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Stephen Fry in America: Fifty States and the Man Who Set Out to See Them All
Unavailable
Stephen Fry in America: Fifty States and the Man Who Set Out to See Them All
Unavailable
Stephen Fry in America: Fifty States and the Man Who Set Out to See Them All
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Stephen Fry in America: Fifty States and the Man Who Set Out to See Them All

Rating: 3.5 out of 5 stars

3.5/5

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Currently unavailable

About this ebook

Britain's best-loved comic genius, Stephen Fry, turns his celebrated wit and insight to unearthing the real America as he travels across the continent in his chariot of Englishness, a black London cab.

Stephen Fry has always loved America. In fact, he came very close to being born here. His fascination for the country and its people sees him embarking on an epic journey across America, visiting each of its fifty states to discover how such a huge diversity of people, cultures, languages, and beliefs creates such a remarkable nation. Stephen starts his journey on the East Coast and zigzags across America, stopping in every state from Maine to Hawaii, talking to each state's hospitable citizens, listening to music, visiting landmarks, viewing small-town life and America's breathtaking landscapes, following wherever his curiosity leads him.

En route he discovers the South Side of Chicago with blues legend Buddy Guy, catches up with Morgan Freeman in Mississippi, strides around with Ted Turner on his Montana ranch, marches with Zulus in Mardi Gras in New Orleans, drums with the Sioux Nation in South Dakota, joins a Georgia family for Thanksgiving, "picks" with bluegrass hillbillies, and finds himself in a Tennessee garden full of dead bodies.

Whether in a club for failed gangsters in Brooklyn, New York (yes, those are real bullet holes), or celebrating Halloween in Salem, Massachusetts (is there anywhere better?), Stephen is welcomed by the people of America—mayors, sheriffs, newspaper editors, park rangers, teachers, and hoboes, bringing to life the oddities and splendors of each locale. A celebration of the magnificent and the eccentric, the beautiful and the strange, Stephen Fry in America is the author's homage to this extraordinary country.

LanguageEnglish
PublisherHarperCollins
Release dateNov 3, 2009
ISBN9780061990090
Unavailable
Stephen Fry in America: Fifty States and the Man Who Set Out to See Them All
Author

Stephen Fry

Stephen Fry is one of Britain's national treasures and his television appearances include 'A Bit Of Fry and Laurie', 'Jeeves and Wooster', 'Blackadder', 'QI' and 'Kingdom'. His film roles include 'Peter's Friends' and 'Wilde'; and in the realm of television, the Emmy-award-winning 'The Secret Life of a Manic Depressive'. As a writer, he best known for his novel The Liar as well as his acclaimed autobiography Moab Is My Washpot, and his is the famous voice of the Harry Potter audio books.

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Reviews for Stephen Fry in America

Rating: 3.676630434782609 out of 5 stars
3.5/5

184 ratings19 reviews

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  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    A delightful trip through the United States, where the author visited all 50 states (though giving a couple of them short shrift) in an attempt to try to figure out what America really is. I appreciate a book like this, which takes some time to appreciate the beauty of the country and what is good about it in a world where too many people think if one (or several) things are bad, all must be rotten. At first, though, I was worried this would be one of those books where he came in, visited people, found them nice, and wrote off all possibility that there might be some dark undercurrents; fortunately, this is not so. He does a pretty good job of catching part of the spirit of America, as good as can be expected in a whirlwind tour of short visits. The style is witty and often self-mocking, in a manner only the British can quite pull off, and he offers many profound insights. Now I am going to try to find the TV show that was the basis for this tour.
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    The kind of places and people, profiles and locations. Ability to bring in humor to any situation. Leading from the front and adding in a perspective. This sets it apart. Don't expect a lonely planet tourist guide, though.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    I loved all the different portraits of the states except my own, California. He skipped Southern California because it's covered too much at the Oscars. I'm sorry but Southern California is not just movie making and cheesy rich people in Beverly Hills. It's got mountains and Death Valley, San Diego and the zoo. It has JPL and Caltech and Edwards Air Force Base, the Shuttle's other home. It has Yosemite and Sequoia Parks and amazing gardens amd museums like the Huntington as well as the places that aren't so nice and just goes on a pot bust and San Francisco? No!
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    Stephen Fry's tour through the fifty states was mostly entertaining. Readers should consider that the access he was allowed isn't necessarily available on a wide scale. Further, I would suggest skipping the middle portion of Louisiana through Ohio. He was either behind schedule or pissy due to his broken arm, but generally gave this area less attention and less flattering views. It might not be the most touristy section of the country, but prison and homeless is not particularly representative. Overall a fun read with some great photos.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    The estimable Stephen Fry tours the 50 states, offering his unique views as he meets with famous people and everyday folk, learns the culture of each state, and takes in the sights. With typical wit and poshness, Mr. Fry documents his experiences and gives a taste of each state's particular culture.

