Down Under

Very enjoyable script, but the attempts at accents, Yorkshire and pivotally Australian of which the narrator clearly has no knowledge leaves you leaping for the fast forward button.

He truly is excruciating, an excellent book ruined

Bill Bryson is witty, entertaining and thought-provoking and this book is all of those. It's easy to read, makes you laugh out loud and gets the grey matter working. I am from Down Under and it was fun hearing about Australia from a foreigner's perspective. I would thoroughly recommend it.

Just finsihed down under and thoroughly enjoyed Bryson's travelogue with random facts and bemusing anecdotes. The narrator is fantastic.

Bill Bryson’s style of writing is quiet and understated. He draws you in so that you find yourself travelling with him and enjoying his insights into the lives of others from a mid Atlantic perspective. He includes a lot of factual information about the country and his understanding of the Australian psyche. I especially enjoyed his interpretation of the game of cricket and the story of house building in Melbourne. So if you do not want to go to all the trouble of having to travel to Australia yourself then sit back and let Bill Bryson take you there instead.

I've never been to Oz but I want to go now! This is Bryson at his best, great observation, brilliantly descriptive and as funny as ever.

Narrated by the exemplary William Roberts, this book takes you on a fascinating trip through a continent which gets little coverage in the wider world. Full of history about the discovery and founding of Australia and a wealth of trivia about modern Australia (and the innumerable ways that you can be poisoned and bitten by the creatures in the outback) and all told with a sense of genuine enthusiasm and respect. This book is thoroughly enjoyable.

I started reading this with anticipation of a good read. At first I was captivated, but quickly became aware of this narrative following a set formula In line with his others in this series. I discovered a series of comments that one would have gleaned just by following the more responsible of the English speaking newspapers. As it was, less than half way through I put this book aside with the intention of deleting it from my library. Alexander.

This is a great book. For many travel writers, observers and commentators it would be one of their best. Unfortunately Bill sets a high standard, which in this case he just misses. It's still a great book and worth adding to your Bryson collection. After all, who would want to miss Bill Bryson vs. a continent full of the worlds deadliest animals?

Brilliant, perceptive, extremely funny (Laugh out loud) and a super read/listen, car journeys are so much more enjoyable with Bill Brysons words coming out of the stereo.