In a Sunburned Country

It is only recently that I have discovered Bill Bryson, and in short order he has managed to become one of my favorite authors. This work is the epitome of what a travel book should be. Bryson seamlessly weaves together history, wit, insight, and personal anecdote into a memorable tale that greatly increased my desire to see this enormous and remote continent. Firstly, it is clear throughout the entire length of the book that Bryson genuinely loves this nation. My appreciation of his affection may be somewhat heightened by the fact that I also listened to the audio book (read by the author), and his tone betrays his endearing lack of subjectivity. His love of the people does not keep him from making some sharp comments about particular subjects however. He observes that Australians tend to engage in the art of argumentation without actually wishing for change, as with the topic of them becoming a full-fledged independent republic. Also, he doesn't pull punches when relating how some of the inhabitants of this great nation were anything but hospitable. The historical narrative he weaves into the tale would undoubtedly be more interesting when traveling through the towns and countryside. Brief historical sketches of the small communities he passes through tend to be boring but his more generalized Australian history about the founding is fascinating and well told. The countless failed explorations into the interior were mostly forgettable, but they successfully conveyed the brutality and ruthlessness of the natural Australian environment. Also, the migration of peoples 45,000 years ago onto the continent was right on the nail. When discussing the plight of the aboriginals he makes some cutting observations about the Aussies and himself. After mulling over the `problem', and considering ways that the position of the aboriginals in Australian society might be bettered, he finds that he has no genuine answers to the problem. "So without an original or helpful thought... I did what most white Australians do. I read my paper... and didn't see them [the aborigines] anymore." His humorous obsession with deadly animals continues in this work as well, as he documents fish, reptiles, mammals, and amphibians that are particularly adept at maiming and killing unsuspecting or careless travelers. Also, he makes note of the introduction of wild rabbits onto the continent by Thomas Austin, a resident of Victoria in 1859. The 24 rabbits originally released for sport soon grew to a population in the millions. Temporarily curtailed by the governments' introduction of a rabbit-killing disease, the hardy survivors eventually began breeding again until the figures reached a staggering 300 million (at time of publication. Lastly, the most personally impactful aspect of the book is Bryson's narrative style. As an avid traveler, I log my own journeys and document where I've been, as well as interesting tales, brushes with death, etc. His descriptive ability is superb and he draws the reader into the scenes with a comic and conversational style. His lonely encounters in bars, awkward picture taking with other solo travelers (as they stare at an enormous fabricated lobster) and drunken nights with his traveling companions are hilarious and genuine. I hope to bring his vividness to my next trip, when writing about it later. Overall, I recommend this book to anyone who likes travel, has gone to Australia, or wishes to go in the future. He inspired me to do so, and even made me believe that Uluru (Ayers rock) might be worth seeing, and not just the world's most useless geological artifact. Five stars.

The author, Bill Bryson, undertook a long journey across Australia covering most of the notable seacoast cities and a number of the inland ones. He describes with sometimes sarcastic wit the historical characters and facts of the founding of the country as well as the people and sites he meets on the way. This is not an page turning book because it is so full of details but one that will certainly give you an understanding of this vast (much unexplored still) continent. To sum up the book I quote from the last chapter. "But that is of course the thing about Australia - that there is such a lot to find in it, but such a lot of it to find it in. You could never see the half of it." I have some minor criticisms of the book. 1. The maps are only in the front and are way too small. I would rather have a large map at each section with a arrow showing where the town/city or feature is located. Having them in front is confusing. 2. The information on the aborigines is scant at best. About 2/3 of the way through the book he does spend a few paragraphs on the condition of the current tribesman and earlier he does recount the treatment of them. I wanted more information - number of tribes and languages, customs, etc. 3. He repeats information on the dangers of the country but little on the mammals. He does mention the flora and its devastation, but little of the unique birds and mammals. Unless I missed it, he does not even mention the various types of kangaroos. On the other hand he does manage to pack at lot of historical facts into the book with boring the reader. He also has a blunt appraisal of how much Americans know about this country (or Europeans as well). However, I would say that pretty much of the world does not know much about the country. That is why I read this book. It is a slow read for sure, but one I would recommend.

A lengthy review is not needed if one is familiar with Bill Bryson's work. "In a Sunburned Country" is typical. He infuses the narrative with so much humor and so many fascinating factoids that there's not a dry sentence, let alone a boring page or chapter in this book. In a few trips, he covered about as much of the continent as is habitable, and I got a good understanding of what Australia is like, at least as it was in the twilight days of the 20th century when he wrote it. The books is not encyclopedic. For example, I learned little indeed about the aboriginal people. They're mentioned, of course, and the crimes committed against them in the early days of the country are recounted in sometimes exquisite detail, but there's nothing about their rise toward citizenship, nothing about Albert Namatjira's art or contributions to the elevation of the rights and status of his people. The well-known fauna are mentioned, but I think there was more space given to the discovery, loss, and rediscovery of a living-fossil ant than there was to kangaroos, and there was a lot more information on the continent's invasion by rabbits than there was about koalas. The form of government is complicated and unique, so Bryson wisely left its exposition to others; anyone interested can fill in the blanks through Wikipedia. Well, in my opinion, omissions like these are inevitable if one is going to write a compelling and captivating book about a land, a country, and its peoples. And make no mistake, "in a Sunburned Country" is compelling and captivating. Although nonfiction, I found it to be as much of a "page turner" as anything by Clancy or Le Carré. So my sincere advice to anyone wishing to learn about Australia is to start with "In a Sunburned Country." If one's curiosity is piqued by anything not covered, there are other sources . . . But I guarantee that they'll be an order of magnitude less entertaining than Mr. Bryson's timeless account.

Love Bill Bryson - I so "get" him.

I first read this book many years ago, before I ever ventured to Australian shores, and was captivated. Now, having lived Down Under for several years and familiar with many of the places Bill describes, I re-read it and enjoyed it immensely but in quite a different way. A must read!

Dieses Buch gab es bereits als ich 2000 nach Australien zog. Aber ich wusste es nicht. Bei einem Freund viel mir zufällig das Buch in die Hände, und ich las es mit zunehmender Freude, lautem Lachen und Sehnsucht nach Orten, die ich ebenfalls besuchte. Bryson beschreibt seine Eindrücke so humorvoll und treffend, dass es mir eine Freude war und mich immer noch lächeln lässt.

Per chi ama viaggiare o conoscere Paesi diversi: un racconto piacevole e completo di ogni Stato australiano, una guida ai luoghi e alle abitudini di vita raccontate in modo puntuale e divertente. Il modo più facile per capire l'Australia ed avere voglia di visitarla.

I read this book after my visit to Australia and it made me want to return as often as I could. Would recommend this book for travellers planning to visit Australia or those, like me, who are predisposed to love Australia rags and all. I particularly love Bryson's anecdotes on his Australian encounters that range from strange to extraordinary and the history that comes with it all. A definite must read!