About this title: Bryson, author of A WALK IN THE WOODS and I'M A STRANGER HERE MYSELF, takes on Australia. Bryson's wit and capacity for observation remain in top working condition despite the heat, and his encounters with the locals are engaging in this typical Brysonian look beyond the obvious.
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Binding: Hardcover
Publisher: Broadway Books (A Division of Ba
Date Published: 2000
ISBN-13:9780767903851ISBN:0767903854
Description: Good. This book is in GOOD overall condition. It shows signs of having been read and has general light wear to the cover, spine and pages. read more
Description: Very Good. 0767903854 Condition: VERY GOOD. (Book may have one or a combination of the following characteristics: former library book, cover wear, name written inside cover, light underlining/highlighting, remainder mark, etc. Overall, the book is in solid shape. This is a blanket description. Please e us if you require a specific, detailed description of the book condition. We will typically respond within one week of your request). read more
Description: Good. Light shelf wear and minimal interior marks. Millions of satisfied customers and climbing. Thriftbooks is the name you can trust, guaranteed. Spend Less. Read More. read more
Description: Good. Light shelf wear and minimal interior marks. Millions of satisfied customers and climbing. Thriftbooks is the name you can trust, guaranteed. Spend Less. Read More. read more
Description: Good. Light shelf wear and minimal interior marks. Millions of satisfied customers and climbing. Thriftbooks is the name you can trust, guaranteed. Spend Less. Read More. read more
Description: Good. Light shelf wear and minimal interior marks. Millions of satisfied customers and climbing. Thriftbooks is the name you can trust, guaranteed. Spend Less. Read More. read more
Description: Good. Purchasing this book supports the King County Library System Foundation. Thriftbooks and KCLSF have partnered to help raise additional funds for the library system. Ex-Library book-will contain library markings. Light shelf wear and minimal interior marks. Millions of satisfied customers and climbing. Thriftbooks is the name you can trust, guaranteed. Spend Less. Read More. read more
Description: Good. Shows some signs of wear, and may have some markings on the inside. Shipped to over one million happy customers. Your purchase benefits world literacy! read more
Description: Good. Shows some signs of wear, and may have some markings on the inside. Shipped to over one million happy customers. Your purchase benefits world literacy! read more
Description: Good. Shows some signs of wear, and may have some markings on the inside. Shipped to over one million happy customers. Your purchase benefits world literacy! read more
Description: Good. Shows some signs of wear, and may have some markings on the inside. Shipped to over one million happy customers. Your purchase benefits world literacy! read more
Description: Very good. Light wear to edges and pages. Cover and spine show no easily noticeable damage. A tradition of southern quality and service. All books guaranteed at the Atlanta Book Company. read more
Description: Very good. Light wear to edges and pages. Cover and spine show no easily noticeable damage. A tradition of southern quality and service. All books guaranteed at the Atlanta Book Company. read more
Description: Good. Book shows minor use. Cover and Binding have minimal wear and the pages have only minimal creases. A tradition of southern quality and service. All books guaranteed at the Atlanta Book Company. read more
Description: Good. Only lightly used. Book has minimal wear to cover and binding. A few pages may have small creases and minimal underlining. Book selection as BIG as Texas. read more
"I tend to gauge my like/dislike of travel writing based on whether or not the book makes me want to run out and visit that place right away. Well based on all the deadly creatures Bryson talks about and the human-organ cooking heat in the Outback, he actually kind of made me fear visiting the land down under.
I'm torn about this book. My gut reaction is to say that I didn't like it because I tended to check out during whole passages while listening, but I honestly think it was due to Bryson's own narration and not the actual writing itself. I was very turned off by the author's half American/half British accent and I think it kept me from really appreciating the humorous parts of the book because his voice was so deadpan and lacked color.
I think if I had read the book rather than listened to it I might have enjoyed it and laughed out loud more. So I think one of these days I'm going to have to try it again but actually read it this time."
"I thoroughly enjoyed this tale in large part due to my wanting to go to Australia. Bryson makes you feel like you are there sweating away the outback with him. I would recommend this book to anyone interested in travel and Australia."
"The audio version of this book is read by the author and I had the pleasure of listening to it during almost a week's worth of very long bike rides. He sounds remarkably like John Malkovich. I've had my complaints about Bryson in the past but I found this book to be a lot of fun and I found myself laughing out loud on several occasions or admiring Bryson's deft wordplay.
I'll admit that I knew next-to-nothing about Australia before this book. I did read Robert Hughes' classic, The Fatal Shore but it was so long ago and my memory is so bad that I remember almost nothing of it. I feel like I know the country a lot better than I did just a few short days ago. Looking at a map of Australia (I now use it as my laptop wallpaper) I realized that I knew nothing of its geography. I'll just stare at my computer screen a bit every day until I commit the most important features to memory (or what passes for memory in my feeble brain). Bryson was especially poignant with his observations of the pathetic state of the Aborigines.
This is typical Bryson travel writing in that he hardly ever has a conversation with anyone even remotely normal. He never seems to enjoy himself on his trips and I seriously doubt he would bother with travel at all except that he sells lots of books. He seemed to have fun on this trip and he is obviously very fond of Australia and her people. I found this to be his best book that I have read thus far. He is certainly a fine and gifted writer. He wrote most of this in the library but I did find the facts he throws out about Australia to be fascinating, for the most part. I suppose just putting most of his effort into research saves him the trouble of actually speaking with real Australian people. As far as other human beings, he seems to take particular relish in engagements with people who are exasperating for one reason or another: a snotty waitress, an annoying American couple, a rude hotel clerk."
"I'm going to quit making sweeping statements about they genres of books I like because each time I declare that I don't care for fantasy or travelogues, I find myself up until five a.m. reading the Twilight series or laughing hysterically at Bill Bryson's In a Sunburned Country.
This guy can write from the depths of his lilly white, Yankee toes. He is a skilled humorist who captures Australia and his experiences with exacting language and wit. Although this is an entertaining read, I also adore his take on life.
I would have given this book four stars if I felt that there was something more to be gleaned from it than just sheer pleasurable entertainment. It feels like an unwritten rule that four stars and above must make us better human beings for having read a work. Who knows where I get these rules?"
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