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Bill Bryson: The Complete Notes
After nearly two decades in Britain, Bill Bryson took the decision to move Mrs Bryson, little Jimmy et al. back to the States for a while. But before leaving his much-loved Yorkshire, Bryson insisted on taking one last trip around old Blighty, a sort of valedictory tour of the green and kindly island that had for so long been his home. The resulting book, Notes from a Small Island, is a eulogy to the country that produced Marmite, George Formby, by-elections, milky tea, place names like Farleigh Wallop, Titsey and Shellow Bowels, Gardeners' Question Time and people who say, 'Mustn't grumble'. Britain will never seem the same again.
Once ensconced back home in New Hampshire, Bryson couldn't resist the invitation to write a weekly dispatch for the Mail on Sunday's Night & Day magazine. Notes from a Big Country is a collection of eighteen months' worth of his popular columns about that strangest of phenomena - the American way of life. Whether discussing the dazzling efficiency of the garbage disposal unit, the exoticism of having your groceries bagged for you, or the mind-numbing frequency of commercial breaks on American TV, Bill Bryson brings his inimitable brand of bemused wit to bear on the world's richest and craziest country.
The Complete Notes combines two of Bill Bryson's best-loved travel books in one volume, It demonstrates his unique take on life - from either side of the pond.
Once ensconced back home in New Hampshire, Bryson couldn't resist the invitation to write a weekly dispatch for the Mail on Sunday's Night & Day magazine. Notes from a Big Country is a collection of eighteen months' worth of his popular columns about that strangest of phenomena - the American way of life. Whether discussing the dazzling efficiency of the garbage disposal unit, the exoticism of having your groceries bagged for you, or the mind-numbing frequency of commercial breaks on American TV, Bill Bryson brings his inimitable brand of bemused wit to bear on the world's richest and craziest country.
The Complete Notes combines two of Bill Bryson's best-loved travel books in one volume, It demonstrates his unique take on life - from either side of the pond.
679 pages, Paperback
First published October 5, 2000
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2069 people want to read
About the author
Bill Bryson
101 books22.1k followersBill Bryson is a bestselling American-British author known for his witty and accessible nonfiction books spanning travel, science, and language. He rose to prominence with Notes from a Small Island (1995), an affectionate portrait of Britain, and solidified his global reputation with A Short History of Nearly Everything (2003), a popular science book that won the Aventis and Descartes Prizes. Raised in Iowa, Bryson lived most of his adult life in the UK, working as a journalist before turning to writing full-time. His other notable works include A Walk in the Woods, The Life and Times of the Thunderbolt Kid, and The Mother Tongue. Bryson served as Chancellor of Durham University (2005–2011) and received numerous honorary degrees and awards, including an honorary OBE and election as an Honorary Fellow of the Royal Society. Though he announced his retirement from writing in 2020, he remains one of the most beloved voices in contemporary nonfiction, with over 16 million books sold worldwide.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 42 reviews
March 29, 2010
I first read Bill Bryson's "In a Sunburn'd Country," which is all about Australia, when I was moving to Australia. It is, possibly, one of the loveliest ways to learn about Australia, as it ignores much of the uglines of this country and focuses, generously, on the bizarre, the wild, the beautiful, and the absolutely nutty character of Australia. It's important, when you live here, though, to also read the unfunny books that tell you about Australia's true ugliness and true beauty. See "A Secret Country." Overall, I loved that book, and I still do. It makes me laugh, and Bryson comes off as a good guy you'd like to take a road trip with. He's funny, self-effacing, and always a bit awkward.
Boy Wonder bought me "Notes from a Small Island" because I am about to move to the UK, hoping it would provide me a similar bewildering, lovely view of England.
But this book is very very different. Firstly, Bryson comes off like a real dickhead. I have no sympathy for this guy. He wonders about people who still live in former industrial centres; he asks what will they do for work, for a living? How will these towns remain, now that the work has gone.
And in the next breath, he proudly, officiously, recounts treating a teenager working at a McDonald's like dirt, simply because the teenager is required to try to upsell him an apple turnover. Like he doesn't realise that the only refuge for these small, former industrial towns will be in Big Corporate, offering service and management jobs and selling crap to everyone for miles around.
In this book, Bryson decided to see Britain by public transit and foot, which is a fine goal, but he seems to have very little patience for the exercise. He's grumpy, telling old men to fuck off, berating hotel workers. He also wants our sympathy, complaining about his blisters and sore feet. He visits nothing but little towns and then complains when they look too much like other towns. Hint: they're all little British towns.
