Rating: 
Summary: Hands on driving....
Review: "England As You Like It" is filled with practical information Ms. Toth has gleaned from years of traveling and writing about her travels. Her book is useful in those areas where the topics differ from the standard Blue Book or Michelin Guide, but in areas where annual updates are provided the guides are better. Everything including the telephone numbers changes so rapidly these days one can hardly keep up. For example, Ms. Toth recommends using Consumer Reports, but I have found working with AAA more effective. This doesn't mean I leave everything to them, I don't, I just rely on them for information about flights, car rentals, and other areas of their expertise. Ms. Toth likes gardens, and so do I so I enjoy her feedback about her experieces. There are many gardens in England, and some of them are more like national forests in the U.S. I like the more intimate gardens, although I make it to Kew every time I travel. Kew Garens has an online site now, so you can check it out. Talk about big changes... Although we've mastered the automobile on British roads, given current traffic problems in England, we always think twice about driving. The last two times I traveled to England I stuck to trains most of the time. We drove from London to Maidstone in 1993 and it took three hours. We were driving in the middle of the day, and there was no accident. You might want to rent a car only when you need it, and don't pick it up near a large urban area. It's easy enough to get one at the airports, or in middle sized places. We tried that a few years ago and it worked well. I found Ms. Toth's Thumbprint Theory of Travel was the best feature of this book. She's onto something. No more trying to see England in a week for me. The last time I visited England I stayed at the same hotel for a week. I made day trips by train and bus and was very relaxed. I think I learned much more than I would have by tearing all over and hitting the "high" spots--whatever those are. We've also learned how to eat in in the evenings. We eat at the fancy restaurants or pubs at midday, then buy fruit, cheese, crackers, water, etc. and eat in at night. Besides, I'm too busy on the laptop writing emails back home to share my day with everyone to be bothered with eating out. Feels good to get my feet elevated too, and they frown on that in restaurants, though I've been known to do it. My husband will massage my feet under the table, but the food servers look askance at his behaviour. Ah, we Americans just can't behave in public.
Rating: 
Summary: Wealth of Knowledge
Review: Having read this as a follow-up to her book, My Love Affair With England, I must admit, I was a little disappointed. It didn't seem to capture the kinship I had previously felt through the other book. Ms. Toth gives fair warning about her zeal for gardens, but I found myself skimming through the garden descriptions after a while. I can appreciate the peace and tranquility a garden creates, especially on vacation when one can sometimes feel like they're on information overload, but when I finished I felt garden overloaded. On a positive note, the hands-on information for independent travel provided in this book was fantastic and cited sources I had never considered, and had not found in the regular guidebooks. Also, some of the cottage rentals she described sounded absolutely heavenly, and I can't wait to try them myself. Best to proceed with caution unless you're up to date on your flora and fauna.
Rating: 
Summary: Even better if you have a green thumb
Review: Having read this as a follow-up to her book, My Love Affair With England, I must admit, I was a little disappointed. It didn't seem to capture the kinship I had previously felt through the other book. Ms. Toth gives fair warning about her zeal for gardens, but I found myself skimming through the garden descriptions after a while. I can appreciate the peace and tranquility a garden creates, especially on vacation when one can sometimes feel like they're on information overload, but when I finished I felt garden overloaded. On a positive note, the hands-on information for independent travel provided in this book was fantastic and cited sources I had never considered, and had not found in the regular guidebooks. Also, some of the cottage rentals she described sounded absolutely heavenly, and I can't wait to try them myself. Best to proceed with caution unless you're up to date on your flora and fauna.
Rating:
Summary: If you love England you will love this book.
Review: I first read this book several years ago, when it was newly published. In Susan Allen Toth I found a kindred spirit who shares many of my interests and would never, ever ask why I keep going back to England again and again! At the time I did not have a trip to England in the works, but devoured the book anyway and tucked its suggestions away for future trips. I have been to England three or four times since and each time I have incorporated some of Toth's ideas into my travel plans. I rented a car for the first time in 1997 (scary the first time), then this year spent two weeks driving around the Cotswolds (very successfully, and it enabled us to visit gardens and villages that we would not be able to reach by public transportation). I also rented a cottage for the first time this year, inspired by Toth's endorsement of this type of accomodation. (For those who are not ready or interested in a self-catering cottage, I recommend staying in high-quality B&Bs in areas outside London. Their rates are comparable to modest budget hotels in London, but they offer the amenities and decor of fine hotels. In contrast, small hotels--even outside London--are much more expensive.) This book will be loved by persons who love England, but perhaps not appreciated so much by those who can not imagine spending two or three weeks in one small country, let alone in a smaller geographical region. This is a book to read after you've had your first "sampler" trip to England, seen the tourist attractions, and can hardly wait to go back again. You will also find that the internet offers resources that were not available when the book was first published. Many of the organizations and resources referred to by Toth have websites, and publications can often be ordered online. I highly recommend this book for armchair travel, inspiration, and practical ideas to enhance your next trip to England. Of Toth's three books on England (all of which I have read and enjoyed), this my clear favorite.
