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The Life & Times of the Thunderbolt Kid
- Narrated by: Bill Bryson
- Length: 7 hrs and 27 mins
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The Life & Times of the Thunderbolt Kid
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Summary
Bill Bryson's hilarious memoir of growing up in middle America in the Fifties, complete, unabridged, and read by the author.
Born in 1951 in the middle of the United States, Des Moines, Iowa, Bill Bryson is perfectly positioned to mine his memories of a totally all-American childhood for 24 carat memoir gold. Like millions of his generation, Bill Bryson grew up with a rich fantasy life as a superhero. In his case, he ran around the house wearing a jersey with a thunderbolt on it and a towel round his neck that served as his cape, leaping tall buildings in a single bound and vanquishing evildoers (in his head) as The Thunderbolt Kid.
Using his old fantasy life as a springboard, Bill Bryson recreates the life of his family in the 1950s in all its transcendent normality. In a period that saw the inexorable rise of television, the opening of Disneyland, the testing of the atomic bomb, and the explosion of choice in everything from food to cars, Bill Bryson's days followed in reassuringly cosy succession, enlivened by modest triumphs and disasters.
Warm and laugh-out-loud funny, The Thunderbolt Kid is full of Bill Bryson's inimitable, pitch-perfect observations and this unabridged recording contains every single amusing anecdote and amazing fact. Nothing is left out, so you can enjoy the whole book in its entirety, read by Bill Bryson himself.
Critic reviews
"The way he tells it, to be a child in 1950s Middle America was very heaven... His own happy scrapes and triumphs (mostly scrapes) contain a good few laugh-out-loud moments, but with trademark modesty he conjures an entire era, ' the ancient lost world of the mid-20th-century.'" ( The Sunday Times, Audio book of the week)
"Considerable added value as it is read unabridged by its author, Bill Bryson." (The Times)
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What listeners say about The Life & Times of the Thunderbolt Kid
Average customer ratingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
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Overall4 out of 5 stars
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Performance4 out of 5 stars
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Story4 out of 5 stars
- Oran
- 01-09-16
Enjoyed it
A sometimes funny and somewhat sad journey through Bryan's childhood in mid-America in the 1950/60s.
As always it's well written and full of interesting facts. There are a couple of laugh out load moments, but some very sad moments where Bryson reminisces over what has been lost with passing time.
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1 person found this helpful
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Andrew
- 02-12-21
Easy and Funny
I loved this audio book. Bill Bryson writes very entertaining stories - and often laugh out loud funny ones. My recent early morning walks have been peppered with laughter - possibly sounding more like manic cackles at 6:15 am - at least it’s winter and not many windows are open (and I can slip away under the cover of darkness). Stories of his younger days - school, friends, family and Des Moines, Iowa. All very easy listening - and possibly with some embellishment - I can’t remember anything like the detail he does about my own childhood - and I’m a little younger. Then again maybe that’s me. This is not the first Bryson audio book I’ve listened too - and I’ve purchased/downloaded a few more. The problem is - I really like them read by Bryson himself - so need to steel myself to start listening to them read by others. A fabulous set of every day tales read in the soothing and pleasant (possibly slightly quirky) voice of the author himself.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance3 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Mrs. C. A. Ross
- 10-10-21
Bill’s voice is rather mundane
Love his stories. They are laugh out loud and amaze me. This story in particular is not only informative but so very funny .
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- David UKGB
- 04-02-24
Perfect
Just a lovely warm audiobook. Perfect for a gentle drive or walk. I loved it
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Mrs
- 03-09-15
My heart broke a little when it ended
A wonderful book made all the more special for the author reading it. I laughed often and very nearly cried. Bravo
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6 people found this helpful
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Overall4 out of 5 stars
- Sebastian
- 07-03-13
Funny journey through small town 50s American life
This book is awesome Bryson. His gentle but really belly laugh humour are at their best here. If A Short History of Nearly Everything is not your bag then make this your first stop on route Bryson. It will have you hooked.
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1 person found this helpful
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Overall4 out of 5 stars
- Rush
- 22-02-09
I like his humour
I enjoyed this romp through Iowa in the 1950's, and although I didn't grow up in that decade, I recognise the nostalgia. Long days and little responsibility, brands long gone but shared memories. I also like his sense of humour, which helps to make the book a pleasant listen. He reads it well, but a little bit fast.
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1 person found this helpful
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Overall4 out of 5 stars
- David Griffith
- 14-10-09
Good but not his best
Bill Bryson recounts his early years. This is the first, and possibly the last reading by Mr Bryson I would get.. William Roberts does a far better job of reading and giving heart to the text BUT this is Bill's story so whilst his intonation is not up to the standard his heart comes through... Well worth a listen, the more so if you have enjoyed his other works...
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1 person found this helpful
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Leonilde Van Munster
- 19-04-21
The funniest book I read all year
Loved listerning to the book read by the author himself. I can listen to it all over again!
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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- Nephrite
- 13-10-15
The Thunderbolt Kid.
What did you like most about The Life & Times of the Thunderbolt Kid?
What I enjoyed most about this book was Bryson's style of writing.
He successfully manages to combine endearingly bizarre anecdotes about unusual inventions of the 50s such as missile mail, television brand underwear and other similar examples with two things.
Firstly sincerely heartfelt reminisces of the joys of childhood long gone such as Bishop's diner, Mary O'Leary and all the effort boys and girls had to go to entertain themselves mixed in with interesting - travelogue style as is Bryson's forte - factoids about America in the period.
His style of writing sucks you in and entertains in a way that a more historical or dryly written memoir would never be able to even if you weren't alive during the period such as myself. This book gave me tears of laughter almost every chapter. I could not recommend this book any higher. You will not regret your purchase!
What about Bill Bryson’s performance did you like?
Firstly the book being read by the author allows for all statements be they dryly serious or laugh yourself senseless funny to be read with exactly the intended inflections. Bill's genuine sincerity in the memoir comes out in his style of narration which is read at a pace that makes this a perfect 'slippers by the fire' recording. I greatly enjoyed the performance and believed I would not have laughed as hard if the book was narrated by someone other than Bill.
Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?
Yes! I never wanted to stop listening to the point I would stay up far later than normal just to enjoy more of Bill Bryson's humour. This book is fantastic!
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