    I will admit upfront that this book may have played to my ego a bit; Americans are often regarded as being uncivil, crass, rude, materialistic, and unintelligent, which is a bit of an annoyance to those of us who consider themselves to not be unintelligent at all. Mr. Fry actually directly contradicts this idea - or at least says that it is softened by the good qualities of America - and this becomes a running theme in his work. He finds the good in everyone, or at least most everyone. New Jersey, I'm afraid, was the only one which he did not have a positive thing to say about, so it is destined to remain the butt of jokes for years to come. Others, like Ohio, he only briefly mentions before moving on, which may have been a disservice and quite a disappointment to any Ohioans who picked up the book eager to find out what Mr. Fry had to say about their state.

    The good, however, is overwhelming. Even to someone as widely traveled within my country as I am, I was surprised and delighted to learn new things - beyond the state bird and state neckwear or other such nonsense - and felt my feet itching to visit the same sights he did. He seems to find something favorable to say about nearly everything, and though others have accused it as coming across as treacly and sentimental, I must disagree. Being cynical and relentlessly negative is not a sign of intelligence, it's a sign of a tiresome personality. If you want to read that, I would recommend you check out The Last Continent: Travels in Small-Town America by Bill Bryson, which serves as a photonegative (literanegative?) of Stephen Fry in America. Bill Bryson is a native Iowan who moves to England who comes back and tours America and finds absolutely nothing good to say about anything and spends even less time anywhere he stays than Mr. Fry does. And I say this as someone who adores Mr. Bryson's other writings. Sometimes it takes an outside perspective to see things as beautiful and good; natives see only what could be better and bemoan what has changed.

    That said, some of the critiques are valid, I will admit. He sometimes shows an ignorance of the inner depths of certain relationships, racial especially, but I will say that it is hard to pick these things up without being intimately familiar with the culture, which time constraints would not allow. I do not agree, however, that he dismisses bigotry and racism completely and implies that it does not exist - if anything, he actually specifically comments on the fact that he isn't aware of the nuances and so is not able to say anything more.

    He does make several disparaging comments toward religion which were a bit much, even after reminding myself that everyone has a right to their own opinion, but these did not overshadow my enjoyment of the book.

    I will also say that I bought the Kindle edition. I prefer "real" books, but I needed something to read on my phone while attending a mind-numbing assembly at work. I would highly recommend getting the physical copy of this one; the layout was odd and unpleasant - cutting off anecdotes in the middle for the "state facts" before resuming them and other jarring issues - and the pictures were impossible to see. I switched to reading it on my computer and it was better, but I'm sure nothing like a book with photographs in full glossy spread glory.

    Overall, the book had its flaws, but was still engaging, witty, and pleasant, much like Mr. Fry himself. The people he talks to are always interesting (a WWII veteran who served with Jimmy Stewart, an old money socialite who attended the wedding of Jackie Kennedy, scientists, social activists, and more). On a personal note, I decided to resist my selfish impulse to flip straight to my state. As a consequence, I had ample time to speculate on which city he would visit - Dallas? Austin? El Paso? I didn't even dream that he would visit Houston, as it's almost universally forgettable. To my surprise and delight, he actually went to the Galleria (which was somewhat funny, considering that as a native of Houston, I have yet to go) and hobnobbed with the Houston society class. He wasn't exactly overwhelmingly flattering to them, but I'm happy just to see Houston - for once! - not overlooked.

    If you enjoy Mr. Fry in shows or movies or books and are interested in taking a small taste of the fifty states, this is your book.

