Rating: 
Summary: funny, informative, and yet...
Review: this is not a trail guide. this is most DEFINITELY not a how-to manual. this is a funny, informative book about a man, a writer, who has never backpacked before, who decides to take on the granddaddy of America's long-distance trails. a ridiculously out-of-shape, almost-forgotten friend from his past joins him. as a backpacker myself, who faintly dreams of one day trying the AT, i found the hiking narrative incredibly funny. i laughed out loud quite a few times.Bryson does frquently detour into historical anecdotes about people, places, and events that relate to the history of the trail. i was fascinated by a lot of his fact-gathering, and felt the history enriched the legend & mystique surrounding the trail. BUT, once the hikers have left the trail, the book falters. Bryson tries hard to keep the book knitted together, but the rhythm gets screwed up & even when the two misadventurers get back on their feet, it never regains the fun of the first half.
Rating: 
Summary: mmmmmmmmm..........yeah.
Review: This could have been consistently funnier if Bryson had gone easy on the detail, but as ever, his lust for minutae gets the better of him. The funniest sections are those in which preparations are being made for the ordeal, the enlistment of Katz and their subsequent twelve year old tantrums on the trail itself. But what mars this thing is his infuriating tendency to talk your ear off for five pages about Colonel Blatherarse or Stanley Dupree McBoot or some other dead lunatic who once walked the trail, or wrote about it or discovered it or fell over the edge. Bryson is a very funny man and a very talented writer, but I would say this to him - don't give us the detail, we don't care. We only care what happened to the Debbie cakes.
Rating:
Summary: Review for A Walk in the Woods
Review: Our teacher reads this to us whenever she can, although we are 13-14 years old. It is funny and the author is clear in expressing what he feels on the trail.
Rating: 
Summary: Spellbinding
Review: Just finished this book after it's been collecting dust on the bookshelf for some time. I laughed my way though most of it, was infuriated by the US's approach to conservancy, sat breathless as Bill's companion became lost at the end, felt superior because even on my worst day my diet is better than Bill's on the trail, etc. etc. The book is absolutely evocative and pretty darned honest. Now I want to join the Sierra Club, hike a bit of the trail (maybe the pretty, easy part in VA, once my heel spur goes away)... and pick up another Bryson book.
Rating:
Summary: A book much like the hike it covers
Review: Like a lot of long hikes themselves, this book starts off strong, but then losses momentum, energy, spark. The first third-to-a-half of it is witty, sparkling, very easy to get through. However, as the journey is broken up into pieces, so is the flow of the story. It's almost like as Bill loses his enthusiasm for the hike, he also loses it for telling the story - the annecdotes are fewer and farther between, the jokes less punchy, and the weariness of the seemingly-endless trail settles down over the reader's shoulders. That said, however, it's not a bad book - Bryson is a talented writer, and his writing is honest and easy to read for the most part. So honest, in fact, that at times I wondered if he and his walking companion are still speaking to each other - sometimes, he shows a terribly unflattering side or two of Stephen. Bryson gives a very revealing portrayal of the trail itself, too; its grandeur, its hardship, its ruthlessness, and its simple serenity. He simultaneously makes me want to get out there and hike the AT, the PCT or the CDT, but at the same time he doesn't give me false hope that it's going to be a simple walk in the park. This is definitely not a "how to hike the trail" book, but he surely does give a few tips that might be useful to a through-hiker. It's an amusing read, for the most part, and gives the reader a few tastes of parts of America that might otherwise be missed. If you've got a half a dozen spare hours, and are interested in hiking or the AT, this isn't a bad way to spend that time.
Rating:
Summary: I laughed, shuddered, and snorted my way through...
Review: *A Walk in the Woods* was my first Bill Bryson, and I am sure it won't be my last. My husband and I consider ourselves (extremely) amateur hikers, having explored some of the Blue Ridge Mountains over the past few years. We hope to eventually hike sections of the Appalachian Trail, and I thought it would be fun to acquaint myself with it through Bryson's experience. After living in England for twenty years, Bryson and his family moved to New Hampshire. Bryson decided that he'd also reacquaint himself with America by hiking the AT. After reading up on the many potential hazards of such a feat (hungry and angry bears, lions, and even a rampant moose or two), he invited everyone he'd ever met to join him on the hike. Stephen Katz, an overweight and recovering alcoholic finally took him up on the offer. Once on the trip, Katz and Bryson meet a number of interesting characters and brave almost every type of weather event. In addition to Bryson's hiking experiences, he offers various historical anecdotes ranging from the creation of the AT, his views on conservation and the government's role, and even local history of towns he passed through. Readers won't have a minute to be bored and will usually be giggling at Bryson and Katz's adventure.
Rating:
Summary: Simply Outstanding,...."
Review: Humorous,informative and singularly entertaining, Bill Bryson's "A Walk In the Woods" is an exceptional read! ....Bryson has a remarkable talent for writing about the mundane and turning it into a revelatory experience! If you're the type of person who begrudingly "suffers fools in silence",...you'll revel in Bryson's ability to put a moron in his place! ....While some reviewers carp about Bryson "crankiness",...I admire his ability to verbally skewer those who so richly deserve it! It takes a talented writer to make me "laugh out loud",...and Bryson never fails to deliver the goods! ....
Rating:
Summary: Truly an Armchair Getaway filled with fun
Review: I bought this book never having heard of Bill Bryson, (being 24 and fresh out of the college scene, may I be forgiven?) and desperately needing to kill time at my meaningless desk job, this was the perfect escape. Your on a trip in your american outback with a witty Bill. I learned so many interesting otherwise unknown facts about the states which the trail passes through. And in between the funny moments and zany characters that cross Bill's path on the trail, there are shocking, creepy moments of bitter truth about the murders and disappearances that took place on the AT. I never truly gave much thought to the threat of bears anytime I went hiking, and this book definately made me give it second thought. Why does this book deserve a read? It is simply fun and interesting, and as I said, it took me away from my desk job and onto the trail, as far as Bill had gone. I left this book wanting to hear from Bill, to ask him where we would be going next...
Rating:
Summary: Hilarious, Informative and Provocative - A Walk in the Woods
Review: My life-long dream is to hike all or some of the AT. After listening, 3 times, to the audio version, I am gathering information and making plans to start my trek. I love nature and exercise and Bryson's humor and sensitive insight into the environment and protecting it really caught my attention. Thanks for the motivation to begin my journey.
Rating:
Summary: The Bill Bryson audiotapes
Review: I have become addicted to Bill Bryson tapes and CDs for listening entertainment while driving here and there for shopping and errands...have now gone through In a Sunburned Country, Neither Here nor There, Notes from a Small Island, and currently A Walk in the Woods. I find myself extending the drive home from errand-running just to listen to the latest Bryson adventure. I shouldn't admit this on an Amazon[.com] site, but all of the CDs and tapes I listen to are courtesy of our public library system. However you get them... I highly recommend the aforementioned Bryson titles for your driving pleasure!
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