I really enjoyed the book a lot! It is funny, clever and very easy to listen. William Roberts is brilliant too. Enjoyed every minute.

I really enjoy Bill Bryson, he is so different to other writers. Not to be taken too seriously but thought provoking at the same time. I didn't like to narration to begin with and it took me a couple of hours getting used to his voice, but I actually enjoyed it afterwards. I felt he spoke quickly and I was missing some of the information especially if I was doing something else while listening, however overall excellent.

Bryson is a master at converting the dull, the linear, the potentially tedious into a fascinating yarn. I enjoyed this tremendously as did my 11-year old son. HIghly recommended and fascinating.

I've enjoyed a number of Bill Bryson books and found this book generally entertaining. It's the kind of book I usually relish with lots of interesting facts and figures. I thought the first third of the book about cosmology worthy of 5 stars, but I got a bit glassy-eyed with the stream of facts and figures in the middle of the book dealing with taxonomy, which even I found less than riveting. Most of the physics and chemistry was familiar to me, but not the biographical stories about the scientists who made the discoveries with their revealing and all too human foibles. Surprisingly, I found the parts dealing with my field of expertise, biochemistry and molecular biology, some of the least inspiring and sketchy such that I think many wouldn't get just how exciting it can be. The last third or so of the book about the evolution of humans was again worthy of 5 stars.

There are some gaps in what he included, for example, mathematics, the basis of so much in science, was barely touched on and one would get the impression that only scientists in the West made all the discoveries, whereas we now know that many were already made in China and India, to name but two Eastern Civilizations.

I've see other reviews that have been critical and pointed out errors in the narrative. I detected a few, but generally thought, that for a layman, Bryson did a very good job of covering an enormous sweep of science and making it entertaining.

Having read the book a few years ago I was really looking forward to listening to the audiobook. Unfortunately this book demonstrates why you should always listen to the sample before buying, the narrators voice really grates on me and I cannot listen to more than a few minutes at a time.

If Carlsberg Wrote Books........

....this is probably the best nonfiction book I have ever read. I couldn't fault it, seriously. I bought and read the paperback, loved every meandering fact that is put across with such style, humour and accessibility. It's neither too heavy nor too light; it's just the right tone to escape in a panorama of sheer unadulterated delight. If aliens landed and wished to learn about this planet and the parasites who have tamed its weary husk, then this should without doubt provide all the tourist information they'd require.

...anyway, I am not going to remark at all on the rich detail contained within this perfect book. It does what it says on the tin (hey I have managed to get two references to advertisements into this piece) and describes our whole history from nothingness Don't you just wish that our children were being schooled by someone with the mind and spirit of Bill Bryson, someone who can take any subject and through a sequence of crafted words turn it into a genuine masterpiece? This book should be mandatory somewhere along the educational system in this country. I mean who would have thought that mosses could be so fascinating.

....it was early last year that I listened to Bill's version, so why do I comment now? That version had been unabridged at only five hours long or so, but this more than trebles those hours - and I see it is narrated by William Roberts whose tones I recall took me so skilfully through the emotional journey of `A Walk in the Woods', another classic of Bill's. As soon as I spotted that here I knew it was time to spoil my ears with the book in its entirety once again. I'm looking forward to the time I'll spend in his company listening to Bill Bryson's edifying words.

Mr Bryson, you should be so proud. I hope you are.

I really enjoyed this book and the narrator was excellent. Bill Bryson manages to engage in a laid back way and the narrator adds his enthusiasm to the text.

Brilliant, if you like science and stuff this is for you. It puts the evolution of humanity in a nice tight perspective. Considering listening again in a year or two..

i've started and stopped this book so many times but decided i needed to complete it before getting my next book. an absolute joy! it does take a degree of concentration but its well worth it. very entertaining!

most audible books, will start slowly, introducing characters and plots, and eventually leading up to a climax, which rarely lasts for more than an hour. This is the inevitable format when creating a universe for events to occur in. This book is so wonderful because from the first page to the last, the entertainment remains consent and high! I listen whilst walking, and listening to this book can make 3 miles occur with no thought other than the book. Few books can grip a listener for 19 hours! That is what I call value for money.