I've read a few other books by Bryson and have enjoyed them all...this one was no exception. In this book, Bryson decides on one last tour of Britain before returning to the U.S. He had spent nearly two decades on British soil and wanted one last look at the island he had come to love. This book was written in 1995 and Bryson did return to the States after living in Britain since 1977 with his wife who he met there in 1973. (Bryson returned to Britain in 2003 and currently lives there).
Anyway, Notes from a Small Island is full of Bryson's sometimes over-the-top wit as well as descriptions and histories of the places he traveled. Bryson is not only a great travel writer and humorist but is also a great historian (one of my favorite books of his is A Short History of Nearly Everything). He does sometimes seem to be angry and lashes out at some of his inconveniences in small English villages but he is usually quite amusing in doing so. For example, he relates his experiences with a fussy innkeeper who tells him the correct methods for turning on the lights, flushing the commode, etc. Before leaving the establishment, Bryson relates: That evening, I forgot to turn off the water heater after a quick and stealthy bath and compounded the error by leaving strands of hair in the plughole. The next morning came the final humiliation. Mrs. Gubbins marched me wordlessly to the toilet and showed me a little turd that had not flushed away. We agreed that I should leave after breakfast!
Throughout the book are other colorful encounters as Bryson makes his way from Dover all the way North to Dunnet Head in Scotland, the most Northern point of the island. Along the way, he travels mostly by rail and/or by foot. One spot he tried to visit was Welbeck Abbey, the ancient home of the Dukes of Portland. He was especially interested in William Cavendish-Scott-Bentinck, 5th Duke of Portland, noted for his eccentricities. He was a recluse who preferred to live in seclusion and had an elaborate underground maze excavated under his estate at Welbeck Abbey. (I need to read more about him!)
Bryson manages to hit many interesting and not so interesting places in his travels including Dover, Exeter, London, Liverpool, Blackpool, Leeds, Durham, Edinburgh, Glasgow, Inverness, and many others. I found myself googling many of these sites to find their locations and more about them. Although there is a small map in the front of the book, I think the book would have benefited by including a much larger and detailed map showing more precisely Bryson's travels. But overall, I did enjoy this and would recommend it. I still have a few other books by Bryson on my shelf that I hope to get to soonish.
Anyway, Notes from a Small Island is full of Bryson's sometimes over-the-top wit as well as descriptions and histories of the places he traveled. Bryson is not only a great travel writer and humorist but is also a great historian (one of my favorite books of his is A Short History of Nearly Everything). He does sometimes seem to be angry and lashes out at some of his inconveniences in small English villages but he is usually quite amusing in doing so. For example, he relates his experiences with a fussy innkeeper who tells him the correct methods for turning on the lights, flushing the commode, etc. Before leaving the establishment, Bryson relates: That evening, I forgot to turn off the water heater after a quick and stealthy bath and compounded the error by leaving strands of hair in the plughole. The next morning came the final humiliation. Mrs. Gubbins marched me wordlessly to the toilet and showed me a little turd that had not flushed away. We agreed that I should leave after breakfast!
Throughout the book are other colorful encounters as Bryson makes his way from Dover all the way North to Dunnet Head in Scotland, the most Northern point of the island. Along the way, he travels mostly by rail and/or by foot. One spot he tried to visit was Welbeck Abbey, the ancient home of the Dukes of Portland. He was especially interested in William Cavendish-Scott-Bentinck, 5th Duke of Portland, noted for his eccentricities. He was a recluse who preferred to live in seclusion and had an elaborate underground maze excavated under his estate at Welbeck Abbey. (I need to read more about him!)
Bryson manages to hit many interesting and not so interesting places in his travels including Dover, Exeter, London, Liverpool, Blackpool, Leeds, Durham, Edinburgh, Glasgow, Inverness, and many others. I found myself googling many of these sites to find their locations and more about them. Although there is a small map in the front of the book, I think the book would have benefited by including a much larger and detailed map showing more precisely Bryson's travels. But overall, I did enjoy this and would recommend it. I still have a few other books by Bryson on my shelf that I hope to get to soonish.
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