This was my first experience reading Bill Bryson. I had heard good things about him from my father, Colin, Cass, various dogs, etc. I must say I was not disappointed.
This story is the autobiography of Bill Bryson's childhood. It is interwoven with childhood fantasies but for the most part is a nonfiction retelling of life in the Midwest during the 50s and 60s. Bryson does a good job of describing the world without dwelling on detail. The reader is allowed to fill in small details with how they would picture this world to be and it makes for a powerful visual image.
Bryson's writing style is humorous and good-natured. There is very little animosity in his words and when it does appear it is almost always done for effect, be it a laugh or otherwise. He seems so earnest in his desire to chronicle what Des Moines was as opposed to self-glamorization, as if it were a cherished uncle sharing stories at a funeral to remind everyone how great things used to be.
What are some bad things about the book? You are such a negative Nancy sometimes, imaginary reader. Well, the book does jump around a lot between descriptions of childhood and descriptions of American life in general. This is done mostly to aid the reader's understanding of things. Only once did I find a general life description to be carrying on. Also, a bit of the humor and exposition is clearly aimed at an older audience (read: your parents) but I can appreciate this as the book was lent to me by my father.
The book is not deep. There are no secrets hiding behind the surface. The book is a story of a kid's life, not anything more. This is not a criticism of the book at all. It is not always necessary to use symbolism and weave a morality tale into a simple story (do you hear me M. Night Shamaylan?!!!).
Overall, the book was a simple joy. I imagine my father enjoyed the book more than I did. I hope to see him soon to talk to him about it and thank him. I look forward to sampling Bryson's fiction work in the future.
Favorite part: The licorice baby story. By far.
This story is the autobiography of Bill Bryson's childhood. It is interwoven with childhood fantasies but for the most part is a nonfiction retelling of life in the Midwest during the 50s and 60s. Bryson does a good job of describing the world without dwelling on detail. The reader is allowed to fill in small details with how they would picture this world to be and it makes for a powerful visual image.
Bryson's writing style is humorous and good-natured. There is very little animosity in his words and when it does appear it is almost always done for effect, be it a laugh or otherwise. He seems so earnest in his desire to chronicle what Des Moines was as opposed to self-glamorization, as if it were a cherished uncle sharing stories at a funeral to remind everyone how great things used to be.
What are some bad things about the book? You are such a negative Nancy sometimes, imaginary reader. Well, the book does jump around a lot between descriptions of childhood and descriptions of American life in general. This is done mostly to aid the reader's understanding of things. Only once did I find a general life description to be carrying on. Also, a bit of the humor and exposition is clearly aimed at an older audience (read: your parents) but I can appreciate this as the book was lent to me by my father.
The book is not deep. There are no secrets hiding behind the surface. The book is a story of a kid's life, not anything more. This is not a criticism of the book at all. It is not always necessary to use symbolism and weave a morality tale into a simple story (do you hear me M. Night Shamaylan?!!!).
Overall, the book was a simple joy. I imagine my father enjoyed the book more than I did. I hope to see him soon to talk to him about it and thank him. I look forward to sampling Bryson's fiction work in the future.
Favorite part: The licorice baby story. By far.
No comments:
Post a Comment