Down Under - Bill Bryson Reviews

This is Bill Bryson's travel book about Australia. Bryson is a comic travel writer who is characterised by being very easy to read. I came to this book having read 4 or 5 other works from the author, which I enjoyed tremendously. Bryson is a very funny and likable guy, who often gets into bizarre mix-ups and scrapes that lead you to ...  Read the complete review

It's not often that I have trouble in finishing a book but Bill Bryson's book Down Under is one of the Worst books I have ever read. I can't believe that anyone would want to read an account of a man travelling ALONE around a country (even one as interesting as Australia) who seems to spend more than 80% of his time drinking beers in a pub (alone) ...  Read the complete review

Bill Bryson used to be my neighbour. He did y'know! well, he used to live about 2 miles away. And I met him on many occasions! I did to! well, he shopped in waitrose and so I stalked him and I swear he walked past me holding his hand to the side of his face and muttering something like "bloody woman" under his breath. Anyway I digress, ...  Read the complete review

'Down Under' is Bill Bryson's travel account of his time spent exploring Australia. It was written in 2000, and is 394 pages long. It is available in hardback and paperback - the paperback is on sale on Amazon for £5.39. Having already read several other Bryson's books, when I spotted this one in my local library, I was extremely keen ...  Read the complete review

Last Thursday night I was scurrying round the Trafford Centre desperately looking for some Coconut Oil, (another story) when I felt the irresistible pull of WH Smiths. Now I wasn’t there to splurge on books, but what can you do when you feel the force. Before I knew it I had made a number of completely unnecessary purchases one of which being the ...  Read the complete review

Bryson's at his best when he's being irreverent and iconoclastic. He allows himself free rein to do this when he's on home turf ? ie in the UK or the States. But I feel he's pulling his punches a little here, for fear of offending his hosts. He rightly highlights the correct PC issues - ie aboriginals' 'invisibility', ...  Read the complete review

An Interesting read, because as far as I am aware, this is the first book Bill Bryson has written where he is recording his first impressions as they are formed. All the other Books are either topics he knows well ( Language, the US) or a revisitation of places or ideas. The problem with recording first impressions, is that you record ...  Read the complete review

I have been reading Bryson's work since I was at School - the chapter about swearwords in 'Mother Tongue' was required reading set by my English teacher! But, 'Down Under' is his best yet - it reduced my whole family to tears - in a good way, including my 84 year Grandma, who has visited our Australian relatives in Sydney on a ...  Read the complete review

It takes a lot for me to laugh out loud at a book. Perhaps it's because slapstick appeals more and it is just so much easier to be wooed by visual comedy. Bill Bryson has changed all this forever. He writes as if he is talking directly to you, as if having a one to one conversation in a bar. Within the first 2 pages of 'Down Under', ...  Read the complete review

A great look at one of the most unknown countries in the world, all with the trademark Bryson humor. - Advantages: Funny, informative - Disadvantages: not long enough

I received the Bill Bryson book for a Christmas present and although a avid book lover I had never read a travel book before, except if you can count the lonely planet guide to Austraila. I was the bought the book because I spent some time in Austraila and it was thought I would enjoy reading about the places I'd been. As soon as I ...  Read the complete review

This book is a rarity for a travel book. It actually makes you want to visit the place. Okay most will say that that is the aim of all these books - but often all they do is give you a mass of opening times and lists of things to do. There isn't a single direction to a bus station, or recommendation of a pub- and the book is all ...  Read the complete review

Bill Bryson has to be the best travel writer currently plying their trade. That is if, like me, you like a bit of humour injected into this type of writing. I came across him last year when browsing the shelves of my local bookstore. I like to just look at the covers and have a little look at anything that takes my fancy. As I scanned the titles I ...  Read the complete review

Flying into Australia, I realised with a sigh that I had forgotten again who their Prime Minister is.' (Bryson, Down Under) And so started the latest book from Bill Bryson who has dominated Travel Writing since he was first published. In fact you will be unable to find a Travel section in any bookshop that doesn’t have half its ...  Read the complete review

I have read the lot! Without a question my favourite remains Notes from a small island" and I have been disappointed by a lot that Bryson has written since. This represents a return to form - not to say that it is as good as the original tome but still a good read that will keep you laughing away. Bryson travels around Australia ...  Read the complete review

After reading several of Bill Bryson's earlier books, I began Down Under expecting the same witty style and hilarious anecdotes. Unfortunately, I was slightly disappointed in this area-I think I only laughed out loud once during the entire book (during the story about the little girl who helped local builders and, let's just say, acquired ...  Read the complete review

I’m totally hooked on this guys non pretentious easy going writing and advise you to pick up one of his travel biogs as soon as is physically or fiscally possible. He doest try to be erudite with long wandering words every second paragraph (although still don’t know what lugubrious means), or flood you with over descriptive ...  Read the complete review

‘Flying into Australia, I realised with a sigh that I had forgotten again who their Prime Minister is.' (Bryson, Down Under) And so started the latest book from Bill Bryson who has dominated Travel Writing since he was first published. In fact you will be unable to find a Travel section in any bookshop that doesn’t have ...  Read the complete review

Another great little offering from Bryson as he travels through the outback, sampling the delights of that most fortunate nation: Australia! Cheap beer, Kangaroos, desert, beaches, gorgeous happy people, truly the blessed nation! Bryson quickly dumps on that idea. Kangaroos? Well yeah, but they're pesky critters, and the ...  Read the complete review

What’s this? Bryson underachieving? In short, that is exactly what he does with this, his latest embellishment. I write as someone who has loved, simply adored, reading his other books, in particular ‘The Lost Continet’ and ‘Mother Tongue’, so imagine my surprise when I found myself churning through an almost heavy ...  Read the complete review