Notes from a Small Island by Bill Bryson

[Weave]

Welcome to the September Reading Circle 2012. The theme was Island Living and the chosen book was Notes from a Small Island by Bill Bryson ~

 

It is assumed that you have read the book before reading posts in this thread, as the discussion might give away crucial points, and the continuous use of spoiler tags might hinder fluent reading of posts.

 

 

Synopsis ~

 

After nearly two decades in Britain, Bill Bryson took the decision to move back to the States for a few years, to let his kids experience life in another country, to give his wife the chance to shop until 10 p.m. seven nights a week, and, most of all, because he had read that 3.7 million Americans believed that they had been abducted by aliens at one time or another, and it was thus clear to him that his people needed him.

 

But before leaving his much-loved home in North Yorkshire, Bryson insisted on taking one last trip around Britain, a sort of valedictory tour of the green and kindly island that had so long been his home. His aim was to take stock of the nation's public face and private parts (as it were), and to analyse what precisely it was he loved so much about a country that had produced Marmite, a military hero whose dying wish was to be kissed by a fellow named Hardy, place names like Farleigh Wallop, Titsey and Shellow Bowells, people who said 'Mustn't grumble', and Gardeners' Question Time.

 

Questions for discussion (please answer as many or as few as you wish):

 

 

1.What did you think of Bill Bryson as a narrator?

 

2. Was there a particular part you enjoyed more than the rest?

 

3. Was this the first book you've read by this author and has it encouraged you to read more?

 

4. Were there any parts/ideas you struggled with?

 

5. How did you feel about the Western Australian colloquial and slang words? Did they add flavour to the writing or did they distract you from the story?

 

6. Were you engaged immediately with the story, or did it take you a while to get into it?

 

7. Overall, was reading the book an enjoyable experience?

 

8. If you enjoyed the book, would you have liked a sequel? How do you think the story could develop in the sequel?

 

9. Would you recommend the book to others?

 

 

 

Edited September 3, 2012 by Weave

[lauraloves]

1.What did you think of Bill Bryson as a narrator?

I really enjoyed Bill Bryson as a narrator, his writing was easy to follow and also some parts of his book were so funny too.

 

2. Was there a particular part you enjoyed more than the rest?

In fairness I enjoyed all of the book equally, i suppose if i had to pick it was the parts where Bryson visted places that i have been and i could picture these in my head.

 

3. Was this the first book you've read by this author and has it encouraged you to read more?

Yes first book by this author, but it was an author that i wanted to read at some point and this reading circle kind of pushed it up my list. I am definitaly going to read more of his works.

 

4. Were there any parts/ideas you struggled with?

No, it was very easy reading.

 

5. How did you feel about the Western Australian colloquial and slang words? Did they add flavour to the writing or did they distract you from the story?

To be honest I didnt notice any, i'll have to go back and skim some of the book to see if i can see some!

 

6. Were you engaged immediately with the story, or did it take you a while to get into it?

Yes, within a few pages i was hooked and wanted to know more about the author and his journey

 

7. Overall, was reading the book an enjoyable experience?

Yes, very enjoyable once i picked it up i couldnt put it down!

 

8. If you enjoyed the book, would you have liked a sequel? How do you think the story could develop in the sequel?

I'm not sure if there could have been a sequel to this book. It was all about Bryson taking a trip around Great Britain before he left for America so i dont think that it would have worked. I do know that there is a simular book set in America though.

 

9. Would you recommend the book to others?

Yes, its a fantastic book packed with facts and information about Great Britain, and its so funny too!

[Weave]

Thanks for your answers Laura, I am so pleased you enjoyed it.

[lauraloves]

Thanks for your answers Laura, I am so pleased you enjoyed it.

 

I really enjoyed it, one that id recommend to others, plus my mum has now picked the book up and is now reading it

[poppyshake]

1.What did you think of Bill Bryson as a narrator?

I love him, he's quite often Mr Angry and Mr Nitpicky but it's all told in an amusing way. I don't believe half of what he says ... it's a deal we have .. he's trying to make me laugh so I know not to take too seriously the bits where he has just sworn at a pensioner etc. I do like more serious travel books but my fave books of all genres are the ones that make me laugh and really, with Bill, it's the whole point of his travelogues. You learn a little bit about the places he visits but mostly you learn about what makes him cross and what delights him. He points out all the little ludicrous things that infuriate (over officiousness, town planning, British Rail timetables etc) and all the gorgeous bits that you take for granted (the lovely countryside, warm and cosy pubs, the excitement in a cup of tea etc.)