Rating:
Summary: the weakest of Ms. Toth's three books about the U.K.
Review: I gave Susan Allen Toth's first travel memoir about Great Britain, My Love Affair with England, five stars. It was what I had hoped Ms. Joan Cornblath's "Beyond the Tower: London for Return Travellers" would be. This, the second book chronologically in her series of three, was a bit of a letdown after that stellar beginning, though it is still an enjoyable read if you are missing England and would like to read some affectionate reminiscences. There is a bit too much about gardens and fauna for my taste (though in a testament to the principle of "less is more" the anecdotes of the earlier book have inspired me to add some English gardens to my next itinerary). I love forests but don't necessarily want to read about them in such detail. There is some very good information about various British map series and suggestions for obtaining them. NB: When reading I had thought the suggestions probably out-of-date, i.e. with the opportunity to buy materials at Amazon.com.uk, but when I checked it out I didn't find very many maps available online, on Amazon at least. Perhaps that will change, or maybe they are available from the publisher online. I hope so. The editor and author may want to consider adding this information to a later edition. There is also good information about various options for accommodation, and the author goes a long way toward demystifying self-catering holiday rentals (reserving a furnished apartment or home). Her observations on souvenir shopping in British grocery stores is charming, and her suggestions on journal keeping and thumbprint travel are pragmatic. In the third section of the book, "Special Places", I was not totally pleased with the author's choices of which places to cover. Though I understand that she can only write about where she has actually been, many were very similar to things she had already discussed in the first book. A lot of useful information and a good index.
Rating:
Summary: ENCOURAGEMENT TO BE YOUR OWN TRAVEL AGENT
Review: I gave Susan Allen Toth's first travel memoir about Great Britain, My Love Affair with England, five stars. It was what I had hoped Ms. Joan Cornblath's "Beyond the Tower: London for Return Travellers" would be. This, the second book chronologically in her series of three, was a bit of a letdown after that stellar beginning, though it is still an enjoyable read if you are missing England and would like to read some affectionate reminiscences. There is a bit too much about gardens and fauna for my taste (though in a testament to the principle of "less is more" the anecdotes of the earlier book have inspired me to add some English gardens to my next itinerary). I love forests but don't necessarily want to read about them in such detail. There is some very good information about various British map series and suggestions for obtaining them. NB: When reading I had thought the suggestions probably out-of-date, i.e. with the opportunity to buy materials at Amazon.com.uk, but when I checked it out I didn't find very many maps available online, on Amazon at least. Perhaps that will change, or maybe they are available from the publisher online. I hope so. The editor and author may want to consider adding this information to a later edition. There is also good information about various options for accommodation, and the author goes a long way toward demystifying self-catering holiday rentals (reserving a furnished apartment or home). Her observations on souvenir shopping in British grocery stores is charming, and her suggestions on journal keeping and thumbprint travel are pragmatic. In the third section of the book, "Special Places", I was not totally pleased with the author's choices of which places to cover. Though I understand that she can only write about where she has actually been, many were very similar to things she had already discussed in the first book. A lot of useful information and a good index.
Rating:
Summary: the weakest of Ms. Toth's three books about the U.K.
Review: I gave Susan Allen Toth's first travel memoir about Great Britain, My Love Affair with England, five stars. It was what I had hoped Ms. Joan Cornblath's "Beyond the Tower: London for Return Travellers" would be. This, the second book chronologically in her series of three, was a bit of a letdown after that stellar beginning, though it is still an enjoyable read if you are missing England and would like to read some affectionate reminiscences. There is a bit too much about gardens and fauna for my taste (though in a testament to the principle of "less is more" the anecdotes of the earlier book have inspired me to add some English gardens to my next itinerary). I love forests but don't necessarily want to read about them in such detail. There is some very good information about various British map series and suggestions for obtaining them. NB: When reading I had thought the suggestions probably out-of-date, i.e. with the opportunity to buy materials at Amazon.com.uk, but when I checked it out I didn't find very many maps available online, on Amazon at least. Perhaps that will change, or maybe they are available from the publisher online. I hope so. The editor and author may want to consider adding this information to a later edition. There is also good information about various options for accommodation, and the author goes a long way toward demystifying self-catering holiday rentals (reserving a furnished apartment or home). Her observations on souvenir shopping in British grocery stores is charming, and her suggestions on journal keeping and thumbprint travel are pragmatic. In the third section of the book, "Special Places", I was not totally pleased with the author's choices of which places to cover. Though I understand that she can only write about where she has actually been, many were very similar to things she had already discussed in the first book. A lot of useful information and a good index.
