Notes from a Small Island

April 28, 1997
Wrote PW: "Bryson shares what he loves best about the idiosyncrasies of everyday English life in this immensely entertaining travel memoir."

What a jolly good read! In this account of the author's farewell tour of England after almost two decades as a "visitor," his wit and wisdom are on copious display, as is some insightful commentary on British attitudes and mores. William Roberts punctuates his reading with excellent accents and characterizations and beautifully captures Bryson's text. Do listen carefully, though; part of Bryson's charm is his wordplay, and that sometimes gets lost in the audio format. Also, there are some, well, spicy words and phrases in the book. These are minor quibbles, and they in no way lessen a wonderful book. R.I.G. (c)AudioFile, Portland, Maine

November 24, 2008
Dwight and Tracey Wilson have two children and a committed marriage, until Dwight is offered a major promotion that will take him from Florida to Maryland and Tracey is unwilling to move. Dwight takes up with co-worker. Alicia Dixon at his new job, and when she gets pregnant, he marries her, not knowing that his divorce was never finalized. Alicia's excitement (“I had snagged an endangered species: a successful black man who loved me”) is short-lived when Tracey arrives to reclaim Dwight. Wanting to do the right thing for both women and all his children, Dwight, Tracey and Alicia embark on an unconventional solution that forces them all together. Veteran authors Dow and Poole team up to tell this complicated story, but this tale of a weak man who can't or won't make a choice is less than compelling. Women will leave this book wondering how Dwight was able to land one of these women, let alone two, and will be mystified at what exactly the women are fighting so hard to keep.