What stops it from being nothing more than a meandering story by an uncle you hate to sit next to at holidays is his sense of humor. He’s fascinated by details and, as a result, shows you an England you’ll never see on mainstream tours. When he likes something, he’ll tell you he likes it as quick as he’ll tell you what he doesn’t like. He’s not all negative: he notes the breathtaking beauty of the countryside and the simple pleasure of a well-written plaque in a museum. The book, which has no real plot, is more like travelling across England with a tour guide who doesn’t care if he gets fired for saying what he thinks. Some have improved, some have withered, and some just make him mad. Now that he’s older, crotchetier and a grandfather, he visits some of the same places with different eyes. Some decades ago, as a young man, Bill Bryson toured England and wrote about it in Notes from a Small Island. It is mostly a travelogue, but it is also a rant about progress that really takes us backwards, people’s foolishness in general, and a lack of understanding about the importance of historic preservation. The Road to Little Dribbling, by Bill Bryson is a really funny book. The Road to Little Dribbling: Adventures of an American in Britain BOOK REVIEW: The Road to Little Dribbling
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