Rating:
Summary: ENCOURAGEMENT TO BE YOUR OWN TRAVEL AGENT
Review: So far, this book is absolutely incredible. The amount of detail is a bit baffling at first, better too much than too little. It gives suggestions for how to find excellent hotels and B&B's, good maps, restaurants, there are even suggestions on packing and keeping a travel journal. We're leaving for the British Isles in a matter of days, and I've been planning for the last 9 months. It would have been so much easier if I'd had this book. I can't wait to start planning our next trip. I don't like to use travel agents because it's been my experience that unless you are paying them to plan your entire vacation, you will be far from the top of their priorities list. Also, it's so much fun to plan your own vacation. This book is invaluable.
Rating:
Summary: ENCOURAGEMENT TO BE YOUR OWN TRAVEL AGENT
Review: So far, this book is absolutely incredible. The amount of detail is a bit baffling at first, better too much than too little. It gives suggestions for how to find excellent hotels and B&B's, good maps, restaurants, there are even suggestions on packing and keeping a travel journal. We're leaving for the British Isles in a matter of days, and I've been planning for the last 9 months. It would have been so much easier if I'd had this book. I can't wait to start planning our next trip. I don't like to use travel agents because it's been my experience that unless you are paying them to plan your entire vacation, you will be far from the top of their priorities list. Also, it's so much fun to plan your own vacation. This book is invaluable.
Rating:
Summary: A soul mate discovered
Review: Susan Allen Toth is a successful writer and professor of English. She's also been carrying on a shameless affaire d'amour with England for some time. (Husband James, obviously an Enlightened Male, is tolerant.) In any case, her affection for that green and pleasant land makes her a soul mate of mine. I've devoured all three of her travel essay books on England, of which ENGLAND AS YOU LIKE IT is one. (The other two in the series are MY LOVE AFFAIR WITH ENGLAND and ENGLAND FOR ALL SEASONS.) In an unpretentious, humorous, and thoroughly charming style, Susan shares a multitude of suggestions and experiences. How to independently create one's own English travel itinerary. The almost-sublime usefulness of the Ordnance Survey series of maps. ("These are distinctly royal maps. Each, in fact, carries a discrete notation: "Made and published by Ordnance Survey, Southampton. Crown copyright"." The art of flying Coach. The case to be made for overpacking. ("Don't waste time and money looking for it abroad if you can possibly take it with you.") The strategy for buying souvenirs for friends back home. The practical aspects of keeping a travel journal. The joys of shopping locally for food, and eating "in". Of course, she also shares some of her favorite places, beginning with the shire of Cornwall in general, and the town of Padstow and castle of St. Michael's Mount in particular. Then, it's on to Ashdown Forest (Winnie the Pooh Country) in East Sussex. Later, we stay with her and James at the Victorian country house of Standen. ("It is not easy to recline with aplomb in one's bath while receiving strangers, but James carried it off very well.") And, the small harbor town of Lynmouth in Devonshire, ominously referred to in a local guidebook. ("Beware the twin honey pots of Lynton and Lynmouth.") For those visitors with more esoteric tastes, there's London's National Postal Museum, at which one can pick up an application to join the Letter Box Study Group, whose avowed aim is "to accumulate and disseminate information on all aspects of Letter Boxes". While in London, she seeks out several of that city's secret public gardens. Then, for those of her fellow Yanks wretched enough to consider England and Great Britain synonymous, she includes two chapters on the Scottish Highlands, and another on two Scottish battle memorials: Culloden (1745), and the site of a B-24 crash in June 1945 on Fairy Loch. Finally, I must to refer to Susan's thoughts at the very beginning of Chapter One because I myself have luxuriated in the experience before each of my several trips to England (and Scotland): "Months before we leave for England, I begin to travel. Night after night, I happily settle down with stacks of books, maps, and tattered clippings ... On a large pad of paper I list all the days we will be gone ... Now the work - and the fun - really begin. Curled up on the sofa, I sip my decaf, ponder my list of dates, open a map, and begin to dream." Susan, bless you for reminding me of those dreams.
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