Anyone else read it? Waddya think of it ?

-- Anonymous, January 11, 2002

Answers

Brought it back home from Gatwick Airport almost two years ago. Haven't got around reading it yet. Thanks for reminding me!

-- Anonymous, January 11, 2002

I enjoyed it. Paxman’s response to the English cultural identity crisis isn’t a bad read. He writes well on English insularity, anti- intellectualism, and myths of rural arcadia (when most live in badly organised urban areas). He does, though ,come close to regarding indifference to ideology, religion, politics, and ideas in general as virtues. I recognise the description without sharing the conclusion.

It did border on the twee, with Paxman discerning depths of tolerance in the English not always obvious to me, whilst his grappling with the ‘class system’ could leave a reader thinking England is a country of public schoolboys and football hooligans with little in between. Despite the above gripes I’d still recommend it, and Paxman’s gentle irony is both endearing and supremely English.

-- Anonymous, January 11, 2002

I thought it was quite good but nowhere near as revelatory as books about England by foreigners like Bill Bryson.

-- Anonymous, January 11, 2002

Just finishing it. A good read, and well researched although not really an intelectual tome. We all probably recognise a lot of the characteristics at one point or another, and there are clear links between modern social behaviour and that of our predecessors in the 'golden age'. Friends in High Places is another good read, not sure if it's been updated since his Major years publication. Not bad for an ex-member of the communist party, eh.

Bryson is whimsical, but well researched too. Although his assessment of how great Durham is finds me scratching my head (not lice) - 6/10 can do better.

-- Anonymous, January 11, 2002

"He knows not England who only England knows" (Kipling, I believe) - that's why I prefer Bryson. Most foreigners do love Durham while we think "oh, there's that cathedral again".

-- Anonymous, January 11, 2002

I usually think "I wish these bloody hills would f**k off", or "why isn't there a decent set of shops in the town", or "what idiot approved the plans for the new theatre - it's awful!", or "the traffic out by Framwellgate Moor is dreadful", or "there goes another makem"...or even "some of these students are incredible!" ;-)

-- Anonymous, January 11, 2002

I'm on the side of the latter in this Bryson v Paxman debate. I found 'Notes from a Small Island' a bit sentimental and stuffed full of clichés eg Bryson finding the Glaswegian dialect impenetrable. Tell me why I'm wrong Dougal?

Bobby, is Paxman really an ex-communist?

-- Anonymous, January 11, 2002

There isn't a settlement on the planet that people don't have reservations about: New York, London and Paris have just about every amenity known to man but they are crowded, dirty and (in varying degrees) they all have shocking public transport and crime rates. Go to an idyllic village in the Cotswolds and people will moan because they have to drive six miles to Safeway and four miles to the nearest dentist. Bryson went back to the States briefly because he missed 24 hour shopping. When he got back to the States, he discovered that the small inconvenience of limited shopping hours was cancelled out by the life-affirming qualities of looking out of your window and seeing a Cathedral that was built about a thousand years ago and will still be there when "Alldays" and "7-11" have long gone. Similarly, his book "Mother Tongue" about the English language spoke of the joy of dialect and difference. Of course, that's just his view. I thought Bryson's books were based more on impressions while Paxman was trying to get to the heart of the English. I don't think an Englsih person can bring a value-free approach to a discussion of the English because things like class, education, geographical provenance will contaminate your views.

-- Anonymous, January 11, 2002

Agree about the Makems, though ;0)

-- Anonymous, January 11, 2002

. I don't think an Englsih person can bring a value-free approach to a discussion of the English because things like class, education, geographical provenance will contaminate your views. Anyone will have a certain amount of baggage with them (excuse the Americanism ;-) ), and I don't think being English is necessarily detrimental to an assessment of one's compatriots and country. It may hinder some objectivity, but Bryson and Paxman are producing their own opinions anyway and not making a submission to Sociology Weekly. And I find opinions rather than 'scientific' approaches far more interesting :-)

Stevo - I seem to remember there was a mention of Paxman's Communist Party days while he was a student (Cambridge?) in the sleeve notes of Friend in High Places. I guess he's probably become 'lapsed' in the faith :-)

-- Anonymous, January 11, 2002

Paxman's book was alreet, but no more than that. There seemed little substantiation for many of his views, and overall I felt it was 'thin'.

