Down Under

As his many British fans already know, bearded Yankee butterball Bill Bryson specialises in going to countries we think we know well, only to return with travelogues that are surprisingly cynical and yet shockingly affectionate. It's a unique style, possibly best suited to the world's weirder destinations. It's helpful here: Bryson's latest subject is that oddest of continents, Australia.

For a start, there's the oddly nasty fauna and flora. Barely a page of Down Under is without its lovingly detailed list of lethal antipodean critters: sociopathic jellyfish, homicidal crocs, toilet-dwelling death-spiders, murderous shrubs (yes, shrubs). Bryson's absorbing and informative portrait is of a terrain so intractably vast, a land so climatically extreme, it seems expressly designed to daunt and torment humankind.

This very user-unfriendliness throws up another Aussie paradox. If the country is so hostile how come the natives are so laid back, so relaxed? As Bryson shuffles from state to state, he seeks the key to the uniquely cool Australian character and finds it in Australia's tragicomic past, her genetic seeding of convicts, explorers, gold diggers, outlaws. This is a country of lads and mates, of boozy gamblers--nowadays mellowed by sunshine and sporting success.

Down Under is a fine book. So it may not be quite as deliciously malicious as Bryson's The Lost Continent, nor as laugh-out-loud funny as Neither Here Nor There. But so what? A Bill Bryson on cruise control is better than most travel writers on turbodrive. --Sean Thomas

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Dear Bill - Rated
You kickstarted a love for my home country that I thought had died many years ago. This account is so sentimental (in a good way) without glossing over the awfulness, I couldn't help but be interested and proud of my home nation. Thank you. Oh the bit about the cricket had me giggling out loud. I know some people don't "get" you but we don't all find the same things funny. No shame in that. Lovely book.

Good Old Oz - Rated
This is a fantastic book on Australia and is worth a read by anyone who plans to visit. Not only does Bill Bryson talk about the places he visits he also comes up with an enormous amount of anecdotes about the history of the country, which are quite fascinating, which makes it much more than just a travel book. The whole thing is sprinkled with his tongue in cheek humour. I loved it.

Oz Travel - Rated
Although this book has been out some time, it still merits another read. As always, Bryson is at his best when he tries less. His perfect clarity for the absurd is never far away, although I feel it would have been a tighter book had he covered less of this great continent. Like that other great Australian read - Return to Oz - John Brown, it ticks all the boxes.

The best way to plan a holiday. - Rated
Bill Bryson, an expert at writing about places he is comfortable with,an example, the USA a place where he was born and brought up, and no doubt the source of many a storey and much inspiration, England a place where he lived and worked for many years and again is ery familiar with.
So what happens when he visits a land virginal to him.Well what happens is that you have a very informative and hugely entertaining book that for me was perhaps his best of the lot.
Not only do you get a run down of the nations history and its increadible history, but you also get a larger than life appreciation of its people and unique wild life. The book is as diverse as the landscape and its people who have adapted in line with their surroundings. I very much enjoyed the book and it gave me a feel of what the real Australia must be like. As a result of the contents of this book it inspired me to visit Australia. This book was the only travel book that I have read that didnt leave me disappointed when faced with the reality of the actual place.
The book was so so acurate in many many ways and is recommended whether you plan a trip there or not.

Very informative, telling you many things no ordinary travel book does - Rated
Bill Bryson is best known for writing very humorous travel books, and "Down Under" is indeed a funny account of his travels in Australia. Those who love Bill Bryson's books for their humor won't be disappointed.

But unlike most people, I like Bill Bryson best when he's NOT trying to be funny, and my appreciation of this book is mostly due to the great amount of very interesting information presented.

Bill Bryson amazes you with loads of information about the geology, the animal life, the plants and insects, the history, the statistics, the folklore, etc., etc. The many dangers: poisonous snakes, poisonous insects, poisonous jellyfish, crocodiles, sharks, and rip currents - they're all out to get you. The inhospitable deserts, the beautiful beaches, the huge distances; Bill Bryson gives you a feeling of what it's all like.

The book goes into detail about many aspects of Australian life that are fairly unknown, including the discovery (and re-discovery) of Australia, the settlement by British prisoners, the early expeditions to explore the interior, the gold rushes, the outlaws, and the devastation caused by rabbits and other imported animals and plants. Bill Bryson talks about the many unusual animal species found only in Australia, including giant earthworms that grow up to 1 meter (and can be stretched to 4 meters) and the platypus, a cross between a reptile and a mammal. He talks about Australians and the Australian society, and the situation regarding the native people, the aboriginals.

Bill Bryson doesn't cover all of Australia from the geographical point of view, and the parts he does cover are somewhat random. But that doesn't matter because he captures the spirit of the whole country based on the parts he does visit and the general information he includes.

A very positive aspect is that Bill Bryson makes it clear that he loves Australia. The feeling is infectious, and it makes you want to pack your bags and head "down under" for a long leisurely trip so you can do your own exploring.

If I were to mention two things I was less happy about, it would be the occasional excessive attempts to be funny and the lack of contact with Australians. One of the best parts of the book is about his traveling together with an Australian couple for 3-4 days, but other than this passage Bill Bryson is mostly playing the typical tourist, with little or no contact with Australians. And despite a fairly long discussion about the aboriginal situation he does not ever get into contact with any aboriginals. Why not?

A final note regarding the unabridged audio version of the book, read by Bill Bryson himself: Most authors are poor readers, but Mr. Bryson does a very good job here, almost on a par with a professional reader. Recommended.

Rennie Petersen

PS. "Down Under" has also been published under the title "In a Sunburned Country". It is exactly the same book.