Growing up in Des Moines, he found himself yearning for a bigger world, and so he embarked on numerous adventures from the supremely ordinary, to the extraordinary. And, for a contemporary reader, it's a fascinating insight into a small island, brimming with history and stories.īill Bryson is a British-American author who has written on travel, language, history, domesticity, and other fascinating non-fiction topics. We join Bryson in exploring a quirky and captivating version of the UK, that we're unlikely to get from anyone else.īy writing in both the past and the present, Bryson weaves together insights into what has changed, and what has stayed the same. Written in 1995, as a way of temporarily bidding farewell to a place he'd called home for two decades, Notes from a Small Island takes us on a proverbial trip down memory lane. Cheers, mate.Samuel Johnson famously stated: 'When a man is tired of London, he is tired of life, for there is in London all that life can afford.' Bill Bryson extends this sentiment in what can best be described as a love letter to the United Kingdom. Too bad he's unable to couple it with the charm he finds on paper. He knows the places to explore and bring out the charm that most tourists miss. It's a case of "better than the rest, not as good as it should have been." At least Bryson is willing to show us the "real Britain," not the tourism-centered part. Still, as travelogues go, it's one of the better ones out there. The whole appeal of Bryson is the way he expresses his love for British culture with just enough detachment to be witty, and that is far too absent from this adaptation. Those moments that it does (episode three is the best example of this) are wonderful. He comes off as too bored, too bland.only occasionally does his true love for Britain shine through.
Part of the problem is that for a TV presenter, Bryson is a good author.
It moves slowly, is nowhere near as funny as his books, and is far too subdued for my taste.
That said, this TV adaptation of his most popular book leaves something to be desired.
As a fellow American who has spent a few years living in Britain, he captures both cultures with wit and charm.
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