by Sarah Lyall
First published 2008
Sarah Lyall traded Manhattan for London in 1995, leaving her New York Times desk to follow love across the Atlantic. As the paper's British correspondent, she found herself documenting a nation in flux during the Blair years. Traditional British reserve clashed with rising consumerism and emotional excess. Polish plumbers arrived in droves. The stiff upper lip wobbled under pressure. Lyall chronicles this cultural collision with sharp wit and insider access. She dissects British obsessions with class, weather, and alcohol. She explores the national talent for self-deprecation and understatement. Her subjects range from binge drinking to questionable hygiene, from Cornish pasties to politicians who act like schoolboys. Through memorable encounters and keen observation, Lyall maps the peculiarities of her adopted homeland. This is cultural anthropology written with humor and affection by an American who learned to navigate British eccentricity firsthand.
Genres: british-literature, anthropology, 21st-century, cultural, academic, cultural-studies
Vibes: humorous, intimate, thought-provoking
Tropes: fish-out-of-water, insider-perspective
Setting: Britain, London, Manhattan, New York
Period: 1995, Blair Years
277 pages · Hardcover · Quercus Books