Reviews
"Delightful. . . . Bryson's enthusiasm brightens any dull corner. . . . Hand over control and simply enjoy the ride." The New York Times Book Review "An exuberant, shared social history. . . . Told with Bryson's habitual brio. . . . A personal compendium of fascinating facts, suggesting how the history of houses and domesticity has shaped our lives, language, and ideas." - The New York Review of Books "A treasure trove. . . . Playful, yes, but Bryson is also a deft historian." Los Angeles Times "If this book doesn't supply you with five years' worth of dinner conversation, you're not paying attention." People "Bryson is fascinated by everything, and his curiosity is infectious. . . . You can take this class in your pajamas-and, judging by the book's laid-back, comfy tone, I have a sneaking suspicion that Bryson wrote much of it in his." New York Times Book Review "The experience of reading a Bill Bryson book is something you don't want to stop-a pip and a spree and, almost incidentally, a serious education. And never tiresome, for Bryson has the gift of being the student and not the tutor." Washington Post "At Home is both insightful and entertaining, leaving a deeper appreciation of the stuff of home life that will never again be viewed as mundane." Seattle Times "Readers who enjoyed Mr. Bryson's apparently inexhaustible supply of nifty facts in such previous books as "A Short History of Nearly Everything" (2004) or "The Mother Tongue" (1991) will be happy to find the author's pen as nimble and his narrative persona as genial as ever." Wall Street Journal "Bryson serves up a rich banquet of utterly fascinating and sometimes horrifying facts of where and how people have slept, eaten, made a living, built homes and monuments, frolicked, traveled, given birth and been laid to rest." Bookreporter.com "Its lasting impression is the author's delightful, boundless curiosity. . . . The best nonfiction illuminates what we found impossible to see without it, and perhaps more so than any of his other wonderful books, At Home proves that Bryson writes some of the very best." "The AV Club," The Onion "Bryson writes with his usual slyly sassy humor. . . . The result makes for reading that charms as it informs." St. Louis Post-Dispatch "Reading Bill Bryson is like having one of those friends around who's always discovering something new-some pastime or place or piece of information-and can't wait to breathlessly pass it along." Dallas Morning News "Deliciously informative. . . . A treasure trove of facts in an engaging history of how we once lived." Richmond Times-Dispatch "At Home is terrific. Bryson is a brilliant writer." The Charlotte Observer "Bryson is the ultimate fact-filled uncle. . . . A delightful book filled with humor and astonishing facts." Vancouver Sun, "Delightful. . . . Bryson's enthusiasm brightens any dull corner. . . . Hand over control and simply enjoy the ride." - The New York Times Book Review "An exuberant, shared social history. . . . Told with Bryson's habitual brio. . . . A personal compendium of fascinating facts, suggesting how the history of houses and domesticity has shaped our lives, language, and ideas." - The New York Review of Books "A treasure trove. . . . Playful, yes, but Bryson is also a deft historian." - Los Angeles Times "If this book doesn't supply you with five years' worth of dinner conversation, you're not paying attention." - People "Bryson is fascinated by everything, and his curiosity is infectious. . . . You can take this class in your pajamas--and, judging by the book's laid-back, comfy tone, I have a sneaking suspicion that Bryson wrote much of it in his." - New York Times Book Review "The experience of reading a Bill Bryson book is something you don't want to stop--a pip and a spree and, almost incidentally, a serious education. And never tiresome, for Bryson has the gift of being the student and not the tutor." - Washington Post "At Home is both insightful and entertaining, leaving a deeper appreciation of the stuff of home life that will never again be viewed as mundane." - Seattle Times "Readers who enjoyed Mr. Bryson's apparently inexhaustible supply of nifty facts in such previous books as "A Short History of Nearly Everything" (2004) or "The Mother Tongue" (1991) will be happy to find the author's pen as nimble and his narrative persona as genial as ever." - Wall Street Journal "Bryson serves up a rich banquet of utterly fascinating and sometimes horrifying facts of where and how people have slept, eaten, made a living, built homes and monuments, frolicked, traveled, given birth and been laid to rest." -Bookreporter.com "Its lasting impression is the author's delightful, boundless curiosity. . . . The best nonfiction illuminates what we found impossible to see without it, and perhaps more so than any of his other wonderful books, At Home proves that Bryson writes some of the very