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Bryson writes in a style as effervescent as the time itself... A wonderful romp.
— The New York Times
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...A skillful lesson on the dynamics and personalities that shaped today's America and on how far the country has evolved from a gaudy era fondly but imperfectly recalled.
— Wall Street Journal
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There are two kinds of readers: those who love Bill Bryson and those who haven't met him yet... Colorful, rollicking and sweet, this is Bryson being Bryson. Which is to say: marvelous.
— People
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A glorious look at one summer in America...Bryson offers delicious detail and breathtaking suspense about events whose outcomes are already known.
— Booklist, Starred Review
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"This splendid book, written in the breezy and humorous style that has come to be Bryson's trademark, is sure to delight readers steeped in the history of the period as well as those looking to acquaint themselves with it for the first time.
— The Associated Press
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Bryson will set you right in this canter through one summer of one year that—once you’ve turned the final page—will seem more critical to American history than you might have reckoned before… [He] is a master of the sidelong, a man who can turn obscurity into hilarity with seemingly effortless charm—and One Summer is an entertaining addition to a body of work that is at its best when it celebrates the unexpected and the obscure… This is a jolly jalopy ride of a book; Bryson runs down the byways of American history and finds diversion in every roadside stop.
— Financial Times
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"...Bryson himself is captivated by the events of summer, 1927. And why not? They included Charles Lindbergh's solo flight over the Atlantic, Sacco and Vanzetti's execution, Gutzon Borglum's start on the sculpting of Mt. Rushmore, the Dempsey-Carpentier fight, and Babe Ruth's 60 home runs—all of which Bryson covers in characteristically sparkling prose.
— Publishers Weekly"As a historian, Bryson is the antithesis of stuffy. He's a storyteller, pure and simple, and One Summer is a collection of a great many tales about people and events, centered on (but not limited to) a single season in a single year... Bryson could have written a book just as interesting about the summer of 1949 or 1913. That's because his subject isn't really a year. It's human nature in all its odd and amazing array.
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The book's strength is in showing the overlap of significant events and the interaction of personalities.
— Library Journal
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What comes across clearest in Bryson’s lucid, lighthearted narrative is the pure energy and crazed optimism of the era. Sure, the rollicking party would end, but it was fun while it lasted—as is Bryson’s One Summer.
— Minneapolis Star-Tribune
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...One Summer wins you over by the sheer weigh tof its encyclopedic enthusiasms.
— The Telegraph
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Bryson is a marvelous historian, not only exhaustively accurate, but highly entertaining. If you avoid textbook histories because they seem too dry, pick up One Summer, or any other of Mr. Bryson's books. They are intelligent delights.
— Liz Smith, The Huffington Post
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Highly recommend One Summer: America, 1927 by Bill Bryson—interesting, entertaining visit to an incredible year.
— John McCain
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“Colorful,
rollicking, and sweet, this is Bryson being Bryson. Which is to say: marvelous.”
— People
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“Bryson
writes in a style as effervescent as the time itself…a wonderful romp…Bryson is
best at deflating our nostalgia for the era, even as he upholds its importance.”
— New York Times Book Review
-
“A skillful
lesson on the dynamics and personalities that shaped today’s America and on how
far the country has evolved from a gaudy era fondly but imperfectly recalled.”
— Wall Street Journal
-
“As a
historian, Bryson is the antithesis of stuffy. He’s a storyteller, pure and
simple, and One Summer is a
collection of a great many tales about people and events, centered on (but not
limited to) a single season in a single year... Bryson could have written a
book just as interesting about the summer of 1949 or 1913. That’s because his
subject isn’t really a year. It’s human nature in all its odd and amazing
array."
— Chicago Tribune
-
“What comes
across clearest in Bryson’s lucid, lighthearted narrative is the pure energy
and crazed optimism of the era. Sure, the rollicking party would end, but it
was fun while it lasted—as is Bryson’s One
Summer.”
— Minneapolis Star-Tribune
-
“Bryson will set you
right in this canter through one summer of one year that…will seem more
critical to American history than you might have reckoned before…[He] is a
master of the sidelong, a man who can turn obscurity into hilarity with
seemingly effortless charm—and One Summer is an entertaining addition to
a body of work that is at its best when it celebrates the unexpected and the
obscure…This is a jolly jalopy ride of a book; Bryson runs down the byways of
American history and finds diversion in every roadside stop.”
— Financial Times
-
“Bryson is a
marvelous historian, not only exhaustively accurate, but highly entertaining.
If you avoid textbook histories because they seem too dry, pick up One Summer, or any other of Mr. Bryson’s
books. They are intelligent delights.”
— Huffington Post
-
“A glorious look at
one summer in America…Bryson offers delicious detail and breathtaking suspense
about events whose outcomes are already known.”
— Booklist (starred review)
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“Bill Bryson is a
true master of popular narrative. Over the course of his career, he has
bestowed a beautiful clarity on even the most recondite of subjects…With this
book, he proves once again that he is able to juggle any number of different
balls…while never letting a single one drop…Has history ever been so enjoyable?”
— Mail on Sunday (London)
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“Few writers of
nonfiction, and, let’s be honest, few enough writers of novels, can crack the
narrative whip like Bryson. One Summer
fairly whirls along…Full of exhilarating, fact-filled fun…Surely the most
sublime distraction published this year.”
— Observer (London)
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“A gripping slice of
history with all sorts of reverberant echoes of today…Bryson, the travel writer
turned nonfiction impresario, has now invented what may be an entirely new
genre of nonfiction: the brief history of an era told through the biography of
a summer. It is a book from which you can read many lessons or just revel in
the writing.”
— Times (London)
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“A fascinating
snapshot of a season during which America, for better or worse, ushered in the
modern world.”
— Sunday Times (London)
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“A gifted raconteur…The
book is filled with eccentric, flamboyant characters and memorable stories…Highly
amusing.”
— Guardian (London)
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“Bryson himself is
captivated by the events of summer, 1927. And why not? They included Charles
Lindbergh’s solo flight over the Atlantic, Sacco and Vanzetti’s execution,
Gutzon Borglum’s start on the sculpting of Mt. Rushmore, the Dempsey-Carpentier
fight, and Babe Ruth’s 60 home runs—all of which Bryson covers in
characteristically sparkling prose.”
— Publishers Weekly