Notes From A Big Country

Bill Bryson Has The Rare Knack Of Being Out Of His Depth Wherever He Goes - Even (perhaps Especially) In The Land Of His Birth. This Became All Too Apparent When, After Nearly Two Decades In England, The World's Best-loved Travel Writer Upped Sticks With Mrs Bryson, Little Jimmy Et Al. And Returned To Live In The Country He Had Left As A Youth. Of Course There Were Things Bryson Missed About Blighty But Any Sense Of Loss Was Countered By The Joy Of Rediscovering Some Of The Forgotten Treasures Of His Childhood: The Glories Of A New England Autumn; The Pleasingly Comical Sight Of Oneself In Shorts; And Motel Rooms Where You Can Generally Count On Being Awakened In The Night By A Piercing Shriek And The Sound Of A Female Voice Pleading, 'put The Gun Down, Vinnie, I'll Do Anything You Say.' Whether Discussing The Strange Appeal Of Breakfast Pizza Or The Jaw-slackening Direness Of American Tv, Bill Bryson Brings His Inimitable Brand Of Bemused Wit To Bear On That Strangest Of Phenomena - The American Way Of Life.