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Notes from a Small Island (Audiobook)

Notes from a Small Island (Audiobook)

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Author: Bill Bryson
Publisher: Corgi Audio
Category: Book

List Price: £14.99
Buy New: £8.54
You Save: £6.45 (43%)



New (20) Used (4) from £7.00

Rating: 4.0 out of 5 stars 133 reviews
Sales Rank: 32062

Format: Audiobook
Media: Audio CD
Shipping Weight (lbs): 0.4
Dimensions (in): 5.4 x 4.9 x 0.9

ISBN: 055215170X
Dewey Decimal Number: 910
EAN: 9780552151702
ASIN: 055215170X

Publication Date: May 17, 2004
Availability: Usually dispatched within 1-2 business days

Also Available In:

  • Paperback - Notes from a Small Island
  • Hardcover - Notes from a Small Island
  • Audio Cassette - Notes from a Small Island (Audiobook)
  • Paperback - Notes from a Small Island
  • Hardcover - Notes from a Small Island
  • Hardcover - Notes from a Small Island (Large Print Edition)
  • Audio Cassette - Notes from a Small Island (Audiobook)
  • Paperback - Notes From a Small Island
  • Hardcover - Notes from a Small Island (Large Print Edition)
  • Paperback - Notes from a Small Island
  • Hardcover - Notes from a Small Island

Similar Items:

  • Notes from a Big Country
  • Neither Here Nor There: Travels in Europe
  • Down Under
  • The Lost Continent: Travels in Small Town America
  • A Walk in the Woods

Editorial Reviews:

Amazon.co.uk Review
Bill Bryson is an unabashed Anglophile who, through a mistake of history, happened to be born and bred in Iowa. Righting that error, he spent 20 years in England before deciding to repatriate: "I had recently read that 3.7 million Americans according to a Gallup poll, believed that they had been abducted by aliens at one time or another, so it was clear that my people needed me." That comic tone enlivens this account of Bryson's farewell walking tour of the countryside of "the green and kindly island that had for two decades been my home."


Customer Reviews:   Read 128 more reviews...

2 out of 5 stars Yawn   August 25, 2008
An aimless and tedious meander through British life as seen from an outsider's point of view. Some of this book is very funny but it is full of pointless anecdotes and inane drivel. This book is too long and much of it is instantly forgettable. Not good!


3 out of 5 stars Nostalgic For Me!   August 19, 2008
Needing to clear some space on my bookshelves I have decided to reacquaint myself with Bill Bryson's travel books before Bookcrossing them.
This one was first published in 1995 and the edition on my bookshelf in 1998. I enjoyed reading this travelogue of his tour of the good old UK, many places mentioned of which I have visited during my lifetime. The amusing and often irreverent descriptions of familiar places and British habits were in some cases painfully accurate!
Whilst one might not always agree with Bryson's viewpoint it is none the less an amusing read, though one must also accept that in some respects it is dated.
Certainly worth reading if you are at all interested in Great Britain but remember it was written over thirteen years ago and it has changed even more!
Re-reading this made me quite nostalgic at times especially the last few pages and his concluding comments. Currently living away from Great Britain it gave me an interesting reminder of the things, good and bad, that are unique to that small island where I am proud to say I was born.




5 out of 5 stars The yardstick   July 2, 2008
This is one of Bryson's very best and cements his place as the don of travel writing.
The quality and density of his writing, brimming as it is with curious facts and gags, make him simply unbeatable when it comes to this kind of travelogue.
Bryson's greatest skill is that he makes us want to follow him around often-dull and familiar corners of Britain, Europe, Australia and America.
If you're not a fan of the genre, steer clear. But if you like his style this is a must-have.
For those looking for a starting point for this type of travel book, this is as good a place to start as any.



4 out of 5 stars better than expected read   June 16, 2008
Having read the reviews, mostly anti - I finished reading this book and was pleasantly surprised. It seems to me that Bill Bryson was writing about his impressions, feelings, emotions, call it what you will, as he toured this island of ours, and it came over as a love/hate relationship until the end, when he makes it quite clear he loves the place and will be back. I tuned in to his kind of off beat humour quite early and loved it. Definitely a lot of snorts of laughter and a lot of 'yes, recognise that' too.
An enjoyable read.



1 out of 5 stars One arduous read.   January 24, 2008
 0 out of 6 found this review helpful

Whilst this is the first Bryson book I've finished (not the first of his I've attempted to read) it'll almost certainly be the last. I just don't get this guys popularity (a case of "The King's New Clothes" perhaps). It would've been much better if he'd integrated more with people he met on his travels and wrote about their thoughts rather than his own and his transparent exageration of mundane happenings in an effort towards being comical generally fell far short of the mark for me. He'd also benefit from occasionally choosing not to stay in accomodation he initially doesn't like the look of, but then this would leave him something short of to moan about. Disappointing.