And this is trifling, I know, but he needs a better editor, or a thesaurus for this book. The number of times he describes a view just outside a small town of the surrounding countryside as "agreeable" or "fetching" is too high to be worth counting. Several times on the same page. Seriously.
Also, he seems to believe that the aesthetic appeal of a town or city is the Number 1 most important feature. Once he has described whether or not the town the pretty or ugly, he is pretty much done, and then goes on to tell a horrifying story about being cruel to some service worker, spending the night in his hotel room, and moving on to another town. Because nearly every town follows this formula, you start to come to the same conclusion he does: if every little British town is about the same, then Bryson's telling of it is also. There's no point reading the last half of the book; it's just more of the same. His biggest pet peeve is that historical buildings are being destroyed by new glass-panel frontages for drug stores and the like. I agree that is quite annoying, but I wouldn't lie to you and pretend I didn't expect it. Bryson whines endlessly about buildings and towns having new, modern, ugly designs-- as if the whole point of life, commerce, towns was to preserve everything as it would be most visually appealing. If Bryson had his way, all new English construction would have stopped in the 1800's.
The issue I take with sort of thinking is that it ignores history. People have been building and tearing down forever. Yes, we should preserve some buildings. The best ones. The pretty good ones. No, we shouldn't replace everything with glass and concrete. But honestly, things are not just going to stop so that you can take a little tour around the country and be pleased with all the quaintness, now is it?
He goes on little racist rants about chopsticks (how could such a clever culture not figure out a better utensil than knitting needles?), and bizarrely sexist rants (why do women have superhuman hearing abilities?). It's not funny, it's been said before, and worst of all, it's boring to read these pathetic little asides, so clearly thrown in to make up a word count.
And then, he really kicked it off-- in the last paragraph of his mawkish, gripey love letter to England, he says "Here is a country that fought and won a noble war, dismantled a mighty empire in a generally benign and enlightened way... in short, did nearly everything right..."
WHAT? Benign? Enlightened? Britain, among all the colonial powers, was the least willing to let go of its colonies and was forced, at every turn, to depart through the sheer might of the colonised people. The Partition of India, the largest, most violent single migration in human history was Britain's initiative. And that's only one example. It strikes a nerve, clearly.
England has certainly not done nearly everything right. And Bryson could show his love for his adopted home better through honesty about the bad stuff than rosey platitudes about a lie.
Boy Wonder bought me "Notes from a Small Island" because I am about to move to the UK, hoping it would provide me a similar bewildering, lovely view of England.
But this book is very very different. Firstly, Bryson comes off like a real dickhead. I have no sympathy for this guy. He wonders about people who still live in former industrial centres; he asks what will they do for work, for a living? How will these towns remain, now that the work has gone.
And in the next breath, he proudly, officiously, recounts treating a teenager working at a McDonald's like dirt, simply because the teenager is required to try to upsell him an apple turnover. Like he doesn't realise that the only refuge for these small, former industrial towns will be in Big Corporate, offering service and management jobs and selling crap to everyone for miles around.
In this book, Bryson decided to see Britain by public transit and foot, which is a fine goal, but he seems to have very little patience for the exercise. He's grumpy, telling old men to fuck off, berating hotel workers. He also wants our sympathy, complaining about his blisters and sore feet. He visits nothing but little towns and then complains when they look too much like other towns. Hint: they're all little British towns.
And this is trifling, I know, but he needs a better editor, or a thesaurus for this book. The number of times he describes a view just outside a small town of the surrounding countryside as "agreeable" or "fetching" is too high to be worth counting. Several times on the same page. Seriously.
Also, he seems to believe that the aesthetic appeal of a town or city is the Number 1 most important feature. Once he has described whether or not the town the pretty or ugly, he is pretty much done, and then goes on to tell a horrifying story about being cruel to some service worker, spending the night in his hotel room, and moving on to another town. Because nearly every town follows this formula, you start to come to the same conclusion he does: if every little British town is about the same, then Bryson's telling of it is also. There's no point reading the last half of the book; it's just more of the same. His biggest pet peeve is that historical buildings are being destroyed by new glass-panel frontages for drug stores and the like. I agree that is quite annoying, but I wouldn't lie to you and pretend I didn't expect it. Bryson whines endlessly about buildings and towns having new, modern, ugly designs-- as if the whole point of life, commerce, towns was to preserve everything as it would be most visually appealing. If Bryson had his way, all new English construction would have stopped in the 1800's.
The issue I take with sort of thinking is that it ignores history. People have been building and tearing down forever. Yes, we should preserve some buildings. The best ones. The pretty good ones. No, we shouldn't replace everything with glass and concrete. But honestly, things are not just going to stop so that you can take a little tour around the country and be pleased with all the quaintness, now is it?
