Bill Bryson wrote another book. I just read it. On the whole - 3 out of 5 stars. While not quite as characteristically brisk and informative as the last few tomes he produced this one also takes on a slightly acerbic tone where he goes off on people for being stupid (sometimes deservedly) not all of which qualify.
There are informative passages that allude to rise and fall of civilizations where Britain at one point circa late 19th century to early half of the 20th was the most prodigious inventor, birthplace of art and a happening place and saw this mantle slowly cede as other regions in the world moved up.
The narrative is a loose smattering of his walks along an imaginary line he calls the Bryson line that connects the northernmost tip of the English island to its southernmost. He makes his usual witty observations of life in the villages and farms along the way and sniffs out interesting research like the grave of the guy for whom the tallest mountain in the world is named to the digs of the author that gave us Sherlock Holmes.
On some points I could not agree more with him - while shopping in the UK (or trying to), I am still not going to buy anything because I think everything costs too much and I have everything I need already.
There are informative passages that allude to rise and fall of civilizations where Britain at one point circa late 19th century to early half of the 20th was the most prodigious inventor, birthplace of art and a happening place and saw this mantle slowly cede as other regions in the world moved up.
The narrative is a loose smattering of his walks along an imaginary line he calls the Bryson line that connects the northernmost tip of the English island to its southernmost. He makes his usual witty observations of life in the villages and farms along the way and sniffs out interesting research like the grave of the guy for whom the tallest mountain in the world is named to the digs of the author that gave us Sherlock Holmes.
On some points I could not agree more with him - while shopping in the UK (or trying to), I am still not going to buy anything because I think everything costs too much and I have everything I need already.
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