Customer Rating: 

The book concentrates on those quintessential items that are regarded as being peculiarly English. One comment that can be made is that the book lacked cohesion but made up for it in content. I feel that more content should have been provided by members of the public as opposed to invited 'guests' but for all that the book is a statement of England and Englishness.

Customer Rating: 

reading Icons of England I was taken back to my own youth in the netherlands. Yes , although I can't claim reminiscenses of rolling hills and valleys, I can recall the butcher and baker at the corner. The heath where I had my long walks and , and played as a child . And even farther away the days that you visit forests , not exising any more.Forest that is not familiar to you anymore ,as you suddenly walk into a centre parcs recreational facility.

Then you know how countrysides have disappeared and will not return, because there is now the A 73 . And as you drive a car yourself you know how traffic intenisity has grown in the past 50 odd years.
Well Icons of England is universal for disappearing views, environments , forrestlakes and so on.
That is why this book strikes you.
The only thing I criticise is the name of the book : icons of England. Why not : universal Icons, because we all experience it.

Customer Rating: 

Quite a nostalgic read for those of us above a certain age. I think the book relies heavily on Bill Bryson's name being in bold on the front cover when his contribution is limited to an introduction. Still an enjoyable read.

Customer Rating: 

Icons of England has over ninety contributors all with their own Icon of England so therefore with this eclectic book you are going to get a mix of good,bad and average short bite-sized essays.
Its a shame this paperback was not accompanied with good colourful pictures to introduce each story as this would have brightened the book up somewhat. The stories inside range from childhood memories to the weather. A nostalgic book with social commentators putting their spin on what is special to them about our countryside. This is a three star for me as out of the ninety-odd essays only about ten stood out to me to be very good ,as I said earlier the rest are ok or not very good. Worth a read as its easy to dip in and out of for a light read.
Here are my ten favourites in no particular order; Time to stand and stare(Lands end) ;Through the lychgate (graveyards); Older than England(Green Man); The road taken(On holloways); Fair play (On sports fields); Whatever the weather(On clouds); The light of day(On light and shade); Poetry in motion(On mist); The dawn chorus(On birdsong); Beautiful evenings(On village cricket)

Customer Rating: 

This book proves I am not alone in enjoying the great country that is England and that there are others who enjoy the minutiae of life that makes England 'England'. I too enjoy walking in the countryside and enjoying the site of our natural wildlife; having cream teas at village teashops, enjoying the quiet of a church and relishing the history that surrounds it; and walking along piers because that's what one has to do when at the seaside. Reading the contributions that made it into the book one wonders on the tales and reminisces that didn't make it inside. It certainly has made me want to visit Norfolk, Rutland, Yorkshire and a myriad of other places to see these places before either big business or Mother Nature takes them away from us forever. Our villages and hamlets are already vanishing from the deluge of city dwellers with money who want a weekend home and then complain about the noise of the church bells and the smells from the local farms. What do they expect??? Telephone boxes, post offices, post boxes, butchers, bakers etc are already disappearing at an appalling rate. These are things that make England 'England' and we must save them!