Notes from a Small Island – by Bill Bryson
Bill Bryson is an American writer born in Des Moines, Iowa, USA, who came to England in 1977 and stayed here for some time. ‘Notes From A Small Island‘ is one of several books he has written – this one is about Britain. He is a popular writer who writes in a light, seemingly effortless but amusing style, even when he is writing about difficult subjects. You see this in particular in his book about science – ‘A Short History of Nearly Everything‘ – in which he explains extremely complex topics beautifully clearly.
He remembers here some of the particularly English experiences that he enjoyed. Can you watch this video and write out the text of it? It tells you some of what he missed when he went back to the States after living in North Yorkshire for many years. The scenery you see in this video is of the countryside in North Yorkshire – specifically, near Malham.
Do not worry too much about punctuation – concentrate on getting your spelling of words right!
This is a very sunny version of life in England – but Bill Bryson has also spoken out about his regret that we have lost some of what he found so endearing and special about life in Britain.