Travels between crudbucket towns
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When Billy Bryson wrote this book Nancy Reagan was still twitching the net curtains at the White House. 4 presidents later counting the president elect to date and could it be that this book is still relevant and contemporary? I haven't been to the states myself but seeing the recent election and the excitement engendered by some middle american farmers for a woman shooting a moose the answer must be 'Yes indeedy doo, you betcha'
Billy B moves from one crudbucket town to another with hilarious opinions, spending nights in seedy motels in beds that sometimes appear to have been vacated by a horse, eating fast foods in diners with views of parking lots once the scenes of important battles. Visiting wax works and souvenir shops selling pictures of farmers on escalators and baseball caps with turds stuck on the brim, sometimes coming across fabulous scenery even, his comments are often scathing but also warm hearted.
Aside from farmers with tanned arms and necks sporting missing fingers and limbs, his poor old dad is the main butt of his humour. BB claims that his dad was even more penny pinching than himself with his butane gas cooker and obsession with only going to free places.
I am sure that the USA is an amazing place and I look forward to visiting to see for myself but for now am very appreciative to live in the UK with it's long established culture and excellent public service broadcasting.
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author ok, country, hhmmmm
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this travel book of bills is let down by the fact that every small town he visits is more or less the same, dreary, boring, one road plains , with a gas station, fast food outlet and little much else, this is more or less what he encounters through the whole book. needless to say it gets a little stale, he finds a town, then a motel, goes for a stroll, gets a beer or coffee, then off to bed. ad-libitum. like i say its only because small town america is all the same and very drole. his europe book was more interesting, im reading 'down under' at the moment and hope there more laughs to come!!
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Pants-wettingly funny
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I think you either dig Bryson or you don't. This was the second book of his I read (first was Neither Here nor There). A year or so after I read the book I got this (on tape) to hear on holiday, and began listening in the departure lounge at LHR. Basically my wife had to virtually throw a fire-bucket over me since I was apparently making a spectacle of myself. Kerry Shale's rapid-fire delivery really makes this a great (if exhausting) listen. Even though I've heard it many times (and have attempted to mimic parts of it to friends a thousand times) I still don't get tired of hearing it. If the weather's crap and there's nothing on TV this is hard to beat for sheer pants-wettingly funny listening. The best bits are Kerry Shale's take on the Southern accent: "Can I HEP you?" "Ha doo lack Miss Hippy?" [you're going to need to buy it to figure this one out] and my special favourite "How about a piece o'Pah? We got blueberry, blackberry, raspberry, boysenberry, huckleberry, whortleberry, cherry berry, hair berry, Chuck Berry and Beri Beri". Frankly, if you can listen to this stuff for longer than a minute or two without cracking up you've either got no sense of humour or you deserve an award.
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funny & poignant
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Can't remember a book that made me laugh out loud, and in public! Not sure why the other reviewers didn't like it but when I read the passages that had me doubled over to my partner he didn't seem to get it either, so I guess it's a case of 'suck it & see'. It's refreshing to read something that doesn't constantly sing America's praises. I'll definately read more.
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Listenable, but nothing special....
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In The Lost Continent Bryson revisits America having lived in England for his adult life. He returns to his hometown and treats smalltown American with large doses of sarcasm and scorn, for somebody who has never been to the States i found it funny and informative; two essential ingredients of Bryson's type travel writing in my opinion. Kerry Shales' reading can become quite irritating as he reads, intentionally, very quickly, but this is remedied by his fantasic imitations of all types of American accents. An amusing tape, this is worth listening to, but don't go out of your way for it!
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