In a Sunburned Country

Books | Travel / Australia & Oceania

(253)

Bill Bryson

Deliciously funny, fact-filled and adventurous, In a Sunburned Country takes us on a grand tour of Australia. It's a place where interesting things happen all the time, from a Prime Minister lost — yes, lost — while swimming at sea, to Japanese cult members who may (entirely unnoticed) have set off an atomic bomb on their 500,000 acre property in the great western desert. Australia is the only island that is also a continent, and the only continent that is also a country. Its aboriginal people, a remote and mysterious race with a tragic history, have made it their home for millennia. And despite the fact that it is the most desiccated, infertile and climatically aggressive of all inhabited continents, it teems with life. In fact, Australia has more things that can kill you in extremely nasty ways than anywhere else: sharks, crocodiles, the planet's ten most deadly poisonous snakes, fluffy yet toxic caterpillars, sea shells that actually attack you, and the unbelievable box jellyfish (don't ask). The dangerous riptides of the sea and the sun-baked wastes of the outback both lie in wait for the unwary. Australia is an immense and fortunate land, and it has found in Bill Bryson its perfect guide. In a Sunburned Country offers the best of all possible introductions to what may well be the best of all possible nations. Even with those jellyfish.

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More Details:

Author

Bill Bryson

Pages

376

Publisher

Doubleday Canada

Published Date

2012-05-15

ISBN

0385674538 9780385674539

Community ReviewsSee all

"An interesting travel log about his trip around Australia, with a bit of science, history and natural history thrown in. I enjoyed this book but not as much as some of his others."

Merry

"Ok! First of all I'm here to tell you that non-fiction is normally not my bag. I think I got this book because I forgot to send in the "do not send" notice in a book club. That said..... I'm soooo happy that I didn't and I "made" myself read this. OMG!!! I lost track of how many times I laughed until there were tears running down my cheeks and how many smiles and chuckles it rang out of me! <br/>This is a book about Bryson's trips (I believe he combines a few trips to "Oz" into this one book) to the really undiscovered island of Australia and his impressions of what he sees and who he meets. There is history, wonderfully funny and horribly gruesome and sad stories, lodging and traveling tips and a long list of places there that I really now want to see. <br/>His wit and sarcastic humor is what did it for me. I will look for more of his books and hope that he goes on more journeys to share with his reading audience."

Collette Deschamps

"Hilarious travel comedy, with extremely interesting asides about Australia."

Ian Earl

"This was a slower read for me, but I love his imagery and the humor he uses. His descriptions of cricket is absolutely one of my favorite pieces of writing ever. It would be interesting to get his thoughts on Australia today because of the way the world and the media had evolved since 2000. I'll definitely be reading more of his books in the future!"

Julie Brough

"LOVE this book! 😍 "

Marta Barnez

"One of the best books I ever read."

Colleen Whitman

"Another witty adventure from Bill Bryson. His book makes me want to hop on a flight and visit this country ASAP. While I did get the sense of him being a typical American tourist, I did love his willingness to be adventurous. Great travel read for those stuck at home during this pandemic."

Zoe Ferry

"Fascinating and funny. I have never laughed so much while reading a book and spent so much time on Wikipedia trying to learn more about what a unique and strange place Australia is."

D H

Daniel Hewitt

"Hilarious and informative in only the way Bill Bryson knows how to be."

Loretta

"While I enjoyed his Appalachian Trail book more than this, that is not to say that this isn't a well written and interesting book about Australia."