He goes on little racist rants about chopsticks (how could such a clever culture not figure out a better utensil than knitting needles?), and bizarrely sexist rants (why do women have superhuman hearing abilities?). It's not funny, it's been said before, and worst of all, it's boring to read these pathetic little asides, so clearly thrown in to make up a word count.
And then, he really kicked it off-- in the last paragraph of his mawkish, gripey love letter to England, he says "Here is a country that fought and won a noble war, dismantled a mighty empire in a generally benign and enlightened way... in short, did nearly everything right..."
WHAT? Benign? Enlightened? Britain, among all the colonial powers, was the least willing to let go of its colonies and was forced, at every turn, to depart through the sheer might of the colonised people. The Partition of India, the largest, most violent single migration in human history was Britain's initiative. And that's only one example. It strikes a nerve, clearly.
England has certainly not done nearly everything right. And Bryson could show his love for his adopted home better through honesty about the bad stuff than rosey platitudes about a lie.
December 4, 2019
This edition is a collection of essays that Bryson wrote many years ago...the first half describes a six or seven week trip he took meandering around England, Wales, and Scotland, observing and writing entertainingly about various towns that he visited, and the second half a series of essays he wrote for a British magazine after he had moved back from Britain to Hanover, NH, and the surprises he found there as he re-acclimated himself to living in the States. He is a funny man, and these are all fun. Might be good to recommend to a student looking for examples of well-written essays.
September 5, 2016
Here's what I wanted - I wanted to absolutely love this book. I hold Bill Bryson in very high regard, being both a fan of his hyperbolic humour and his skill as a raconteur. However, I took my time with this and found myself completely torn in opinion. Whilst his storytelling is as top notch as I have come to expect from Bryson, I felt the book losing steam somewhat. I thoroughly enjoyed the sheer cynicism behind a lot of his observations, but his feelings towards the country he apparently loves so much trebuchets violently between exhaustion at trivial occurrences to adoration towards the same quirks you'd expect to annoy him. I found myself laughing out loud several times which is more than can be said for 99% of authors I've read work by.
The second half is compiled of excerpts from his column dedicated to his appreciation of his true home, America. Whilst similar in theme, the chapters are considerably shorter and easier to digest, and I found this book to be far easier to read without any humour being lost along the way. Being a Brit with a mild fascination of American culture, I felt there was a lot more to learn through Bryson's unique approach to writing.
As I said, I wanted to love this book, but I simply didn't - I liked it, I liked it a lot actually, but there are points which are a tad tiring to get through. It seemed like a very rinse/repeat affair, especially when it came to seaside towns. This is no fault of Bryson's, because I've been to many of these towns. They're cookie cutter and there's not much in the way of diversity. I feel like he struggles to find differences between them and he even remarks on how little defines each stop on his public transport tour of Britain. With heavier editing this could be more entertaining but I was glad to reach the end to be honest. This hasn't changed my opinion of Bill Bryson at all - I still consider him to be a phenomenal writer, but this book dozes at certain points.
The second half is compiled of excerpts from his column dedicated to his appreciation of his true home, America. Whilst similar in theme, the chapters are considerably shorter and easier to digest, and I found this book to be far easier to read without any humour being lost along the way. Being a Brit with a mild fascination of American culture, I felt there was a lot more to learn through Bryson's unique approach to writing.
As I said, I wanted to love this book, but I simply didn't - I liked it, I liked it a lot actually, but there are points which are a tad tiring to get through. It seemed like a very rinse/repeat affair, especially when it came to seaside towns. This is no fault of Bryson's, because I've been to many of these towns. They're cookie cutter and there's not much in the way of diversity. I feel like he struggles to find differences between them and he even remarks on how little defines each stop on his public transport tour of Britain. With heavier editing this could be more entertaining but I was glad to reach the end to be honest. This hasn't changed my opinion of Bill Bryson at all - I still consider him to be a phenomenal writer, but this book dozes at certain points.
February 10, 2012
Notes from a small island are far better in my view than notes from a big country. Bryson makes a trip throughthe UK before leaving for the US and that makes the story more coherent than just jotting down notes and interesting trivia as in notes from a big country.
Still, Bryson has a nice writing style, good for a number of laughs and his notes make you wonder about the sanity of mankind. How I would love to pay Bryson to make a four week trip through Holland and see what he comes up with.
Still, Bryson has a nice writing style, good for a number of laughs and his notes make you wonder about the sanity of mankind. How I would love to pay Bryson to make a four week trip through Holland and see what he comes up with.
