Bryson begins his journey explaining the idiosyncrasies of British life and his twenty year stay as an American expatriate in England. He states, "There are certain idiosyncratic notions that you quietly come to accept when you live for a long time in Britain. One is that British summers used to be longer and sunnier. Another is that the England soccer team shouldn't have any trouble with Norway. A third is the idea that Britain is a big place. This last is easily the most intractable."
Bryson describes his travels around Britain using the same dry wit of the opening sentence throughout the book. He begins in England, in 1973, describing his arrival, briefly mentions courting his wife whom he meets in a mental institution and his early career troubles, then makes his way through present day England, Wales and Scotland.
Buildings and Architecture
Bryson has a problem with new architecture when he believes it does not blend harmoniously with historical structures. He is particularly peeved by shopping malls. It should be noted that Notes from a Small Island was originally copyrighted in 1996, several years before September 11, 2001. Bryson declares, "Of all the buildings that I would deeply love to blow up in Britain-the Maples building in Harrogate, the Hilton Hotel in London, the post office building in Leeds, a random selection among almost any of the structures owned by British Telecom - I have no hesitation in saying that my first choice would be either of these two."
Rail Travel
Bryson chooses to travel by rail. And he is a cranky and frustrated traveler. His difficulties with transportation and communication bring out sarcasm and humor. He questions the mental health of train spotters and suggests that they are obsessed with trains as though trains were porn. Then he gets defensive when an elderly woman offends his American heritage because she's "forgotten he is one of the species."
And yet, Bryson appears to be having a good time. He describes museums, people, architecture, rivers and hillsides with affection.
Population Density
Another topic that Bryson likes to discuss is the density of the English population, and the size of the island in contrast to the much larger American Midwest where he grew up. He hikes up a mountain and finds himself picnicking in close quarters with many other hikers and is very amused by this.
Brysons Opinion
He shares his views on beach resorts, chain stores, environmentalism, the British rail system, and the English love of television programs such as Cagney and Lacey.
Bryson most admires the politeness of the British, and can't say enough about how they will apologize and excuse themselves when they haven't done anything wrong. He also compliments British humor a great deal. He is a thorough and slightly grumpy tour guide.
Published by Harper Perennial, 2001.
ISBN-10: 0-380-72750-1
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