Rating: 
Summary: Fun, Informative, Absolutely Hilarious!!
Review: This truly is one of the most entertaining reads I have had in a LONG time. It was by accident that I picked up this book over the weekend, but I am so happy it ended up in my bag! I have already recommended it to a number of people. Bill Brysons wit is sharp, dry and right on the money. He relates stories and scenarios with such enthusiasm that I actually felt like I was a part of the "hiking" experience. This book will definetely appeal to all sorts of readers. Just one word of caution.. dont plan on taking this book too seriously, if you do, it will ruin your ability to thouroughly enjoy it!
Rating: 
Summary: a disappointment
Review: I wouldn't recommend this book to anyone that is serious about hiking. I was extremely disappointed when he gave up hiking after all the bitching and moaning, and still had the gall to keep writing.
Rating: 
Summary: Entertaining at times, but could have been better
Review: Well, perhaps I went in with too many expectations. The book was at times laugh out loud funny, but more often then that, it was a bit slow...it seemed like a regurgitation of the same story over and over. How many times need I read about his friend dumping gear because he couldn't handle the extra pound of weight? I found some of the idiotic things (like throwing out water and food) to not be as amusing as the author intended.
Rating:
Summary: Couldn't stop laughing
Review: The only problem with this book was that I couldn't stop cracking up as I read it. I am afraid that anybody who saw me reading it might think I was slightly nuts, giggling softly to myself continually. Bill Bryson does a great job of telling the story of both the AT and his hiking expedition. A quick and humorous read, written with a good deal of interesting information as well.I'm not sure if I will ever hike the AT, but I'm looking forward to taking a long walk in the woods.
Rating:
Summary: entertaining, but not very focused
Review: The book is a very good introduction to what hiking is really like for the average person. Some nicely-detailed moments give you a real feel for the experience of hiking the Appalachian Trail. I appreciated the honest tone, especially the comparison to hiking in Europe. However, the book veers into lame comedy at times (Bryson is not a "comic genius," despite what the flap says), and at other times gets jarringly morbid with tales of childrens deaths and ecological hand-wringing. Some scenes, like his ex-alcoholic partner's lapse into drinking and subsequent excuses, seem very out-of-place, and don't help the narrative or the theme. The author tries too hard to make buffoons out of people he runs into, and his "jokes" about Deliverance-style hillbillies are childish and a bit telling. But that all said, it's still a fun read, and certainly a welcome change from the usual religous writings about hiking and camping.
Rating:
Summary: "Brysoning"
Review: Amongst this year's thruhikers, when one messes up or does something un-clever on the trail, they are said to "Bryson". Example: "I really Brysoned when I turned the wrong way at the side trail this morning." "I really Brysoned when I mistook my fuel bottle for my water bottle." For a more realistic view of hiking the AT, read something other than this book.
Rating:
Summary: A Wonderful Introduction to East Cost Habitat
Review: As a transplanted Washington Stater via a 15-year stay in San Diego, I had just arrived at my brand-new New Jersey home when I picked up Bryson's book hoping for an introduction to Eastern flora and fauna. What I found was a delightful account of his Appalachian trek, and the inspiration to haul my middle-aged body to Kittatinny Mountain for my first (cautious) climb in 35 years - since the days of happy jaunts into the Cascades, where I did see a Black Bear cub one fall day. He was racing his fat little body down a logging road ahead of two gun-toting poachers who were very startled by the unexpected hikers. The cub disappeared to the left, and the hunters to the right. We retired to don more colorful garb. Thanks, Bill, for a wonderful introduction to my new habitat! I can only weep for the loss of the Chestnuts and Elms. (Review of Paperback version.)
Rating: 
Summary: An excellent and entertaining book on the AT.
Review: I was amazed to see that one reader complained here that the book was "curmudgeonly, sarcastic, and petulant." Isn't that why it's fun? Instead of the typical writer-as-heroic-figure style of outdoor writing (see Jon Krakauer's Thin Air), Bryson makes fun of himself, his companion Katz, and lots of folks along the trail. The fact that he does not hike the entire trail helps to humanize the book. The story of Katz is worth following to the end, as well. The day-tripping in the middle is not as engrossing as the through-hiking, but that's how his trip went. If you want epic, try Jack London. Bryson's books on travel in England are also enjoyable.
Rating:
Summary: fun at times, but...
Review: I realized this book is for armchair travellers several pages into the book, so I give it three stars since it has funny stories and some background materials which are written in a humorous way. But I'd say the author is an utterly inexperienced hiker and it shows in the book. Not only did he have many "adventures" which could be easily avoided, but also he concentrated a lot on the discomfort of the hike/how many mileage he's done/people... Hiking is not about these, it's about seeing the beauty of nature! I hardly hear real hikers brag/whine about the hardship on the trail, they normally talk about how nice the view was, how bright the moon was, etc etc.
Rating:
Summary: Excellent reading, this book.
Review: I am not an unhappy or dull man, but it isn't easy for anyone or thing to actually make me laugh out loud. Bryson managed to do so numerous times in this book (along with another of his I've read-"Neither Here Nor There"). I truly appreciate his humor, he is very funny, but also the history of the AT and the environmental effects of this modern world on it. Doubtless, Bryson would have written a great book hiking the AT alone, but the inclusion of Katz as his travelling companion only makes it better by adding Katz' own wit, as well as the relationship between them both as they share the experience of challenging the AT together.
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