'One summer' is another cracking read from Bill Bryson. I've read more or less everything the guy has published & he just keeps the quality books coming. I've always preferred his straight 'travel lit' titles to be honest, and was a little unsure about the idea for this title, but I need not have worried. Full of quirky little facts and no lack of his standard humorous ways. Great read, yet again.

I loved this book. Pure Bill Bryson. A fascinating and detailed look at the pivotal events that occurred in the summer of 1927 in the US and how they interrelated. The book paints a picture of a nation gripped with enthusiasm, science (good and bad), innovation and a host of unique and fascinating people. The flow is perfect and the level of detail, no matter the topic - sport, aviation, Hollywood, prohibition, politics or crime… is bang on. One of the best by this superb author and one I think that anyone interested in modern history will really enjoy.

A fascinating book which really makes you want to drive out into the middle of nowhere and lie in a field or on top of a hill and fall asleep gazing at the stars. Ironically, for a book about how light pollution limits how many stars we see, this site won't let me give it more than 5. If I could, I would.

I absolutely loved this! I hadn't read any Bill Bryson for a while and I think that I'd unfairly filed him away in my mind as being a bit too cuddly and fluffy and lacking any real substance, so I was pleasantly surprised by this and found it not only hugely interesting but accessible and very entertaining too.

An endlessly fascinating overview of the period, using the events of Summer 1927 as its focal point, the book is obviously very well researched (I can imagine Bryson scouring through every major daily newspaper of the period) and covers a lot of ground but manages to remain focused. As well as detailing the lives of the big names of the era (Herbert Hoover, Calvin Coolidge, Al Capone, Babe Ruth, Henry Ford and especially Charles Lindbergh), Bryson makes many absorbing digressions into lesser known or forgotten figures and events that featured in American Life in the 20s. Well written and absolutely packed with facts and figures (as should be expected from Bryson), this is guaranteed to have you reaching for Google every few pages to find out more. I would have happily sat through another few hundred pages and thoroughly look forward to any future popular History books Bill has up his sleeve.