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Comments (55)

At Home

a Short History of Private Life
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1 to 25 of 55 items
Apr 26, 2023marionn rated this title 5 out of 5 stars
Bryson is great at weaving together a bunch of encyclopedic facts and still making it an interesting read.
Apr 20, 2023fred98115 rated this title 1 out of 5 stars
Exhaustive review of the history associated with the rooms in his English house, built in the middle 1800s. Interesting but TMI detail.
Oct 16, 2022sandraperkins rated this title 4.5 out of 5 stars
This book is more enjoyable if read in small intervals instead of one long slog. Like all Bill Bryson books, it is highly entertaining and full of interesting stories and tidbits. My copy is full of post-its to remind me of cool things I…
Aug 16, 2022thinlizzee rated this title 5 out of 5 stars
Educational in an entertaining way only Bryson could accomplish. I love his referrals to Samuel Pepys as well as the many included illustrations. Far more detailed than I expected, Bryson always has an interesting perspective on the usual…
Aug 03, 2022xiaojunbpl12 rated this title 5 out of 5 stars
I commend it to the club, Ladies think it is a grind. Homemakers lost in the hub; Past for the curious mind.
Aug 25, 2021betsy1122 rated this title 5 out of 5 stars
Fantastic! By far, this is the most interesting book I have EVER read.
Jun 22, 2021
**
Jul 28, 2020SandraMB rated this title 5 out of 5 stars
Only Bill Bryson could write such a fact filled and enjoyable book structured around the rooms of a house. The pictures and drawings in the hard copy version of the book are fantastic. I have so much respect and admiration for this man -…
Mar 27, 2019ArapahoeLesley rated this title 5 out of 5 stars
Bill Bryson is awesome. I was a bit dubious at first with the Dewey classification being in the home section but this is really a history book within which Bryson uses 'the home' to navigate between topics. There are so many quirky and…
Jan 17, 20191aa rated this title 4 out of 5 stars
A very enjoyable and edifying book! Clothing, servants, childbearing and rearing, toilets, wealth and poverty, architecture of large houses, syphilis, bathing, landscaping, wigs, food provision and preparation, building materials, and over…
Jul 17, 2018
I am a big fan of Bill Bryson's writing and enjoyed this book. After reading this book, I have become fixated with the Crystal Palace and Capability Brown!!!
Mar 28, 2018
Bill Bryson's 'At Home' title is not as simple as it sounds. Industry surrounds us where and how we have ever lived. My favorite chapter is "The Fuse Box" which chronicles whaling to drilling oil to electricity. Try reading this less than…
Mar 15, 2018SPPL_János rated this title 5 out of 5 stars
Trust Bill Bryson to write his most wide-ranging book yet without leaving home. Framed as an exploration of his 1851 British parsonage, this fascinating history delves into the astonishing stories behind each room of a house and its…
Jun 01, 2017SPL_Michelle rated this title 5 out of 5 stars
Bill Bryson takes the reader on a marvelous journey, exploring the history of everyday objects "At Home."
Mar 12, 2016vv9 rated this title 3.5 out of 5 stars
This is a fact-filled walk through the author's home, an 1800's parsonage modeled after british buildings of the time. How does Bryson do it? There are so many trivial history factoids, you wonder where the heck he researches everything.…
Feb 08, 2016ryner rated this title 5 out of 5 stars
Bill Bryson, author of fascinating works on the English language, as well as a number of humorous travel and adventure tales, invites the reader in At Home to join him on a journey through the various rooms found in his home in the Norfolk…
Dec 22, 2014Chapel_Hill_KenMc rated this title 4 out of 5 stars
Bill Bryson never fails to amuse, and to some extent, educate. He's all over the map with this one, but you'll come away with all sorts of awesome trivial information.
Jun 04, 2014jazpur rated this title 4.5 out of 5 stars
The social history of England, based on the premise, 'There's no place like home' is presented with Bill Bryson's inimitable flair in a very palatable informative fashion.Ideal for either dipping or cover-to-cover reading.Most enjoyable.
Apr 03, 2014zipread rated this title 4 out of 5 stars
At Home --- Bill Bryson. Well done! Well done! It’s difficult to know into exactly which pigeon hole to stick this work by Bryson. But perhaps it doesn't matter. Is it technical history; economic history; cultural geography; social…
Aug 31, 2013carbonbusters rated this title 4.5 out of 5 stars
History of all the components that constitute a modern home, illustrated from the example of an old British parsonage (Bryson's home). Excellent.
Feb 10, 2013
http://www.amazon.ca/product-reviews/0385661630/ref=dp_top_cm_cr_acr_txt?ie=UTF8&showViewpoints=1
thordora
Oct 20, 2012thordora rated this title 5 out of 5 stars
Fun read, like most of Bryson, full of little interesting tidbits to lead you in all sorts of directions. Really enjoyed this.
Oct 13, 2012
Bill Bryson is one of my favorites. I have read only his humor books in the past but after reading At Home I will have to read all of his books. Amazing how much interest stuff he is able to present based on his old 1851 house. Did lots…
rsmbarlow
Sep 17, 2012rsmbarlow rated this title 5 out of 5 stars
Great book! Funny and factual. I'd love to have Bill Bryson over for dinner!
Sep 14, 2012danomcd rated this title 5 out of 5 stars
I don't normally give a 5 as a mark but this book will have you wanting to share every piece of what you read - even in the middle of the night! (I should note though that the first chapter was a little slow).