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  • The Road to Little Dribbling

  • More Notes From a Small Island
  • By: Bill Bryson
  • Narrated by: Nathan Osgood
  • Length: 13 hrs and 56 mins
  • 4.4 out of 5 stars (206 ratings)

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The Road to Little Dribbling cover art

The Road to Little Dribbling

By: Bill Bryson
Narrated by: Nathan Osgood
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Publisher's Summary

Twenty years ago Bill Bryson went on a trip around Britain to celebrate the green and kindly island that had become his adopted country. The hilarious book that resulted, Notes from a Small Island, was taken to the nation’s heart and became the best-selling travel book ever and was voted in a BBC poll the book that best represents Britain.

Now, to mark the 20th anniversary of that modern classic, Bryson makes a brand-new journey around Britain to see what has changed. Following (but not too closely) a route he dubs the Bryson Line, from Bognor Regis to Cape Wrath, by way of places that many people never get to at all, Bryson sets out to rediscover the wondrously beautiful, magnificently eccentric, endearingly unique country that he thought he knew but doesn’t altogether recognize any more.

Yet, despite Britain’s occasional failings and more or less eternal bewilderments, Bill Bryson is still pleased to call our rainy island home. And not just because of the cream teas, a noble history, and an extra day off at Christmas.

Once again, with his matchless homing instinct for the funniest and quirkiest, his unerring eye for the idiotic, the endearing, the ridiculous and the scandalous, Bryson gives us an acute and perceptive insight into all that is best and worst about Britain today.

Download includes accompanying PDF map of the Bryson Line. Music written and performed by Richard Digance, inspired by The Road to Little Dribbling.

PLEASE NOTE: When you purchase this title, the accompanying reference material will be available in your My Library section along with the audio.

©2015 Bill Bryson (P)2015 Recording and music (p) Transworld Audiobooks

What listeners say about The Road to Little Dribbling

Average Customer Ratings
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  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Jan
  • 22-10-2015

Typical Bryson

U get what u expect from a Bill Bryson book and that is a good thing. It's not quite as sharp or funny as some of his others but still a very enjoyable 12 hours or so

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6 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars

Excellent as usual.

He hasn't written a bad word yet. Same here. As the review requires twenty words, I am now just filling.

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4 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    2 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    1 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Great story - pity about the reader.

Bryson's written another great book but I find the reader very difficult to listen to - which in the end put in off listening to it. I want William Roberts as a reader for Bryson back.

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2 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    2 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    4 out of 5 stars

Not bad. Narration was distracting though.

Decent book. Not one of his best by any means but there was some interesting stuff in there.

A bit miffed that out of the almost 14 hours running time he talked about Scotland for less than 1 hour, despite it being (geographically speaking) almost 40% of the journey. Seems pretty disproportionate.

My other main criticism is that the narration was average at best. The attempts at English accents (or, more accurately, accent since they all sounded identical) were very grating. The Scottish one was terrible too, though mercifully not used very much.

Might work for an American audience I guess but I'm presuming most of the readership would be British. Not sure why, with a book of this nature, they would get a guy to narrate who can't do any British accents! Also, as an aside, I think we're all pretty familiar with Bryson's distinctive voice from his TV shows and other appearances, not sure why he wouldn't have just gone to the effort to narrate this himself.

Anyway, might have been a little harsh here. It's a solid book. Just not up to the standard of his previous offerings.

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2 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Excellent in Every Way

I very much enjoyed this book. The style of Bryson's more critical comments is "necessary brutality", and I enjoyed along with him the fantasy of wreaking a fitting and violent revenge on the irritating.

I enjoyed this return to Britain more for the fact that many of the places he discusses I am quite familiar with.

I invite Bill to return to Australia to do a similar job on our much changed nation.

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1 person found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    4 out of 5 stars

Infortainment

So there's a word that will have Bill's toes curling ... With the expected humour of this author, this listen gives an honest account of Bill's observations. It had me chortling at his observations, nodding sagely in agreement at some of his despairings and every now and then, thinking he was really getting a bit tetchy in his old age. Quite philosophical and thought provoking in many parts. There'll be some locations I'll be sure to include on Bill's recommendation during our first visit to the UK this Christmas. However, I now wonder what my husband and I will be getting ourselves into as we plan to make a journey to Blackpool to catch up with friends from Oz now stationed there with the Air Force ... Fingers crossed we'll get out of there intact. I hope Bill revisits Australia!

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1 person found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

I’m on a plane soon

I’m a Bryson fan, and let’s face it, who isn’t? The follow up to Notes from a Small Island is engaging, informative, funny and personal.
The deep love for Byrons’ adopted country shines through as does his love of the English countryside.
A plane to England has my name on it - no not Virgin!
Whilst I enjoy Bryson’s narration it could be reasonably said that Nathan Osgood’s narration is Bryson with better international accents.
I loved every minute of this 5 star audio book and was disappointed when it finished.

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    3 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Missing Bill himself, and William Roberts

I enjoyed the book, as I have all of Mr Bryson's, but was sad about the narration. I just feel Mr Osgood does not have the lightness of touch and self deprecation of those books read by Nr Roberts, or by the author himself. The text is up to the usual standard, and the criticisms, observations, and praises are well articulated, but the voice is querulous at times and too heavy handed, if a voice can be that.

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Brilliant!

Insightful and says it the way it is. Worth every penny and more. Now onto his next book.

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  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    3 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Only Bill Bryson should be narrating his books

Would you recommend this audiobook to a friend? If so, why?

Maybe

What other book might you compare The Road to Little Dribbling to, and why?

All other BB books

What did you like about the performance? What did you dislike?

It wasn't Bill, and I just can't listen to his books narrated by someone else

Did you have an emotional reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?

no

Any additional comments?

Bring back Bill!

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