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  • At Home

  • A Short History of Private Life
  • Written by: Bill Bryson
  • Narrated by: Bill Bryson
  • Length: 16 hrs and 33 mins
  • 4.7 out of 5 stars (160 ratings)

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At Home

Written by: Bill Bryson
Narrated by: Bill Bryson
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Publisher's Summary

From one of the most beloved authors of our time—more than six million copies of his books have been sold in this country alone - a fascinating excursion into the history behind the place we call home.

“Houses aren’t refuges from history. They are where history ends up.”

Bill Bryson and his family live in a Victorian parsonage in a part of England where nothing of any great significance has happened since the Romans decamped. Yet one day, he began to consider how very little he knew about the ordinary things of life as he found it in that comfortable home. To remedy this, he formed the idea of journeying about his house from room to room to “write a history of the world without leaving home.”

The bathroom provides the occasion for a history of hygiene; the bedroom, sex, death, and sleep; the kitchen, nutrition and the spice trade; and so on, as Bryson shows how each has fig­ured in the evolution of private life. Whatever happens in the world, he demonstrates, ends up in our house, in the paint and the pipes and the pillows and every item of furniture.

Bill Bryson has one of the liveliest, most inquisitive minds on the planet, and he is a master at turning the seemingly isolated or mundane fact into an occasion for the most diverting exposi­tion imaginable. His wit and sheer prose fluency make At Home one of the most entertaining books ever written about private life.

©2010 Bill Bryson (P)2010 Random House Audio

What the critics say

"There are many guilty pleasures, from Bryson's droll prose - "What really turned the Victorians to bathing, however, was the realization that it could be gloriously punishing" - to the many tantalizing glimpses behind closed doors at aristocratic English country houses. In demonstrating how everything we take for granted, from comfortable furniture to smoke-free air, went from unimaginable luxury to humdrum routine, Bryson shows us how odd and improbable our own lives really are." ( Publishers Weekly)

What listeners say about At Home

Average Customer Ratings
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  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    4 out of 5 stars

Interesting, I learned a lot

I enjoyed most of this book. The subject matter was mostly interesting, but it wasn't exactly what I expected. I like how he tied in some vivid and surprising historical events to each room of the house. Sometimes, I found some stories just dragged on. The whole bit about architects didn't seem to fit, but maybe I was so bored by it that I didn't realize it did fit. There are some comedic spots, which made it a good overall book.

The narration was okay. It took me a while to get comfortable with the narration. At the beginning all I could hear was how wet the narrator's mouth was. Thank goodness it got better.

4 stars because I would buy another of this author's audiobooks - even with him narrating.

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5 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars

Delicious Morsels of Detail

Ah the history of our homes snd the contents there in is so delectable...Bill Bryson is the best person to write znd perform it!

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1 person found this helpful

  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    4 out of 5 stars

Fascinating!

Packed with historical facts, Bill Bryson is able to deliver with an interesting and satirical take of how Home life has changed throughout time.

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1 person found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

Fantastic

Now that I’ve listened to this book, I will be going out to purchase a paper copy. I’ll also be listening to or reading all the Bill Bryson I can get my hands on.

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars

very informative

filled with facts I have never even thought about. The tone it's read in is very relaxing so at bed time makes you sleepy. I've been listening to it at work and has got me through the day. very informative

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  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
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    3 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars
  • Don
  • 2023-01-11

Interesting listen

Very detailed a great view on English history did not like some of the references

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars

Fascinating read

Interesting and well researched book about so many little facets of history. Especially the bit about how of all the possible spices on the planet, salt and pepper became the two main spices places on our dining room tables. Very much enjoy Bill Bryson’s voice reading his own book as well.

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  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars
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    3 out of 5 stars

interesting. But a very loose through-line

an enjoyable listen, but bill takes us on a very circuitous series of historical discussions that feel only loosely hung on the premise of telling the story of domestic life by going through room by room. the tangents that come out of that sometimes feel like a bit of a stretch, and not always the best direction to go. for example in telling the story of the kitchen, the author tells us the somewhat tangential story of the European spice trade. in a later chapter, as fascinating as this information is, it doesn't come together that nicely as a book. Rather it feels more like the author had some stories he wanted to tell, and works the theme a bit to fit them in.
It's fascinating and theatrically told, if a bit hodgepodge.

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

Informative

Informative

I found the content very interesting.
I enjoyed learning about so many things.

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

Storyteller extraordinaire

Bill Bryson, seemingly effortlessly, takes us through the development of home throughout history. I am fascinated by the way he weaves the tales of history in such an engaging way regarding a very simple subject. His humour and curiosity are peppered throughout this book, keeping you entertained while educating you.

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