Interesting content but poor narration

I found the book's subject matter fascinating. However the experience was marred by the narration, which was less than ideal. Bill's enunciation was unclear and muffled, words are slurred, I had difficulty focusing and following along to his voice. It was also rather monotonous. This books needs a different reader.

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New Speaker Needed acquire within!

Is there anything you would change about this book?

Bill Bryson is a terrific writer I have everything he has written to-date, however please use a professional reader on future books. Your voice is far too soft lacking in any emotional impact.

What could Bill Bryson have done to make this a more enjoyable book for you?

Find a professional reader!

Who would you have cast as narrator instead of Bill Bryson?

William Roberts was great narrating The History of Nearly Everything. Grover Gardner is another name that comes to mind.

If this book were a movie would you go see it?

No. The subject matter is too vast and spasmodic.

Any additional comments?

Keep the books coming Bill.

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Best use of a credit

I've listened to "a short history of nearly everything" before and I enjoyed "at home" just as much. It's great for listening to in short bursts as each chapter doesn't rely on the previous one, but is explained in such a way that listening for a longer period isn't overwhelming. I can see myself listening to this again as there is no way I will be able to remember all of it after one reading and I think it would be just as enjoyable a second time around. Bill Bryson is a fantastic reader, really drawing you into his superb writing. I couldn't recommend this more.

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right up my alley

The trivial nature of this book wad right up my alley. If you like finding out about both the history of words and also where everyday objects came from this is the book for you. I am an unabashed Bryson fan, and he has used one of the techniques which makes him such a good travel writer (weaving 'trivial', but fascinating facts throughout a story) to create this book - it is really good.

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Too bad Bill

I just love Bill Bryson's books, but not when he reads them himself. His reading-voice distracts my attention from the content. In this book, the multitude of s-sounds, vocal abbreviations and vocal slurs(that leaving you wondering what he just said) are so annoying, that's it's quite a challenge to keep listening to him read the book. Maybe it would be better if he read in his natural American dialect - more like how he reads "A walk in the woods".

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Informative

At Home is informative and educational in quirky sort of way, but doesn't deliver on the humour evident in some of Bryson's other works. Well researched, this book explodes the myths of the refined and gentile times of old. Bryson does a good job of narrating the book, although at times seemed lacking in expression, making the narration a little dull. If you've got a desire to learn all sorts of factiods of life in centuries gone by, then you'll probably enjoy At Home.

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At Home

A witty, wonderfully excursive wander around the home. Bryson has uncovered so many enthralling stories and apparently endless pieces of fascinating trivia that this audio book is positively addictive!

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Beyond bricks and mortar

Hearing Bill read his book is briefly pure pleasure. He threads patterns, beads and narratives in telling story upon story, ancient and modern. How grateful I am to live now, and not then.The only thing I missed was being able to underline and note some of the aspects of private life.

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A surprisingly deep dive into history from a parsonage

Bill Bryson’s ability to connect seemingly disparate topics via the simple device of a floor plan is a delight.

hours of captivation for the curios mind

Mr Bryson will take you on a mind's journey through time and across the planet as he opens your eyes to the curious history behind not only the things in your home (and, indeed, the home itself), but the world supporting those innovations as they occurred. A brilliant listen, and practically compulsory if you've read or listened to his not-so-brief, but equally entertaining history of nearly everything else.