The Joy Rings True

Bill Bryson is best known for his travel memoirs. I loved one of his books and was quite disappointed by two others. This is somewhere in the middle, but agreeably so. His memories of his childhood in Des Moines, Iowa are sweet and silly. And the nostalgia for life gone by could easily have been too sappy. But the absolute joy he has for his hometown comes through, without being sugary. Some of the later chapters were a little to slap-sticky for me to rave about this book, but I did enjoy the overall book.

6/10