Customer Reviews
From Cover to Shining Cover - By: L. J. Wright, 02 Nov 2008 
Having read the three & four star reviews, I had second-thoughts about purchasing 'Stephen Fryin America'. But after purchasing the book on the back of watchin three episodes of the TV programme I was compelled to write a review & it is one of 5 stars, as I'm sure you may be aware of! I can tell you my friends, that this well put together travelogue of a quintessentially Englishman's journey through & into the heart of America is almost definitely a book everyone who 'views' this item on amazon should purchase.
I don't want to slate the former reviews (apart from the 5 star one, great outlook ol' chum) because they're entitled to create their own opinions but they are wrong! To quote Mike D of the Beastie Boys, "I don't speak what I hear, I just say what I know" & this will form the basis of my own review, which I hope will prove informative & may tip the balancein favour of you buying this book. And I am an independent source, I'm not on Stephen Fry's payroll (NB* If he has one, can somebody please getin touch with me).
Firstly, the price of this book, as of 2/10/08 (or to be topical 10/02/08), on Amazon is £9, which is £1 cheaper than the low price of ASDA & Waterstones, is very reasonable especially seeing as it isin hardback & vibrantin colour, & perhaps more central, priceless within the qualitative & quantitative information it is crammed with.
Fry starts offin Maine, following an interesting & humorous introduction. From the off, one can simply tell that this tale is going to be an insightful & intriguing journey through all 50 states. Fry does not fail to miss out the `little man' which he seems to stress as being so importantin the fabric of the American global blanket.
I won't list every single tale from every single encounterin every single tale for I feel it is a story you need to embark upon yourself. But I can tell you he meets one very special Hollywood A-lister, & this isn't even the highlight of the saga!
This very factual & delightfully subjective account avoids falling into that massive cavity of the all-too common `America-bashing', something the man makes clear he is not a fan of. This book is not a fact-by-fact, number-by-number tale but rather an engrossing book which will see you turning the page faster & faster, your fingers will be moving faster than a New York Minute, or faster than a mid-western diner waitress swiftly topping up the `bottomless coffee' of her thirsty patrons.
Stephen Fry, the stand up for America guy! A warming & enlightening tale that is sure to warm up your autumn. Purchasein confidence of owning a great book that I'm sure you will be able to go back to again & again, until Fry embarks upon another such journey, perhaps of England!
A fine milshake of a book: smooth, creamy and satisfying - By: William D. Freeman, 28 Oct 2008 
Facing the Introduction to this book is a picture of a satisfied "Steve" (Fry's American alter-ego) enjoying a strawberry milkshakein a typical American diner. This sets the tone for what follows.
Fry's Great American Journey is both idiosyncratic & insightful. He present's the country as he finds it: take it or leave it. You be the judge. No doubt some will be disappointed by what is not included, but that is part of the nature of the USA that Fry tries to convey: it is too large & eclectic for anyone (even natives like myself) to get to know all it.
The United States is a giant grab-bag of a nation. Everytime you dip into it you pull out something different: strange, new, old, delightful, appaling or simply intriguing. You cannot stereotype a nation of 300 million people descended from the scrambled cultures of the world & spread over thousands of miles of varying terrain. To his great credit "Stephen" Fry does not attempt to do so. Here is one celebrity travelogue worth reading.
Fascinating - By: William Podmore, 16 Oct 2008 
This is a very positive & upbeat view of America, showing the country at its best.
It would be lovely to see Mr Fry doing a similarly enthusiastic tour of Britain's counties. Come on the BBC, let's see that series next!
Great companion to the TV series - By: mr dotcom, 14 Oct 2008 I loved the first episode of the TV series, but Stephen whipped through the various states with an almost unseemly haste. However, this book more than fillsin those gaps - an essential companion.
Room for improvement - By: Mr. A. Thomson, 07 Oct 2008 So I found myselfin Terminal 5 at Heathrow last week &in the process of getting psyched up for my week long European tour of my companies offices I decided to take Mr Frys book with me as a companion.
And, well, its a rather bitter sweet sort of read, leaving you simultaneously amused but short changed.
You see, the author delights you with a wonderful 7 page prologue, drippingin his trademark whit & informed conversation & you're set for the great mans perspective on all things american.
Except its exactly that same dialogue that is actually missing from this book.
What you get is 5 or 6 pages per state, usually with Mr Fry having some form of meal with "typical" residents of the Statein question. It's more Dorling Kindersley visits America than Stephen Fryin America. Delaware barely gets a mention at all (6 paragraphs I think) &in what I suspect is a conspiracy to make you watch the accompanying documentary, the lack of substance makes you think all the best bits have been left out of the book.
This is a very well written book, but there's little of Mr Fryin here. I mean clearly its him, he'sin all the pictures, but you dont get the feel that he's the one taking you on the journey. This is a man who could make an entire series about Washington DC alone, it would be revealing & insightful & informative & leave no stone unturned. But that's not the treatment DC getsin this book, so I was feeling a little, cheated.
So my conclusion. This is a well written book, with beautiful photography but I suspect the BBC has restricted the content to make sure we watch the TV show. And for that, I mark this down. There's just not enough roomin here for Mr Fry to stretch his wings & thats a damn shame.
Stephen Fryin America