 

2. Was there a particular part you enjoyed more than the rest?

Probably the beginning, I love the Prologue in particular .. the bit about his first experiences in England. How everything was shut and how he had to spend his first night huddled in a shelter on the Dover seafront in the midst of drizzly fog. The awful guesthouse with the terrible landlady and all the delights that 1973 has to offer (things for instance that Bill has never heard of .. Scotch Eggs, Poppy Day, streaky bacon, Morecambe and Wise etc) But for all that he's an alien, he understands us incredibly well which is probably why we've adopted him and him us.

 

3. Was this the first book you've read by this author and has it encouraged you to read more?

Though this was a re-read, originally it was the first Bryson I ever read and it did make me want to read more. I've read most of his books now.

 

4. Were there any parts/ideas you struggled with?

No, it's very readable. Learning to put his books down is difficult .. I always want to swallow them in one sitting.

 

5. How did you feel about the Western Australian colloquial and slang words? Did they add flavour to the writing or did they distract you from the story?

He didn't use any did he? He sometimes uses American sayings and words but nothing that was unfamiliar.

 

6. Were you engaged immediately with the story, or did it take you a while to get into it?

I immediately loved it, I knew from the first few sentences that I would.

 

7. Overall, was reading the book an enjoyable experience?

Yes very and re-visiting it didn't make me laugh any less.

 

8. If you enjoyed the book, would you have liked a sequel? How do you think the story could develop in the sequel?

I always felt that the sequel to it was Notes from a Big Country .. although when I came to read it, it was a very different format. Not a travel book as such but a series of columns written for Night & Day magazine about life in America. I would like him to travel round this small island again .. he could go around and around as far as I'm concerned .. and I would happily read it each time.

 

9. Would you recommend the book to others?

Yes, I've recommended it lots and lent it out too. I actually think this book could cure a minor illness .. this, a cup of tea, and a few dunking biscuits .. you'd feel better in no time. It might depend on where you live though .. he's a bit scathing about some places and that could offend more sensitive sorts.

[Weave]

Great answers poppyshake, I now have the book on my kindle, I can't wait to start.

[chesilbeach]

What did you think of Bill Bryson as a narrator?

It alternated between either funny and witty or irritating in the extreme. At times, I did genuinely chuckle out loud at some of his observations, and on the whole, I was entertained by the narration, but sometimes, and it was a few times, I found him rude, obnoxious and just felt like he was whinging for the sake of comic/dramatic effect. There were some occasions when I also felt that he stereotyped some people, while other times, he was keen to debunk preconceptions and stereotypes that are well known, so it was a pretty erratic reading experience for me!

 

Was there a particular part you enjoyed more than the rest?

I'm not sure there was a part I enjoyed more, but I did find the chapters about areas of the country I know were more interesting that those I didn't. As I sit contemplating though, I actually enjoyed the opening chapters finding out how he first came to Britain, and meeting his wife to be.

 

Was this the first book you've read by this author and has it encouraged you to read more?

Yes, this is the first Bryson book I've read. I've only just finished the book this morning, and when I'd just finished it, I didn't think I would read another, but as I've pondered it this afternoon to answer these questions, I may consider giving him another go. Ask me again in a few months time!

 

Were there any parts/ideas you struggled with?

Not really. I did, however, find it a bit of a slog, and I'm not sure why. It took me a good few days to read, and I found I could never read more than a few chapters at a time, which is unusual for me. I even had to intersperse chapters with some Pride and Prejudice to keep my mojo going.

 

Were you engaged immediately with the story, or did it take you a while to get into it?

As I mentioned earlier, I enjoyed the opening chapters, but I never really got gripped by completely.

 

Overall, was reading the book an enjoyable experience?

In short bursts, I did enjoy it, so I can't say no to this question, but it certainly wasn't a totally satisfying experience either.

 

If you enjoyed the book, would you have liked a sequel? How do you think the story could develop in the sequel?

I'm not sure a sequel is the right name for a follow on book, but one of the things that did irritate me was there was so little of Wales and Scotland in his travels, and nothing at all of Northern Ireland, so if he was to revisit his journey of our "small island" I would like to see more coverage of these areas, and some more variety of the places he visited, rather than just what I felt were the traditional tourist destinations.

 

Would you recommend the book to others?

