Bryson's always engaging. Whether or not I see where he's headed, reading him just for his skill in fitting words together is worthwhile.
Which is good, because this book, filled with lots of little interesting tidbits, most of which I assume are true (but Bryson's not perfect in his research), doesn't seem to add up to much. The parts are all good, but the sum is not more than the sum. In fact, in the chapter on Sports and Games (and the American English words that have come from that realm), there were several pages of paragraphs, each of which was on a different subject, with no segueways.
Still, it's entertaining, more substantive than most comic writing, and plain old interesting.
Which is good, because this book, filled with lots of little interesting tidbits, most of which I assume are true (but Bryson's not perfect in his research), doesn't seem to add up to much. The parts are all good, but the sum is not more than the sum. In fact, in the chapter on Sports and Games (and the American English words that have come from that realm), there were several pages of paragraphs, each of which was on a different subject, with no segueways.
Still, it's entertaining, more substantive than most comic writing, and plain old interesting.
