One Summer cover art

One Summer

America 1927

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One Summer

By: Bill Bryson
Narrated by: Bill Bryson
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About this listen

Audible is proud to present One Summer: America, 1927, the new book by Britain’s favourite writer of narrative nonfiction, Bill Bryson.

Narrated by the man himself, One Summer takes you to the summer when America came of age, took centre stage, and changed the world forever. In the summer of 1927, America had a booming stock market, a president who worked just four hours a day, a semi-crazed sculptor with a plan to carve four giant heads into a mountain called Rushmore, a devastating flood of the Mississippi, a sensational murder trial, and a youthful aviator named Charles Lindbergh who started the summer wholly unknown, and finished it as the most famous man on Earth.

It was the summer of the first talking pictures, the invention of television, the peak of Al Capone's reign of terror, the ill-conceived decision that led to the Great Depression, and the thrillingly improbable return to greatness of a wheezing, over-the-hill baseball player named Babe Ruth.

With an unforgettable cast of personalities, Bill Bryson spins a story of brawling adventure, reckless optimism, and delirious energy. What a country; what a summer; and what a writer to bring it all so vividly to life.

Bill Bryson was born in Des Moines, Iowa, in 1951; he moved to and settled in England in 1977, working in journalism until becoming a full-time author. Bryson is much-loved for his best-selling travel books, from The Lost Continent to Down Under, and Notes from a Small Island earned a particularly special place in the nation's heart - a national poll for World Book Day voted it the book that best represents Britain. A Short History of Nearly Everything won the Aventis Prize for Science Books and the Descartes Science Communication Prize. Bryson has also written a memoir, The Life and Times of the Thunderbolt Kid, and acclaimed books on language and social history (Mother Tongue, Made in America, At Home).

He lives in the UK with his wife and family, and was awarded an honorary OBE for services to literature.

©2013 Bill Bryson (P)2013 Audible Ltd
20th Century Americas Modern United States Funny Witty Natural Disaster

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Editor reviews

Award-winning and highly acclaimed author Bill Bryson delivers a captivating performance in his narration of his novel One Summer: America 1927. Bryson’s deeply researched novel captures the importance of unconnected events in the American summer of 1927 that became significant milestones in modern history. This complete and unabridged historical audiobook from Audible Studios delves into this summer at many angles - from seeing the face of aviation and international travel change forever, to the booming peak for those living blissfully unaware of the dawn of the Great Depression that would soon be upon them all. Available now from Audible.
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I've long been a fan of Bill Bryson's books and this latest release continues to raise the bar on his fellow writers. At once engaging and informative Bryson connects with the listener from the outset and the pace never flags. With characters such as Babe Ruth, Al Capone, Woodrow Wilson, Jack Dempsey and, of course, Charles Lindburgh the narrative guides the listener through what was a golden time in America's history.

The book looks at a wealth of topics from aviation, sport, politics, prohibition and the rise of the movies. I was particularly interested in the sections about the Anarchists who sent parcel bombs to leading political and authority figures. One failed to go off so the police thought it would be a good idea to take it back to the station for further investigation, where it promptly exploded, killing ten officers and some members of the public.

An excellent,informative book and like all of Bryson's work, worthy of repeated listenings. I almost wish I had a road trip coming up as this would be the perfect accompaniment

Highly recommended

Bryson hits another Home Run

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Bill Bryson has a clever way of making everything interesting. Even subjects I'm not normally bothered about. He has a fantastic dry wit and an entertaining way of putting things across. He's one of those rare authors I'd actually like to meet and have a cuppa with. Also, I normally hate it when the author reads their own work, but I must say I enjoy his laid-back tone and his unique accent - USA/UK. Well done, Bill. Great work. Can't wait to see what you've got to show us next.

Bill Bryson Does It Again

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The Summer of 1927 is really enjoyable with many interesting and informative details about the main players of that era

Interesting & informative

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Firstly, I really enjoyed Bryson reading his own work. I've heard him speak before and think he has a great voice to listen to. I also purchased A Short History of Nearly Everything by him, but it was narrated by someone else and found it hard going. He writes in such a personal way it makes perfect sense it should be his voice you hear.
One summer is a great listen. It's got everything you expect. History told in a manner that has life in it, rather than a barrage of dates and facts with no personality. You can feel the importance of the era, not just for America but the rest of the western world. A sense of what is to come; high amounts of manufactured goods, celebrity worship and most importantly with a sense of hindsight where humanity goes wrong, and still goes wrong; racial divides debated genocide...
It is, of course being a Bill Bryson book mostly light hearted, humorous and easy to enjoy!

Bill Bryson at his best!

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Fascinating. Well written - excellently combined detailed time line of that summer and incredibly detailed breadth to give context to each element. Thoroughly enjoyed it.

Fascinating. Well written, well read.

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