He gives a totally new complexion to the concept of ‘hard luck’, ‘missing out’, or ‘arriving too late’. Those of us who are non-fiction writers can all take heart from this. He is at his best as a writer when things go wrong. I don’t think I will ever again be on my travels, up against an infuriating person, circumstance or chain of events, without wondering what Bill Bryson would make of this. He reserves his funniest writing for those occasions when he encounters total frustration and annoyance. What I enjoy most is the feeling he gives the reader of moving in close to a subject, examining its quirkiest or most singular aspect, then panning out again to take a more distant or panoramic view. These are interspersed with occasional excursions into the history, geography, politics or scientific facts and curiosities about particular places. Having visited several of the Australian locations in this book – Sydney, Canberra, Alice Springs, Uluru, Darwin, and the Great Barrier Reef, among several others – I loved reading about Bill Bryson’s experiences there in his brilliant piece of travel writing, Down Under.īill Bryson is the most engaging non-fiction writer: I was captivated by his mix of whimsical observations, self-deprecating anecdotes, hilarious remarks about the foibles of his travelling companion, and reports on overheard conversations. Today I’m pleased to share with you my review of one of my Christmas present books.
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