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| In a Sunburned Country | 
 enlarge | Author: Bill Bryson
Publisher: Broadway
Category: Book
List Price: $14.95
Buy New: $2.05
You Save: $12.90 (86%)
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Avg. Customer Rating:  (409 reviews)
Sales Rank: 1007
Languages: English (Original Language), English (Unknown), English (Published)
Media: Paperback
Edition: 1st Broadway Books Trade Pbk. Ed
Number Of Items: 1
Pages: 352
Shipping Weight (lbs): 0.6
Dimensions (in): 7.9 x 5.2 x 1.2
ISBN: 0767903862
Dewey Decimal Number: 919.40465
EAN: 9780767903868
ASIN: 0767903862
Publication Date: May 15, 2001
Release Date: May 15, 2001
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
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| Customer Reviews:
 Made me laugh, made me learn August 3, 2007
1 out of 1 found this review helpful
This was a fun book. Meandering the Australian countryside with Bryson was enjoyable. I learned a lot, too, about culture, history, the people, the slang. I will be visiting Sydney, Melbourne, and other places this December, and the information from this book will be handy. I wish he'd right one about New Zealand (I'm going there, too)!
 Not Bryson's Best Work July 28, 2007
2 out of 3 found this review helpful
I purchased Sunburned after reading a couple of others by Bryson. While Sunburned is a relaxing read, I was ultimately disappointed. One glaring omission is the lack of witty character development so prominent in other Bryson books. Further, Sunburned is long - 300 pages of what seemed like 8 point type - and painfully slow at times. All in all, it seemed like Bryson was uncharacteristically straining to come up with things to write about.
If you are new to Bill Bryson, I suggest going with A Walk in the Woods instead.
slow June 19, 2007
0 out of 1 found this review helpful
A rather slow moving books, but still a good read.
Australia in a nutshell. A very large, very empty, very beautiful nutshell. June 14, 2007
4 out of 4 found this review helpful
I like to equate "In A Sunburned Country" to Australia itself. It seems to go on forever, and at some points you just want to stop, but when it is finally over you are pining for more.
I'm reluctant to give this five stars, only because I don't want to seem like "that guy" who gives everything five stars. But what the hell, it deserves it.
What made this book so excellent is Bryson's perfect blend of wit, wonder and historical facts. He never overwhelms the reader with too much dry information, his humour isn't derived from negative Australian stereotypes and he always brings to life what a wonderful, strange country it really is. The cast of characters, so to speak, are simply superb and I'm glad that Bryson decided to include them in this book.
Some people might criticize the fact that Bryson didn't spend a lot of time in each location, or that he missed some really good locations, but I think this is entirely fine. One of the main themes of this book is that Australia is simply huge and the spaces between civilized areas are massive. If he decided to spend more time in each location, why, he would still be there today.
Bryson's sense of humour in this book is just phenomenal. His conversations with his friends, his mental dialogues and the commentary about Australia's strange history will make you chuckle delightfully, if not laugh out loud.
This book isn't a comprehensive history of Australia, nor would I want it to be. What Bryson does instead of boring us to death with a dry revival is pick out some of the most interesting little tidbits of Australian history and present them to us in a way that really gives us a greater understanding of the country. He often uses the historical examples to prove a point, such as the poor sod Harold Holt and the dangers Down under, and the Japanese atomic bomb that nobody noticed because Australia is so big and empty.
As a recent resident of Australia, I can personally vouch for the claims that he makes about the country. It is outstandingly beautiful, the people are unfailingly laid back and accommodating, and you will die if you aren't careful.
This book was an absolute treat to read.
 A great book for an awesome country June 6, 2007
0 out of 2 found this review helpful
I really enjoyed this book. II was so surprised when my grandparents bought me a book about Australia. I have always wanted to go there. This year our class is doing an international track where we do projects on our country, and so I'm putting this book on display.
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