Author: Bill Bryson
Genre: Non-fiction, Travel
Rating: 4/5
Verdict:A delightful read about the land Down-Under but a tad long.
In a Sunburned country is a fascinating read about Bill Bryson's travels throughout Australia with a lot of humor sprinkled all throughout. It is full of funny stories, anecdotes, fascinating facts and a lot of unique details about the different cities and a whole lot of detail on the natural and scenic wonders of one of the largest islands on earth.
Bryson starts with a brief introduction to the history of Australia and the fact that Britain originally used Australia as a prison camp - Fascinating, right?! You get to read so many such unique and interesting trivia all throughout the book - like his story about the building of the Opera House, the anecdotes about the parks and the city plans of Adelaide and Canberra, the sharks, snakes, spiders and other lethal creatures which can kill you in a single bite and the plants, flora and fauna that do not exist anywhere else on the earth but Australia. One common theme that has been mentioned by Bill often in the book is that Australia is HUGE. He makes great efforts to travel all throughout the country but fails because of the vastness of it. To me, Australia has always been all about the different cities - Sydney, Adelaide, Perth, Brisbane and the usual tourist spots - Opera House, Great Barrier Reef, Darling harbor. But I liked how Bill spent very little time on those and instead spent more time in the emptiness of the Outback. It was fascinating and intriguing to read about the trekkers across the Outback and the Aborigines who settled in it and the animals that still inhabit in there.
The one thing that I loved the most about the book is Bill's writing - This is not the usual "Day 1 - Went to X, ate at Y and stayed at Z" travel guide. This is not a book about what to see and do while in Australia. Instead its a book about the people, places, culture and the natural wonders that Australia has to offer. Some of the facts are so bizarre, but that's what makes it a truly wonderful read. If you want to know about where to stay in Sydney or the sight-seeing places in Adelaide, look else where. If you want to know what it is like to stop in the middle of the Outback or kangaroos hopping across the horizon, then this book is for you. I still recall Bill's narration about visiting the Great Barrier Reef. While one would have expected a "It was beautiful, exotic and vibrant" message, No, that's not what Bill talks about. He tells you about an American couple who got left behind when the boat departed without them and were never seen again, probably eaten by sharks, he speculates. It is at that moment you truly realize and marvel at the natural wonder!
I must admit that I got a tad bored while reading certain sections of the book, but Bill totally makes it up by balancing that with his witty anecdotes, funny incidents and some hilarious moments. My only gripe about the book was that it was a bit longer than I had expected and I was waiting to get to the end which is never a good thing for a book. Despite that, this book is a keeper. Australia has been on my must-visit list forever now and the book only made me yearn for a trip down under sometime very soon!
Genre: Non-fiction, Travel
Rating: 4/5
Verdict:A delightful read about the land Down-Under but a tad long.
In a Sunburned country is a fascinating read about Bill Bryson's travels throughout Australia with a lot of humor sprinkled all throughout. It is full of funny stories, anecdotes, fascinating facts and a lot of unique details about the different cities and a whole lot of detail on the natural and scenic wonders of one of the largest islands on earth.
Bryson starts with a brief introduction to the history of Australia and the fact that Britain originally used Australia as a prison camp - Fascinating, right?! You get to read so many such unique and interesting trivia all throughout the book - like his story about the building of the Opera House, the anecdotes about the parks and the city plans of Adelaide and Canberra, the sharks, snakes, spiders and other lethal creatures which can kill you in a single bite and the plants, flora and fauna that do not exist anywhere else on the earth but Australia. One common theme that has been mentioned by Bill often in the book is that Australia is HUGE. He makes great efforts to travel all throughout the country but fails because of the vastness of it. To me, Australia has always been all about the different cities - Sydney, Adelaide, Perth, Brisbane and the usual tourist spots - Opera House, Great Barrier Reef, Darling harbor. But I liked how Bill spent very little time on those and instead spent more time in the emptiness of the Outback. It was fascinating and intriguing to read about the trekkers across the Outback and the Aborigines who settled in it and the animals that still inhabit in there.
The one thing that I loved the most about the book is Bill's writing - This is not the usual "Day 1 - Went to X, ate at Y and stayed at Z" travel guide. This is not a book about what to see and do while in Australia. Instead its a book about the people, places, culture and the natural wonders that Australia has to offer. Some of the facts are so bizarre, but that's what makes it a truly wonderful read. If you want to know about where to stay in Sydney or the sight-seeing places in Adelaide, look else where. If you want to know what it is like to stop in the middle of the Outback or kangaroos hopping across the horizon, then this book is for you. I still recall Bill's narration about visiting the Great Barrier Reef. While one would have expected a "It was beautiful, exotic and vibrant" message, No, that's not what Bill talks about. He tells you about an American couple who got left behind when the boat departed without them and were never seen again, probably eaten by sharks, he speculates. It is at that moment you truly realize and marvel at the natural wonder!
I must admit that I got a tad bored while reading certain sections of the book, but Bill totally makes it up by balancing that with his witty anecdotes, funny incidents and some hilarious moments. My only gripe about the book was that it was a bit longer than I had expected and I was waiting to get to the end which is never a good thing for a book. Despite that, this book is a keeper. Australia has been on my must-visit list forever now and the book only made me yearn for a trip down under sometime very soon!
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