April 5, 2015
I loved bill Bryson's stories. I want more
October 23, 2022
Admittedly, I only read the “Notes from a Big Country “ half of the book (because I’d previously read “Notes from a Small Island”). I found what I read to be enjoyable and easy to read (3 page chapters aren’t very taxing). It’s quite dated in places - pre 9/11, pre Trump, pre Y2K and in the era of fax machines and video recorders but a pleasant, relaxing read.
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October 29, 2019Ehh this was a case of “ive spent nearly a whole year with this book trying to get through it, when i would rather be reading something else” this one was starting to feel wayyy to repetitive. His america one might be better but mmm ive got bigger fish right now
July 4, 2021
Enjoyed this read. Highly recommend.
December 19, 2021
only liked the part about the US not about the UK
October 8, 2022
Loved Notes from a Small Island; found Notes from a Big Country bitty and difficult to engage.
December 20, 2023
I really no longer have the time to revisit books I have read previously when I have so many awaiting my attention but I’m always going to make an exception for Bill Bryson.
January 15, 2021
My favourite travel book is "Notes of a Small Island" and I am enjoying the follow up "Dribbling..." Other favourites are "Mother Tongue" and "Made in America" but I have read most of his books and have enjoyed them with the exception of "A History of Nearly Everything" which I still intend to read. I love his humour, his sense of the absurd, his interest in history, and his delight in describing unique and often eccentric individuals. I also enjoyed "Notes of a Big Country".
October 11, 2014
Note: only read Notes From A Big Country, which couldn't be found as a separate listing. But if that half was any indication of Bryson's genius, then I didn't need to read the other in order to fall totally and completely in love with this master of creative nonfiction. The length of his stories, short and snappy to fit the length of the magazine columns for which they were written, lend perfectly to his idiosyncratic musings that so acutely portray human nature, and better, the differences between disparate human natures. Notes From A Big Country was a study in excellent humor, the uncontrollable kind that breaks from you in public places where many people will stare and judge, which is, I suppose, rather fitting for its content. Bryson juggles cultural commentary with self-deprecation in such a way that you are almost too busy laughing uproariously to note the skill with which he manipulates words and events to draw so succinct, so lucid, a picture, while offering little nuggets of perception on that human race. In the current climate of creative nonfiction flavored with the dark humor of Sedaris or the heaviness of Didion or Dillard, Bryson is a pleasantly shocking reminder of a past where good old fashioned humor dominates all.
August 28, 2011
I actually read these books separately.
Totally absorbing, real page turners, but because of their interesting content, not suspense! Bill describes his travels in detail and with great humour, one feels as if one is walking with him. I had some embarrassing moments when I found myself laughing out loud, to the amusement of my fellow travellers. So well observed. The places he visits, the various places he lays his head, some good, some not so good, and some downright awful. He has a very clever turn of phrase.
Wonderfully humourous and well observed, much laughter and tears in places.His family, especially his mother and father, are described with great affection.I highly recommend this and Bill's other travel books, some can be read in a few days, and I felt disappointment to have finished them, and could not wait to read the next in the series. Please accept this review to cover all the books of his I have read, it would be more than tedious to review them all. Sadly I am not as inventive or observant as Bill
Totally absorbing, real page turners, but because of their interesting content, not suspense! Bill describes his travels in detail and with great humour, one feels as if one is walking with him. I had some embarrassing moments when I found myself laughing out loud, to the amusement of my fellow travellers. So well observed. The places he visits, the various places he lays his head, some good, some not so good, and some downright awful. He has a very clever turn of phrase.
Wonderfully humourous and well observed, much laughter and tears in places.His family, especially his mother and father, are described with great affection.I highly recommend this and Bill's other travel books, some can be read in a few days, and I felt disappointment to have finished them, and could not wait to read the next in the series. Please accept this review to cover all the books of his I have read, it would be more than tedious to review them all. Sadly I am not as inventive or observant as Bill
March 8, 2013
If you're a fan of Bill Bryson, these two books let you see his career progress from "good writer" to "great writer".
In "Notes From a Small Island", Bryson turns his caustic yet funny to the idiosyncratic places and people of Britain. When he returns to America, in "Notes From a Big Country", he directs that eye toward the US, writing personal essays of interest to a British audience.
What I like most about these two books is that they show a different, less-skilled Bryson, than you see in his recent books. Here, his humor can be really cutting and he often thinks of people as being really dumb. In his more recent books, he's figured out that while funny in the moment, it's not enduring humour.
This books is of special interest to people who want to travel to the UK or the US. Enjoy!
