The Road to Little Dribbling

Bill Bryson (2016)

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THE A5 BOOK REVIEW

In 1995, Bill Bryson wrote a popular and funny book called Notes from a Small Island, describing a long solo adventure hiking and traveling across Britain. He had lived in the United Kingdom for years but wanted to more thoroughly explore the whole country before moving back to his native United States. Now twenty years later, Bryson decided to take a second trip to resurrect his original journey and to rediscover his adopted land. The itinerary wasn’t exactly the same, but The Road to Little Dribbling is a similar book, with all the grumbling, sarcasm, historical and cultural insights, and hilarious self-deprecation the world has come to love. His view on the country now is rather melancholy, especially with his frustration with the impact of modern growth, but his appreciation for the stoicism and cultural depth of the English people is clear.

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RELATED A5 RECOMMENDATIONS

The Road to Little Dribbling is Bryson's sequel to Notes from a Small Island, published 20 years earlier. The two books are very similar, although the first travelogue is of course more focused on discovery, and less on reminiscing. Bryson fans may want to read Notes from a Small Island first to share his experience chronologically. Lovers of the United Kingdom and travel writing should also read Paul Theroux's The Kingdom of the Sea, published in 1983.

OTHER A5 RECOMMENDED TRAVEL BOOKS - BILL BRYSON

book cover of I'm a Stranger Here Myself

Bill Bryson is simply one of the world's popular travel writers. See more from Bill Bryson here.

GREAT QUOTES FROM THE ROAD TO LITTLE DRIBBLING

“What a joy walking is. All the cares of life, all the hopeless, inept fuckwits that God has strewn along the Bill Bryson Highway of Life suddenly seem far away and harmless, and the world becomes tranquil and welcoming and good. And to walk with good friends multiplies the pleasure a hundredfold.”

INTERESTING LINKS:

Read the 2016 New York Times review by Alida Becker on The Road to Little Dribbling
For more on Bryson, read Nicholas Wroe's interview for the Guardian with Bill Bryson on his experience living and traveling in the United Kingdom.