best." -"The AV Club," The Onion "Bryson writes with his usual slyly sassy humor. . . . The result makes for reading that charms as it informs." - St. Louis Post-Dispatch "Reading Bill Bryson is like having one of those friends around who's always discovering something new--some pastime or place or piece of information--and can't wait to breathlessly pass it along." - Dallas Morning News "Deliciously informative. . . . A treasure trove of facts in an engaging history of how we once lived." - Richmond Times-Dispatch "At Home is terrific. Bryson is a brilliant writer." - The Charlotte Observer "Bryson is the ultimate fact-filled uncle. . . . A delightful book filled with humor and astonishing facts." - Vancouver Sun, PRAISE FOR AT HOME: A Short History of Private Life : "...a delightful stroll through the history of domestic life. Now living in a 19th-century church rectory in Norfolk, England, the author decided to learn about the ordinary things of life by exploring each room in his house.... In a sense, Bryson’s book is a history of “getting comfortable slowly".... Informative, readable and great fun ."- Kirkus Reviews (starred) " [D]elightful .... Considering our homes means a dash through history, politics, science, sex, and dozens of other fields. If this book doesn't supply you with five years' worth of dinner conversation, you're not paying attention ."- PEOPLE magazine " Fascinating .... Join this ambiable tour guide as he wanders through his house, a former rectory built in 1851 in a tranquil English village.... [It] takes a very particular kind of thoughtfulness , as well as a bold temperament, to stuff all this research into a mattress that's supportive enough to loll about on while pondering the real subject of this book -- the development of the modern world.... Bryson is fascinated by everything, and his curiosity is infectious ...[ his] enthusiasm brightens any dull corner .... You'll be given a delightful smattering of information about everything but...the kitchen sink."- Dominique Browning, The New York Times Book Review From the Hardcover edition., "Delightful. . . . Bryson's enthusiasm brightens any dull corner. . . . Hand over control and simply enjoy the ride." - The New York Times Book Review "An exuberant, shared social history. . . . Told with Bryson's habitual brio. . . . A personal compendium of fascinating facts, suggesting how the history of houses and domesticity has shaped our lives, language, and ideas." - The New York Review of Books "A treasure trove. . . . Playful, yes, but Bryson is also a deft historian." - Los Angeles Times "If this book doesn't supply you with five years' worth of dinner conversation, you're not paying attention." - People "Bryson is fascinated by everything, and his curiosity is infectious. . . . You can take this class in your pajamas--and, judging by the book's laid-back, comfy tone, I have a sneaking suspicion that Bryson wrote much of it in his." - New York Times Book Review "The experience of reading a Bill Bryson book is something you don't want to stop--a pip and a spree and, almost incidentally, a serious education. And never tiresome, for Bryson has the gift of being the student and not the tutor." - Washington Post "At Home is both insightful and entertaining, leaving a deeper appreciation of the stuff of home life that will never again be viewed as mundane." - Seattle Times "Readers who enjoyed Mr. Bryson's apparently inexhaustible supply of nifty facts in such previous books as "A Short History of Nearly Everything" (2004) or "The Mother Tongue" (1991) will be happy to find the author's pen as nimble and his narrative persona as genial as ever." - Wall Street Journal "Bryson serves up a rich banquet of utterly fascinating and sometimes horrifying facts of where and how people have slept, eaten, made a living, built homes and monuments, frolicked, traveled, given birth and been laid to rest." -Bookreporter.com "Its lasting impression is the author's delightful, boundless curiosity. . . . The best nonfiction illuminates what we found impossible to see without it, and perhaps more so than any of his other wonderful books, At Home proves that Bryson writes some of the very best." -"The AV Club," The Onion "Bryson writes with his usual slyly sassy humor. . . . The result makes for reading that charms as it informs." - St. Louis Post-Dispatch "Reading Bill Bryson is like having one of those friends around who's always discovering something new--some pastime or place or piece of information--and can't wait to breathlessly pass it along." - Dallas Morning News "Deliciously informative. . . . A treasure trove of facts in an engaging history of how we once lived." - Richmond Times-Dispatch "At Home is terrific. Bryson is a brilliant writer." - The Charlotte Observer "Bryson is the ultimate fact-filled uncle. . . . A delightful book filled with humor and astonishing facts." - Vancouver Sun
