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A Field Guide To The British (2008)

by Sarah Lyall(Favorite Author)

3.47 of 5 Votes: 2

ISBN

184724582X (ISBN13: 9781847245823)

languge

English

genre

Memoir & Autobiography

publisher

Quercus Books

review 1: A sarcastic, bitchy approach to a satirical synopsis of British people which does nothing to scratch the surface and openly reinforces the American stereotypes of the British.Her idea of dissecting British identity is not only flawed - she only looks at one small, therefore unrepresentative section of society - but one that is about as deep and well researched as an article in any number of elitist society magazines.There is no analysis of the working classes, social stereotypes, regional dialects & bias, sporting allegiance or any number of other key nuances that make up the cultural identity of the British. The only people Lyall covers are the minority who go to boarding school, Henley Regatta and all that upper crust bourgeois decadence that is about as representative o... moref Britain as Donald Trump or Michele Bachmann is of America.If the tables were turned and someone from Britain were to write a book on Americana, the equivalent would be someone from Hello magazine analysing Americans through only looking at those who live on gated communities, belong to country clubs and probably vote Republican.Highly skewed and comes off as remarkably dumb trying to paint itself smart. The only evidence the book offers to support its insinuations is anecdotes, hearsay and quotes lifted from other people's books.This is on top of a writing style that can only be described as smug, condescending and self absorbed.Woeful.
review 2: Lyall covers a lot of ground in this book. It's based on both her personal experiences and what others have written on the subject, and also on conclusions drawn from Brits' behavior in, and quotes to, various media.The book definitely shines a flashlight on some darker aspects of British culture, but it doesn't come off as malicious. It's an interesting read, on the whole, if a tiny bit dated now in its discussions of the royal family and Rupert Murdoch's media empire. (Unavoidable, obviously; time does march on.)A good read for any Anglophile. less

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