had enough knowledge to tackle this book, though honestly, you don't need a cup of tea to go through "Notes". Bryson rushes you along on a whirl of words, generally with enough humor, insight, and true experiences to let you gladly follow him almost anywhere. One of my favorite scenes is late in the book where Bryson defends the US against two Whinging Pohms (to borrow a sometimes dead on phrase) Fortunately not everyone fits this stereotype. As with any personal travel narrative, some things are left out and this account focuses mainly on Britain with a small part of Scotland. Ireland isn't included at all. If you like Bryson's other books this won't disappoint. If you are looking for an amusing read, Notes from a Small Island is an excellent choice.
Rating: 
Summary: Very Amusing
Review: Bill Bryson worked for some years in Britian. Prior to returning to America to live he went for one last trip around Britian and he wrote this book. Bryson clearly has an immense affection for English people and he has captured what they are like. The fear of undertaking a road trip of more than three miles, yet the inherent sense of humour that they have. Bryson is a person who has an immense knowledge of the history of England. He has written popular books on the development of the English language. As a result he is able to talk about the history of the towns he visits and to give a depth to the places he visits which has not been so much a part of his other travel books. However it is the stories again which make his writing unique. His stories of waiting in the queue at McDonalds, the story of getting directions on short cuts. All are immensely funny and are laugh out loud humour. Bryson is without doubt one of the more amusing writers around. Yet his humour in this book is of the gentle and affectionate kind.
Rating: 
Summary: Not Bryson's Best
Review: Notes From a Small Island has all the Bryson hallmarks: long sentences that are well crafted and use words in interesting ways; amusing anecdotes; laugh out loud lines and description of travel. Unfortunately, this travel book of Great Britain focus more on Bryson's personal experiences at every stop instead of telling the interesting stories of the places he visits. This book has far too many recitations of Bryson's breakfasts, lunches, dinners and teas. We are regaled nightly with a critique of the room, hotel and appointments of is current lodgings. I had one moment of irony. Toward the end of the book, the author stated that it was getting difficult to get up to see places during the latter stages of his trip. He allowed that this was because British towns all had a degree of sameness in their Marks and Spencer's stores, corner pubs and British Rail stations. His writing struck me the same way. Too many of his landings featured a walk up a dreary main street, a meal of indian cuisine that was less than satisfying and a stay in a room that failed to meet his expectation. I wondered if the author's editor was struck by this congruence of story and story pace. His more recent books, "A Walk in the Woods," and "In a Sunburnt Country" featured much more insightful writing. In these books, Bryson told the history, background and odd tidbit about the places he visited. The meals, motels and transport were background that filled out rather interesting place descriptions.
In this book, Bryson reverses the emphasis. The result is an account where Bryson is the main focus rather than the places he is describing. That doesn't mean that this book is without some interesting moments or amusing passages. Bryson is, after all, an engaging writer. It just seems that in this effort he set out to write a quickie book that relied heavily on his notes and too lightly on the place research that makes some of his other offerings amusing and fascinating learning experiences.
Rating:
Summary: Project week at Putney
Review: What I really liked about reading this book were those moments when I caught myself unconsciously belting out a laugh in a quiet room of people. I found these moments sporadically tucked into the pages of this book. It was like coming across pieces of candy during treasure hunt. The body of the book, however, I found more or less overly critical. Now I am aware that Bryson's critical tone was partially sarcasm and humorous, but I found his negative tone had the ability to grow a little old. Throughout Bryson's journey around Briton the descriptive memories were detailed and held many entertaining events. I was impressed by Bryson's honesty of his feelings about each town or city he visited. He shared his impression elaborately when he enjoyed and despised the atmosphere of each stop. If your reading this book for the fun of it, you have come to the right place, but if this is your means of planning a trip around England, Bill Bryson's journey was definitely enjoyed (or lack of) through his eye of strong opinions.
Rating: 
Summary: Nothing Interesting
Review: This book has been placed in many different categories, such as travel and non-fiction. But in my opinion, it seems as if it is just the story of a bitter old man being miserable on his trip around England.
There were excerpts of this book that were, in fact, pretty amusing. But overall it was relatively boring and hard to get through. If you're looking for an informative, fun travel book about England, I suggest you look elsewhere.
Rating:
Summary: ohh, lovely
Review: Bill Bryson's Notes from Small Island makes me want to pack my bags and purchase the earliest flight to England. What can I say, his account of England made me laugh, and even his worst experiences made me want to see if it was truly real.
His style of humor is one big hilarious ramble that makes you have to read it out load to the nearest person in your vicinity (even if there a total stranger that gets taken aback by an outburst of incoherent mumbles disturbed by spluttering bursts of laughter.)
His random historical facts are truly interesting, and great stories. In general it was a good book, and I recommend it to anyone that wants a good time, British style with a good cup of tea.
Rating:
Summary: Hilarious
Review: I listed to an un-abridged audio version read by Bill Bryson and I loved the book. Bill Bryson is hilarious, honest and a just plain excellent writer. His historic notes are useful and his descriptions paint a vivid picture. He's dry and sarcastic but very, very real and very very funny. By the time you're done with this book you will have an honest to God, realistic and in-depth narrative of a country that, like anything familiar and dear, can be beautful,imperfect,nerve-wracking and glorious but always well-loved.
Rating: 
Summary: A long bitter goodbye
Review: It's a wonder that so many travel writers profess to love a region or country seemingly in spite of the local countryside and, most of all, its people. Unfortunately Bill Bryson is one of those writers. The genesis of "Notes from a Small Island" was a final goodbye tour of the country where the American Bryson had lived for the last 20 years. While it opens promisingly enough with witty descriptions of typical English conversations, it soon degenerates into a mean description of mile upon mile walking, alone, though rainy, off-season (read empty) countryside. Such walks were described just as nauseatingly by Susan Allen Toth who, while writing endlessly of bucolic English footpaths and gardens, freely admits she couldn't stand to live there. Having studied at Oxford and visited England several times, I looked forward to an amusing description of the England I, as an American, came to know and love. However, this was not to be. Bryson's occasionally amusing stories grow fewer and further between and turn into increasingly bitter rants about the weather and lack of customer service in English guest houses. It's a wonder Bryson stayed so long in the country and that they didn't kick his ungracious arse out long ago.
Rating:
Summary: Mean spirited
Review: After loving A Walk in the Woods and In Sunburned Country, I bought Notes from a Small Island. It was disappointing. It seemed mean sprited to me in that he took shots at people without letting the reader know why they deserved it. At first I thought okay, maybe it's just me. I put the book down and went back to it weeks later on several different occasions and just couldn't get through it.
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