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Bill Bryson – The Life and Times of the Thunderbolt Kid | Review

Title: The Life and Times of the Thunderbolt Kid

Author: Bill Bryson

Type: Non-Fiction

Page Count: 416

Rating: 4/5

Bryson’s non-fiction is always a lot of fun to read, and this book was no different. What’s interesting, though, is that instead of focussing on travel writing as he usually does, this was instead a memoir about Bryson’s childhood adventures. That was cool in one sense, but in another sense I would have preferred to have had some travel writing from him, purely because that’s what he’s best at.

There’s also the Thunderbolt Kid gimmick, which I wasn’t particularly a fan of because I’m not much into superheroes in general. I get that it was his childhood fantasy and stuff and it did a good job of tying the book together, it’s just that I have different interests I guess. Plus it wasn’t really needed, and it ended up just feeling like a gimmick that Bryson relied on when he wasn’t too sure how to finish a chapter.

But I don’t want to complain too much, and in fact as a general rule, I did still really enjoy this. Bryson’s writing is always a pleasure, and I’m sure he could write about literally any subject and I’d still enjoy it. If anything, that’s kind of the gist of this review. I have less in common with Bryson when he’s writing about his upbringing as a kid in America than I do when he’s writing about the places that he’s visited.

And that’s kind of the problem here. I don’t really have anything else to say about this one and it was just okay, although at least it didn’t have any of the sort of inadvertent snootiness that’s ruined a couple of other Bryson books for me. Overall, it was eminently readable and I’m glad I picked it up, especially because it was for free from a little book exchange outside someone’s house, but it wasn’t quite as good as I was expecting.

If you’re a Bill Bryson fan then you’ll want to pick this one up of course, but at the same time I should warn you that it’s just so-so, and definitely not up to scratch if you compare it to some of his other stuff, and Notes from a Small Island in particular. If this was written by just anyone, it would’ve been fine. But because it’s by Bill Bryson, it’s a let down.

Learn more about The Life and Times of the Thunderbolt Kid.

Stephen King – Dolores Claiborne | Review

Title: Dolores Claiborne

Author: Stephen King

Type: Fiction

Page Count/Review Word Count: 308

Rating: 4*/5

Stephen King – Dolores Claiborne

Dolores Claiborne is interesting because the entire book is essentially the narrative of a woman who’s been arrested for murder. We join her in the interview room at the local police station as she explains what happened, and I can’t actually tell you too much more than that without spoiling the plot.

What’s cool here is that despite the entire book being essentially just Dolores’ dialogue, it actually adds to the characterisation at a whole. It’s almost like the ultimate unreliable narrator, but it’s also impressive to see how strong the characterisation was. Considering all of the characterisation had to be conveyed by Dolores’ dialogue, I think he did a pretty strong job.

Similarly, King deployed dialect to great effect, and the way that Dolores speaks is itself a great little indicator of her personality, her upbringing and other key characteristics. Honestly, I found her to be a highly likeable character, and I was impressed by her resilience and how she stood up for what she believed in, even if that did lead to her spending time in the interview room at the station.

Overall then, this is a solid book and very much worth reading. It’d actually make a pretty decent introduction to Stephen King’s work as a whole, partly because it’s relatively easy to read and it doesn’t take a huge time commitment. But on top of that, it touches on themes like domestic abuse and alcoholism that crop up elsewhere. The good thing is that he doesn’t tackle those subjects just for the sake of doing it but rather because they’re integral parts of the story line, and it’s also a story of empowerment, in a way. I mean, Delores is pretty badass. What a character.