Customer Reviews:
 Britain without the rose-colored glasses December 12, 2008
The author exposes Britain's foibles and excentricities from the House of Lords, the Brits' relationship to alcohol and hedgehogs, and the (to foreigners at least) enigmatic game of cricket. There's not a lot of affection here. This is probably the type of book a Brit could write about the US, but not necessarily one that every American anglophile would enjoy.
 the author seems as class-concious as her topic December 11, 2008
1 out of 1 found this review helpful
I kept waiting for her to lighten up and tell us something interesting but funny or at least humorous but she just went for the easy topics with the most unpleasant side of the people. Very depressing.
 "Naughty Boys and Rumpy-Pumpy" December 10, 2008
1 out of 1 found this review helpful
New York Times correspondent Sarah Lyall fell in love with an Englishman in the early 1990s and has been living and working in London ever since. But despite her decade and-a-half there, she still finds herself fascinated by the remarkable differences, minor and major, that exist between the U.S. and the U.K. despite the language and history shared by the two countries.
"The Anglo Files: A Field Guide to the British" is Lyall's generally lighthearted report of what it is like for an American, Anglophile or not, to live and work in the U.K. As someone who did exactly that for a number of years, I can honestly say that most of the oddities and quirks of life in Britain Lyall notes in her book are ones that early on caught my own attention.
Some of what Lyall has to say is offered in the way of legitimate criticism and some of it simply explores the differences between U.S. and British points-of-view and ways of everyday life. But, for the most part, what the book has to say is cloaked in the type of good natured humor that makes it all go down pretty easily. Along the way, the book's fourteen chapters explore subjects such as the British attitude toward sex, class, Parliament's structure and its members, the game of cricket, British understatement, British eccentrics and the eagerness of Brits to practically freeze to death on the country's public beaches.
By far the most serious subject approached by Lyall is the British near-obsession with alcohol and binge drinking, a tendency the extent of which surprised and shocked me during my own years in the U.K. As Lyall puts it, "For the British, alcohol is a relaxant, an emollient, a crutch, a relief, an excuse." At the same time that per capita drinking in most of Europe is on the decrease, the opposite is true in the U.K. where people are drinking more, starting at a younger age, than in the past. Excessive drinking at sporting events, football and rugby, in particular, is so out of control that the notion of the British "soccer lout" has become almost stereotypical. But most ominous, is the way that town centers across the country, so many nights a week, become danger zones best avoided by the sober in late evening. While the Brits tend to forgive this kind of behavior and treat it with a degree of humor, Lyall herself wisely makes her case without treating the problem as a joke.
"The Anglo Files" is a witty look at the differences, perceived and real, between America and Britain. As such, it offers useful insights into those differences and will help prepare first-time visitors to the U.K. for what they will encounter upon leaving Heathrow or Gatwick to immerse themselves in Britain, be it for two weeks or for two decades. Those looking for a serious analysis of what makes the U.K. so special to Americans will probably be somewhat disappointed. Those looking to understand why they still feel like such outsiders after having spent years living in Britain will, on the other hand, enjoy her humorous approach and will see themselves in her experiences.
Rated at: 4.0
 Spot on! December 1, 2008
0 out of 1 found this review helpful
As an American married to an English man, I found myself laughing out loud repeatedly while reading this book and seeing a lot of myself in the author's view points. Case in point: when I first moved to England I was horrified to note that no one rinsed their dishes after washing them. As the author noted, for the British rinsing the soap off is "optional". I think anyone wishing to learn more about the cultural differences of the UK and US will enjoy this book, but those of us who have experienced living in the UK first-hand will probably appreciate it a bit more. A really fun book.
Not quite succeeding as a new Bryson, but not bad November 29, 2008
0 out of 1 found this review helpful
An enjoyable book about the differences between America and Britain. A lot of the book is about everyday habits, such as dental hygiene, favorite sports and alcohol. I also leared a little about the class system, the Houses of Parliament from this book. While the author tries to write about her topics with a subdued hilarity, I don't quite think that she is going to replace Bill Bryson as the English icon.
|