In "Notes From a Small Island", Bryson turns his caustic yet funny to the idiosyncratic places and people of Britain. When he returns to America, in "Notes From a Big Country", he directs that eye toward the US, writing personal essays of interest to a British audience.
What I like most about these two books is that they show a different, less-skilled Bryson, than you see in his recent books. Here, his humor can be really cutting and he often thinks of people as being really dumb. In his more recent books, he's figured out that while funny in the moment, it's not enduring humour.
This books is of special interest to people who want to travel to the UK or the US. Enjoy!
November 9, 2015
A travel writer of his own genre, Bryson is an elaborate storyteller and a heart-warming grumbler.
There are two sides of his writing. The first comes across as purely comedic with his style of overcomplicating the overcomplicated in an imaginative and hilarious way (see the piece in Big Country around filling in a tax return). Equally Bryson's warm sentiment and wonderfully home from home nature give him a strong air of likeability. In turn his commentary, and even his grumbles, are very readable, wherever and whatever the subject may be.
N.b. Not to be read late at night when others are trying to sleep, for fear of uncontrollable fits of giggles
There are two sides of his writing. The first comes across as purely comedic with his style of overcomplicating the overcomplicated in an imaginative and hilarious way (see the piece in Big Country around filling in a tax return). Equally Bryson's warm sentiment and wonderfully home from home nature give him a strong air of likeability. In turn his commentary, and even his grumbles, are very readable, wherever and whatever the subject may be.
N.b. Not to be read late at night when others are trying to sleep, for fear of uncontrollable fits of giggles
May 8, 2008
I was very disappointed with this book. I had read several Bill Brysons some years ago and remember laughing out loud at various points throughout his books. This book barely raised a chuckle. In fact, the funniest part of the whole book had been detailed on the back cover. Having read that, I could have saved myself the bother :-(
September 18, 2010
This is for 'Notes from a Big Country' though I'd rate this as being as good as 'Notes from a Small Island'. Both very entertaining and full of insightful observations. Having lived in both countries, I appreciate this in each of these books.
I definitely read this as an undergraduate at some point, probably 2001-2002.
I definitely read this as an undergraduate at some point, probably 2001-2002.
August 27, 2011
This a very entertaining read and a perennial favourite within our family. His writing as he moves around England is very interesting and has lots of funny asides as he skewers away. Sometimes a cranky old man but hey who doesn't occasionally have a 'spray' about 'something'. The material in 'Notes...' is perfect for the occasional pickup and reread.
November 9, 2011
Okay I didn't read Notes from a Small Island but I did read Notes from a Big Country which I couldn't find as a separate book for some reason. I loved it. I love his humor. He wrote this about three years after returning to live in the US after living 20 years in England. The chapters are all columns he wrote for a newspaper. If you haven't read him, treat yourself. He's very funny.
February 20, 2013
As always Bill Bryson gives a funny, awesome, profound different perpective on things, and in this two-in-one books, looks at the British lifestyle and geography and its people etc, and their 'quirks' and the USA. Highly recommended, if you want a laugh, and time to think, in a disarmingly light-hearted way
January 22, 2013
Read these two books separately after travelling these two countries - especially after hearing his commentary in Bath, England, when visiting the baths. I fell in love with this guy's humour and writing style! Bryson is such a talent at producing the funniest stereotypical yet truthful summaries of a country and its mentality!
April 23, 2008
Britain sounds like a really fun place to go visit, although they seem to be battling the "Anywhere, USA" complex... The second half of this book is really funny, but also somewhat sad... because a lot of what he says about the US is true.
July 24, 2010
I have only read 'Notes on a Big Country' so far, but it was fantastic! The comparisons were humorous because they were so accurate, even if they were a bit depressing at times. It is an interesting perspective on the country as Bill Bryson has both an insider and an outsider point of view.
October 5, 2011
SO funny, and just so true. I adored these books. As a Canadian who has lived in both the US and the UK, many of Bryson's anecdotes elicited a "Yes! Exactly!" from me, and I laughed out loud many times. Not the deepest books you'll ever read, but certainly among the most entertaining.
December 19, 2014
First half is laugh out loud funny and as cuttingly insightful as ever he is. Second part is as all collections of articles are: of varying quality. For anyone else a success, for bryson a disappointment.
Want to read
May 17, 2008An english teacher had us read one essay from Note from a Big Country, and it was hilarious.
October 12, 2008
A funny look at both American and English cultures.
December 6, 2009
Hilarious in some parts, tedious in others.
October 5, 2011
really enjoyed his writing & comparisons here. an immigrant may enjoy more.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 42 reviews