    N.B. Popsugar 2016: A book about a road trip
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    Amusing meandering writing about his wandering across America.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    I loved this book, particularly Fry's turns of phrase and writing style. The only thing I found wrong with it, was the fact that it was too short! Some states seemed to only merit mere glances. Despite this I would recommend the book to anyone remotely interested in the USA.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    Lovely little bite-size travelogue of the 50 states. Only criticism, much like the tv show it accompanied, is that some states are woefully undersold.
  • Rating: 2 out of 5 stars
    2/5
    I usually like Stephen Fry, but I thought his wide-eyed, "gosh golly America wow!" attitude was most of the time annoyingly twee, and occasionally just insulting. (comparing "hillbilly" musicians to dogs? really??)
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    Perhaps it takes a Brit to convince an American to take another look at the abundance of good things that the USA has to see and experience. Well, maybe it helps if the American reading happens to think highly of Stephen Fry and also be an Anglophile. I gained a new appreciation for the sheer variety and wonder of our 50 states, and am thinking that the next big vacation should be to one or more of those marvelous states. I also really appreciated Fry's commentary on the people and places he encounters - while he clearly states his biases/dislikes, he doesn't overpower his ideas with those biases - he keeps an open mind as much as possible. But he also refrains from the other extreme,where all is treated with kid gloves and is marvelous and squeaky clean. You know that when he liked a place, he was sincere. Sincerity, scenes of beauty, and Stephen Fry in lots of uniforms that make him look 'ten kinds of dick' make this a definite pickmeup. Waiting for the actual documentary to put on the Netflix queue.
  • Rating: 3 out of 5 stars
    3/5
    Stephen Fry traveled all states of the US for a BBC series. The book is a juxtaposition of anecdotes from each state. Some are interesting, some ar not. And in some cases the television version was better. It took me a while to go through the book (hence the rating), it is not interesting enough.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    A delightful trip through the United States, where the author visited all 50 states (though giving a couple of them short shrift) in an attempt to try to figure out what America really is. I appreciate a book like this, which takes some time to appreciate the beauty of the country and what is good about it in a world where too many people think if one (or several) things are bad, all must be rotten. At first, though, I was worried this would be one of those books where he came in, visited people, found them nice, and wrote off all possibility that there might be some dark undercurrents; fortunately, this is not so. He does a pretty good job of catching part of the spirit of America, as good as can be expected in a whirlwind tour of short visits. The style is witty and often self-mocking, in a manner only the British can quite pull off, and he offers many profound insights. Now I am going to try to find the TV show that was the basis for this tour.
  • Rating: 3 out of 5 stars
    3/5
    This is no more than it claims to be - a visit to every state and even Fry, with only a page or four for each state, can only fail to engage and entertain.An entertaining TV series that never would have and never did make a good idea for a book.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    A very quick wizz round the United States. No great depth to the details about each state, but one or two good pieces about the people and some of the cities etc. A good tie in with the TV series, but not enough depthe on its own to stand up as a visitors guide.
  • Rating: 3 out of 5 stars
    3/5
    More of an adjunct to his t.v. series of the same name than an in depth book on its own I still enjoyed it. Mr. Fry has a way with words and captures the many ways the U.S. stands unique to those of us from other countries. Even as a Canadian and being so close to the country and inundated by their culture I find myself being unaware of the feelings, history and beauty of each state. A good brief guide for a non-American. Funny as well. The few episodes of the television show I caught were well worth watching as well.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    I've enjoyed Stephen Fry's work on screen for a few decades now, back to his classic A Bit of Fry and Laurie, and his Jeeves in the Jeeves and Wooster adaptations. He's got a wry, sarcastic sense of humor, yet his intelligence and observant eye show through in everything he does.In the case of this book tie-in to the BBC documentary series he filmed, I found myself enjoying it and being annoyed by it in equal parts. Fry's love affair with America -- you'll be amused by his explanation of the differences between Stephen (the Brit) and Steve (the Yank) at the beginning of the book -- shows through in the many ways in which he pays tribute to ordinary Americans he comes across in his travels.At the same time, for someone wanting to pay tribute to the good old U.S. of A., he gives genuinely short shrift to several of the 50 states he travels through. And the choices he makes of "activities" to participate in in some of the states seems completely out of left field. It was like a non-stop episode of Dirty Jobs, if Mike Rowe was an urbane, sophisticated British gay man.Overall, despite numerous bits of incorrect information -- Thanksgiving is NOT celebrated on the Third Thursday of November, Stephen! -- I still very much enjoyed Fry's observations on the heart and soul of America throughout the book. In the end, I can safely give this one 4 stars, but wish there had been even more content. I hope BBC America eventually airs the documentary he was filming, as I imagine Stephen's adventures would come over even better in a video format!
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    Stephen Fry is amusing, but not condescending in his travel book through all 50 U.S. states. I enjoyed it immensely and only wish there was a lot more. Excellent photography.
  • Rating: 3 out of 5 stars
    3/5
    As a journey through the 50 states this is a good read. In many cases though the visits and write ups of some states were too short, it would have been nice to read more. I am looking forward to watching the TV series that the book supports.
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    Stephen Fry boldly goes where few Americans have gone before: to all 50 of the United States. With so much territory to cover, each chapter is a vignette of a different state. While some could argue that the book barely scratches the surface of each state, it is still a lovingly crafted tribute to American history, geography, and society.