As I sit here now, I would have to say no, I wouldn't recommend it to others, but I think that's a bit uncharitable. I would probably advise that it's worth a read, but with reservations, so it wouldn't be a whole hearted recommendation, but I certainly wouldn't say avoid it. If someone was interested in reading travel books set in Britain, I'd recommend Stuart Maconie over Bryson any day of the week.

Edited September 20, 2012 by chesilbeach

[Kylie]

This is my least favourite of Bryson's books that I have read to date (I've read most of his travel books). It was still very enjoyable, but by the end I felt like I had read the same complaints about every place he had visited (concrete jungles etc). This may well be a flaw in my memory, though. I have a feeling I picked up on one little niggle and it has grown in my mind over time. I will definitely re-read it one day.

[bobblybear]

I'm reading this at the moment. Chesilbeach, I echo your comments about being unable to read more than a few chapters at a time, and finding it a bit of a slog. I don't know why I'm finding it a slog, as he is a very entertaining author. I suspect it's because I haven't visited the majority of places he writes about, but they all seem to be similar as each other, or too similar to places I have visited. I'm about halfway through, but have to keep putting it aside to read other books.

 

I shall answer the questions when I finish the book as I can probably give better comments then.

[poppy]

It's a while since I've read this particular Bryson book so I don't feel I can answer the questions accurately, but I'm another BIG fan of his and have enjoyed all his travel books immensely. I love his tongue-in-cheek humour and at times he's made me laugh till my stomach hurt ( that ow ow ooh, I can't stop laughing, ow it hurts hysteria type laughing )

 

I would thoroughly recommend his books and agree with Poppyshake that they are a real tonic.

 

In an interview Bryson said his writing should never be taken seriously, and if he did choose to write about a place, it was because he had genuine affection and admiration for it.

"Most of it is good-natured teasing."

[bobblybear]

I'm just going through loose ends before the year is up, and I have to admit defeat with this one. I hate giving up on it as I really like Bill Bryson, but I just can't force myself to keep reading it when I'm finding it so uninteresting. I recall having this problem with it years ago but I thought/hoped I would feel different this time around.

 

1.What did you think of Bill Bryson as a narrator?

 

Initially he was quite easy to follow, and obviously very humorous (though I've read books where he is much funnier), but also occasionally a bit contrived.

 

2. Was there a particular part you enjoyed more than the rest?

 

It started off well, and I found the story of how he came to write the book quite interesting, and I really liked the idea of him starting his journey in exactly the same way he first entered the country a couple of decades (I can't remember how long) earlier. I was also impressed by the amount of walking he did. There was a bit along the Dorset coastline that he walked along, and I'm sure it was about 7 miles. Maybe I'm a lazy cow who has come to rely on her car a bit too much, but to me that's impressive!

 

3. Was this the first book you've read by this author and has it encouraged you to read more?

 

It's not the first one, but it's always been my least favorite. I have read the majority of his books (except for the ones on language and Shakespeare), and will always give him a go. I think I prefer when he is writing about varied topics, such as in A Short History of Nearly Everything, and At Home. This one felt like I was reading the same chapter over and over. There seemed to be hardly any variation between the different cities and towns he visited.

 

4. Were there any parts/ideas you struggled with?

 

Just like I said earlier, the repetitiveness of it all. It's the only travel book of his where it just seems like there is no variation between the places he visited.

 

5. How did you feel about the Western Australian colloquial and slang words? Did they add flavour to the writing or did they distract you from the story?

 

Didn't notice this at all, to be honest.

 

6. Were you engaged immediately with the story, or did it take you a while to get into it?

 

I was engaged from the start, but slowly lost interest. I managed about three quarters of it, and the last half has just been a struggle, so I really need to give up on it.

 

7. Overall, was reading the book an enjoyable experience?

 

No, unfortunately. It's my least favorite of the ones I've read by him, and I hate saying that because I love Bill Bryson!!

 

8. If you enjoyed the book, would you have liked a sequel? How do you think the story could develop in the sequel?

 

No, I don't think it's really relevant to have a sequel. And if there was, I don't think I would read it. Not sure though.

 

9. Would you recommend the book to others?

 

I'd hate to say it, but probably not. I don't think it gives a necessarily accurate view of the UK, especially not as a travel guide for someone visiting the UK for the first time. In fact, I think it would probably put someone off visiting the UK.

 

As I said before I've loved his other books, and so would recommend those before this one. For his travel books, the first one I'd recommend is A Walk In The Woods. I remember really enjoying that one, and from what I recall it didn't feel all samey-samey like this one did.

[Tridensphere]

I will have to check this one out