I loved this book. It really gave me an insight into the roots of our culture. And make no mistake: this woman is spot-on. And she's still spot-on.

The problem and the thing that makes it a one of a kind gem is that it's told by an Englishwoman. The conceit that makes Trollope ridiculous is the idea that after leaving England, we would automatically want to be just like them. We'd travel in ships for months, fight the natives, make roads, FIGHT THEM OFF etc, and set up another England. And we would have it all neatly wrapped up in 200 years so "our grandmother the British" could feel right at home.

It's just silly. Europe took thousands of years to get where it was in the mid nineteenth century.

What makes this book an important part of history is the light it shines on both sides simultaneously. We are, well, ourselves. And she represents everything that was wrong with the Brits at the time-mainly the conceit of thinking theirs was the only way. At the time the Brits were vigorously making sure that "the sun never sets on the British Empire".

Did she not know that they sold us the slaves? The irony! Read this and know how blind one can be to one's own country. ( )

NA

I like this even more than I thought I would after picking it for its historical value and because the writer was the mother of one of my favorite novelists of all time, Anthony Trollope. I can only imagine what Americans at the time must have thought of this funny book that often maligns their culture and habits! :) I discovered this for free in the Kindle store, where other quirky reads of the nineteenth century can also be acquired without any charge as well. ( )

An interesting read.

Fanny admits she is biased against Americans, but she does make an attempt to balance her criticisms of America. Overall she is extremely impressed by the landscape and natural vegetation in America. I admire her focus on the environment and how she makes it one of the central themes of the book.

She praises American ingenuity with patents and architecture.

Her negative descriptions of Americans are supported with experiences that she records. She finds the lack of refinement in Americans vulgar. I agree. She carefully describes the prejudices of American's toward England and she correctly puts the blame on the newspapers. I find the similarities between America in 1830 and today amusing.

I enjoy her careful dialogue of a two men talking and how one man responds but never directly answers a question to the other man. This is very funny.

The faults of men like spitting, drinking, gambling are repeated over and over. I understands her feelings of revulsion.
She attends many types of churches and carefully describes the excesses of he preachers.

Her description of American's feeling of superiority is relevant today. Americans belief that they are the chosen people and the best hope for the world it obnoxious to foreigners and I sympathize with them.

She writes long sentences that are sometimes filled with double negatives that make is difficult to understand her point. ( )

This book is a fantastic rant from a European (British) lady who visits the new(ish) lands of America and who doesn't much like the people she meets. It is the early-mid 1800s and Americans are proud of their independence, they are proud of their equality and freedom, and they want to keep it that way. Mrs Trollope however, sees uncouth and uncultured ways wherever she goes. Although she many times absolutely loves the picturesque and dramatic natural scenery, she cannot abide by the way that the Americans are.

She describes in great depth how far people will go to avoid thanking someone, or how most people seem too above menial work to be her maid or cleaner, and how everybody continually evokes this notion of equality when doing so. She picks to shreds the inconsistency with this notion and the existence of slaves, and the treatment of Native Americans. And she dislikes thoroughly the dress, facial expressions, and vernacular of the American women....they are not at all like they should be, in her mind. I loved reading this, the language was so beautiful, sometimes you were sure she must be paying a compliment with using such pretty language, but the message was passive/aggressive and very clear- Americans really ought to be more European.

It was funny to read, but also did lay out a lot of the foundations of how a new society consolidates. It is fascinating to consider the trajectory of American culture from this time onwards. She points out the obscene way that people are obsessed with making money (if only she could see the world now!), and the hypocrisy of religions that preach freedom and fairness so fervently while condoning slavery and lining their own pockets first. Although her ranty style is clearly opinionated, I liked her bold statements and have enough brain matter to consider for myself what her biases were or might have been. The book said as much about her and her lifestyle as it did about the Americans'. A rollicking good, if somewhat flowery, read. ( )