BTW, I love watching him 'operate' on Newsday, and his recent interview of Stephen Byers was a classic Paxman 'savaging'.

-- Anonymous, January 11, 2002

Stevo - you're not wrong. It's all about opinions and the books have completely different purposes so we probably aren't comparing like with like. I just find (and this is an entirely personal opinion) that more is to be learned from a non-native's opinion than from a native's opinion. I enjoy reading views of the English in fiction literature as well. I just finished a book by the woman who wrote "Sex in the City" and she hates the English, her characterisation shows this. She has spent time in London and her discussion of the Chintz of Chelsea is hilarious. Her perspicuity about her native country and herself is less sharp as she is genuinely incredulous about why a beautiful, intelligent, interesting New Yorker like herself should still be single (could it be the constant self-analysis and big head perchance?).

-- Anonymous, January 11, 2002

.... I wouldn't mind a wager that her gob also has something to do with it, dougal!

-- Anonymous, January 11, 2002

Bobby, I agree about not wanting a sociological textbook which is why I avoided referring to how well either book was researched.

-- Anonymous, January 11, 2002

I love Durham, and was pleasantly surprised at the variety of shopping available actually. The fact that I found a Toon away top for 1/2 price long before it was on sale anywhere else could have clouded my judgement just a little. ;-)

Agree about the hills, though. *gasphuffpuff* *slipslide*

Looks like I'll need to start a new reading list! :-)

-- Anonymous, January 11, 2002

When I first read Bryson I found his take on England rather amusing, although he did the exactly the same type of book when he went to Australia. His writing is enough to amuse foreigners but also so full of compliments that no-one gets offended.

-- Anonymous, January 11, 2002

Talking of books Dougal, I think you may have dropped on in the back of my car (er, book, that is). It's called "e." and is all about "liars, lunch and lost knickers" according to the cover.

-- Anonymous, January 11, 2002

Talking of books Dougal, I think you may have dropped on in the back of my car (er, book, that is). It's called "e." and is all about "liars, lunch and lost knickers" according to the cover.

Oops - hit "send" too soon. I'll try to remeber to bring it to the match on Saturday.

-- Anonymous, January 11, 2002

Fair points Dougal, we're certainly not comparing like-with-like (just trying to get a debate going). Now, this "liars, lunch and lost knickers" book sounds, erm, interesting. Any good?

-- Anonymous, January 11, 2002

I've only read Bryson's book on Europe, and wasn't too impressed. Plenty of cliches, and I got the impression he didn't like anyone. I found Paxman's book quite entertaining, and certainly easier to read than Theodore Zeldin's "The French". I've been doing a bit of reading to try and work out where I fit in, as I always felt English when I lived in NZ, yet never felt English when I've visited. And I'm certainly not French, even though I'm loving it over here.

-- Anonymous, January 11, 2002

Stevo - it's a bit silly, basically a novel wriiten in the form of office e mails. Good for a laugh, though!

-- Anonymous, January 11, 2002

Haven't read Paxman's tome for ages but I do remember liking it. Written from a very middle class perspective if memory serves, but not too bad for all that.

-- Anonymous, January 11, 2002

Interesting to read others' thoughts. I enjoyed it for the most part, but what I thought started off trying to be quite a serious insight ended up trotting out many of the usual cliches. Unfortunately it was neither Paxman at his most biting, nor was it chock full of critical research, which quite surprised me considering the author. All in all an entertaining if not illuminating read for my money.

-- Anonymous, January 11, 2002

That was precisely my reaction LT. I felt he had a notion for the book, but when push came to shove found it only really filled about three chapters, the rest being dragged out as fairly weak filling.
It started well, but just faded away.

-- Anonymous, January 12, 2002