One Summer
America 1927
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One Summer
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Narrated by:
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Bill Bryson
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By:
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Bill Bryson
About this listen
Audible is proud to present One Summer: America, 1927, the new book by Britain’s favourite writer of narrative nonfiction, Bill Bryson.
Narrated by the man himself, One Summer takes you to the summer when America came of age, took centre stage, and changed the world forever. In the summer of 1927, America had a booming stock market, a president who worked just four hours a day, a semi-crazed sculptor with a plan to carve four giant heads into a mountain called Rushmore, a devastating flood of the Mississippi, a sensational murder trial, and a youthful aviator named Charles Lindbergh who started the summer wholly unknown, and finished it as the most famous man on Earth.
It was the summer of the first talking pictures, the invention of television, the peak of Al Capone's reign of terror, the ill-conceived decision that led to the Great Depression, and the thrillingly improbable return to greatness of a wheezing, over-the-hill baseball player named Babe Ruth.
With an unforgettable cast of personalities, Bill Bryson spins a story of brawling adventure, reckless optimism, and delirious energy. What a country; what a summer; and what a writer to bring it all so vividly to life.
Bill Bryson was born in Des Moines, Iowa, in 1951; he moved to and settled in England in 1977, working in journalism until becoming a full-time author. Bryson is much-loved for his best-selling travel books, from The Lost Continent to Down Under, and Notes from a Small Island earned a particularly special place in the nation's heart - a national poll for World Book Day voted it the book that best represents Britain. A Short History of Nearly Everything won the Aventis Prize for Science Books and the Descartes Science Communication Prize. Bryson has also written a memoir, The Life and Times of the Thunderbolt Kid, and acclaimed books on language and social history (Mother Tongue, Made in America, At Home).
He lives in the UK with his wife and family, and was awarded an honorary OBE for services to literature.
©2013 Bill Bryson (P)2013 Audible LtdEditorial reviews
What listeners say about One Summer
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Anonymous User
- 27-01-2023
Fascinating insight
So well researched. The book provides a deep insight into American society around the 20’s and 30’s. Thoroughly enjoyable with classic Bryson humour weaved into the tales.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Ike Bain
- 02-04-2023
So descriptive I felt I was back in that era
One of the most interesting books I ever enjoyed and the author performed the perfect narration.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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- Kelly
- 29-03-2015
certainly recommend
This was such a great book to listen to. informative, interesting and really well read. excellent choice
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1 person found this helpful
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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- christine
- 22-04-2016
great listening
listened over weeks. fascinating story with intriging links. amazing that so much happened in one summer. can we have another summer's tale
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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- Jacob
- 11-08-2016
exciting until the last seconds
1927 is beschreven vanuit een USA perspective, Bill is een master vertellen. 1927 is reveviewed from an American perspective. Bill is a master in storytelling.
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Overall4 out of 5 stars
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Performance3 out of 5 stars
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Story4 out of 5 stars
- Cainsy
- 17-05-2015
A Summer more or less
Bryson is one of my writing heroes and he has delivered another masterwork in One Summer: America 1927. However, whereas his earlier travel books had the panorama of nations of his personal experience and his later books dealt with the realms of science, language and social history, this book is about the pivotal summer of 1927 in the United States.
Primarily focusing on the race between the various teams competing for the Orteig Prize, the challenge to fly non-stop from New York to Paris and in particular Charles Lindbergh’s accomplishment, and subsequent rise to fame when he won the prize. Bryson also focuses on Babe Ruth’s record baseball season, the machinations of the Ford motor company’s replacement of the Model T, the impact of the Mississippi Flood and the associated rise of Herbert Hoover, later President Hoover. The book also includes a fair dose of the intricacies of the Roaring Twenties as a backdrop.
The stories are told in Bryson’s characteristic humorous style full of the ironies of life and capricious turns of fate that beset so many of his subjects. It is also packed with many facts and statistics which while being fascinating can sometimes lapse into the monotony of a reference book. Occasionally he does drop the ball in the areas that aren’t central to his own interests, he seems to struggle with popular culture; incorrectly referring to Mickey Mouse’s previous name as Oswald for example. But that is nit-picking Bryson’s delivers a book in a way that a skilled sportsman makes his game look effortless.
Bill Bryson’s delivery is gentle and clear but, as he references his own voice in his earlier book; The Life and Times of the Thunderbolt Kid, he speaks in a low voice. Sometimes this lacks the range to add proper characterisation to the different people within the book. Again this isn’t a critical deficiency but doesn’t lend itself to extended listening sessions.
Overall this is an interesting and informative book.
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3 people found this helpful
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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- Katherine Neville
- 11-02-2015
Great book
Bill Bryson never disappoints. A fascinating insight into a time in history I previously knew little about. I enjoyed Bill's narration also.
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1 person found this helpful
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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- Anonymous User
- 05-06-2021
Bill Bryson narrates
loved to hear bill Bryson himself narrate. very interesting time in modern history. Very Enjoyable.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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- Clio
- 30-11-2016
Super Summer
So many interesting facts about life in USA in the 1920's. Bryson reads with a calm and fluid manner that really makes the book a joy to listen to. Another Bill Bryson classic. Good stuff.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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- MR NICHOLAS J EVEN
- 28-12-2014
Really enjoyed America 1927
Thoroughly enjoyed the clarity, the content, and the subject matter. Especially enjoyed that the author narrated.
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2 people found this helpful