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At Home: A Short History of Private Life
- Narrated by: Bill Bryson
- Length: 16 hrs and 32 mins
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Publisher's Summary
Here is Bill Bryson’s entertaining and illuminating book about the history of the way we live - complete, unabridged and read by the author.
Bill Bryson was struck one day by the thought that we devote more time to studying the battles and wars of history than to considering what history really consists of: centuries of people quietly going about their daily business. This inspired him to start a journey around his own house, an old rectory in Norfolk, considering how the ordinary things in life came to be. Along the way, he researched the history of anything and everything, from architecture to electricity, from food preservation to epidemics, from the spice trade to the Eiffel Tower, from crinolines to toilets. And he discovered that there is a huge amount of history, interest and excitement - and even a little danger - lurking in the corners of every home.
Where A Short History of Nearly Everything was a sweeping panorama of the world, the universe and everything, At Home peers at private life through a microscope. Bryson applies the same irrepressible curiosity, irresistible wit, stylish prose, and masterful storytelling that made A Short History of Nearly Everything one of the most lauded books of the last decade.
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What listeners say about At Home: A Short History of Private Life
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- Rachel
- 29-07-2015
Best use of a credit
I've listened to "a short history of nearly everything" before and I enjoyed "at home" just as much. It's great for listening to in short bursts as each chapter doesn't rely on the previous one, but is explained in such a way that listening for a longer period isn't overwhelming. I can see myself listening to this again as there is no way I will be able to remember all of it after one reading and I think it would be just as enjoyable a second time around. Bill Bryson is a fantastic reader, really drawing you into his superb writing. I couldn't recommend this more.
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15 people found this helpful
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- Claire Wallace
- 19-06-2018
Great interesting book
I haven’t enjoyed a book this much in ages! It’s packed full of really interesting info and the story is told with much humour. I learned a lot which was great. Highly recommended. The narrator was good too.
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3 people found this helpful
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- Roderic
- 11-12-2015
Excellent! Informative, entertaining & passionate
Another excellent work by Bryson, made better by the fact that he narrates it himself. My appreciation is weighed equally between the humour, which never fails to entertain me, and the fascinating and well-researched explication of history.
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3 people found this helpful
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- NickCrawley
- 16-03-2015
interesting read.
Slow to start but overall a good read. learnt lots reading this. other BB are worth reading first.
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3 people found this helpful
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- Diana
- 07-10-2014
Fascinating and detailed.
Would you recommend this audiobook to a friend? If so, why?
Absolutely. Bill Bryson's enthusiasm for the details and human stories behind each invention / building / etc. is obvious and makes everything so much more interesting.
What was one of the most memorable moments of At Home: A Short History of Private Life?
Mice, rats and vermin are discussed in one section of the book. I retained very clear images of a pyramid of rats eating meat off a ceiling hook, and a description of a plague in Victoria, Australia in the early 1900s where rats covered every flat surface. Horrifying and fascinating.
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3 people found this helpful
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- Sy
- 08-10-2019
Brilliant as usual
There's something great when the author reads his own work. Wonderful and informative work as is usual for Bryson.
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2 people found this helpful
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- Amazon Customer
- 17-09-2019
interesting, well researched and amusing as always
always enjoy books by this author, full of interesting facts , crafted into an interesting narrative, with amusing irony
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2 people found this helpful
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- Katie T
- 23-02-2019
Interesting and amusing read
Insightful historical look at the home with interesting digressions and Bryson's charming and amusing anecdotes
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2 people found this helpful
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- Toni
- 08-09-2014
Almost interesting
How would you have changed the story to make it more enjoyable?
I found very little content about how the ideas and practices of our private lives developed and more about 18th century architecture then I would have liked.
What about Bill Bryson’s performance did you like?
It was well done but lacked crispness of sound
Was there a moment in the book that particularly moved you?
Not really
Any additional comments?
Thoroughly researched but not all that interesting especially when compared to A short history of nearly everything, which I enjoyed more.
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2 people found this helpful
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- K. Voruganti
- 25-04-2022
So boring compared to a short history of nearly everything
I wasn’t sure what to expect of this book. Was hoping for something interesting like a short history of nearly everything. Instead I found a book that wasn’t overly interesting and unfortunately the narration is really boring and dry.
Didn’t enjoy it unfortunately
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1 person found this helpful