Rating: 
Summary: One of the most amusing and entertaining books ever
Review: I laughed until I cried!!! Bill Bryson is an outstanding story teller. He successfully blends hilarious anecdotes about the adventures of his companion Katz, picturesque descriptions of the AT and an interesting account of some of the history of the Trail. I simply could not put the book down nor did I skip ahead to the end as I normally do. This is a book to be savored. It is also a book to be shared and to be read aloud. I still find myself chuckling, long after finishing the story. This is a book to make you laugh!!!
Rating: 
Summary: Great description of what hiking in the northeast is like.
Review: Anyone who has done any hiking in the mountains can attest to the accuracy of the information in this book. The author gives you a great sense of what it is like to hike and camp. Folks who have never done so will find it fascinating, while those who have will be amazed at his accurate observations. Abut the only fault I find with the book is the author's tendency to spin off into simpleminded eco-preaching. Frankly I (and you) have heard all of this before. Luckily, these sections are well contained and can easily be skipped.
Rating: 
Summary: Witty yet wordy
Review: Like some other reviewers, I felt that the first half of this book is wonderful....then, as soon as Bryson quits the trail, it seems as if he quits the book. When off the trail, the book becomes more of a quasi-scientific/ecological/historical mish mash of drolling babble....and if you buy the hardback, please tear out pages 171-172 before you get started. The obvious inacuracies there spoiled my entire AT experience with Bryson and Katz.
Rating: 
Summary: funny, but inaccurate and a disservice to AT hikers
Review: Bryson's first chapter, excerpted in Outside Magazine was a gas. I couldn't wait to read the book. I'm glad I got it from the library.First of all, the Trail in Georgia is littered with just such junk as Bryson says that he and Katz jettisoned. I've seen tents, bear bags, pots and pans, canned food, just awful stuff. So OK, that's the training ground. By the time they hit New England, they should have known better. They learned nothing along the way about saving weight, sharing, how to do things better, etc. Secondly, he had facts blatantly wrong. The two girls killed in Shenandoah National Park weren't thru-hikers; they weren't even on the AT. They were doing a large loop that included a bit of the AT in the park. So all that rubbish about being in Harpers Ferry and thinking that the girls would be there by then was pure bunk. Also, he said something about how the AT had claimed a vicitm of the hanta virus; I thought he phrased it in such a way as to imp! ! ly that the man died. He didn't. His name is Alf Loidl, he is from Tazmania, he was in the hospital for 2 months, but he lived to finish his second thru-hike the next year. Finally, how can anyone write a book about the AT without mentioning trail names? They are the glue that binds the Trail community. Virtually every entry in every journal is signed by a trail name rather than a given name. For instance, when I hiked with my brother, we were Sibling Revelry. Leaving out something that important to the experience made me wonder what else he skipped over.
Rating: 
Summary: Pitiful tale
Review: I was excited when I saw a book about the AT. A few funny incidents, unfortuately the rest of the book whines and Bryson contradicts himself usually in the next chapter. If readers want to know about the AT, many great books out there, unfortuately this isn't one of them!!!!
Rating:
Summary: A funny & insightful story of discovery along the AT & life
Review: "A Walk in the Woods" is NOT an AT travelogue. It IS a humorous and insightful story about the AT, hiking, people, and personal growth. I loved this book....couldn't put it down, laughed out loud while reading it, and highly recommend it.
Rating:
Summary: Weak backpacking book but a great funny book!
Review: Not really about the Appalachian Trail or its Thru-hikers, but about Bryson's companion Katz, and the small town people he visits in between hiking and auto travel near the trail. He could have written the whole book without much hiking on the AT, actually. Bryson admits to making up some conversations, but a close read makes you suspect he's made up a lot more than he admits. Like most "yellow blazers" Bryson excuses his failure to accomplish his original goal of a 2000 mile hike -- it didn't turn out to be what he expected, of course. Like many Europeans he writes all kinds of silly stuff about dangerous bears, he is occasionally inaccurate (e.g. AT miles in Maine or the Delaware Water gap's NJ side mountain)... BUT BUY THE BOOK ANYWAY -- it is one of the funniest books I've read recently. While weaker than Bryson's Lost Continent or Notes from a small Island, it still is funny. Buy it now if you like humor... however, if you really wanted an Appalachian Trail book, wait for the paperback edition.
Rating:
Summary: Very Funny and entertaining; Could not put it down
Review: Bill Bryson is a very talented author who knows how to tell his stories in an entertaining manner. I started reading "A Walk in the Woods" on a hiking trip in NH and could not put it down. Bryson takes what could have been a book on a boring topic and make it come alive with one humorous encounter after another. The book is easy reading and will leave you ready to try the Long Trail for yourself after you finish reading it. (Jim B., New Hamshire)
Rating:
Summary: First half a bang; second half a whimper.
Review: A Walk in the Woods accompanied me as I rode (as a passenger) over 10 hours of Midwest highways during the July 4th weekend. The first half of the book was irresistible. I read passages to my husband (the driver) and laughed out loud repeatedly. But I was shocked and disappointed to learn that Bryson and buddy copped out. I felt rather deceived inasmuch as the book blurbs and reviews all imply Bryson did the entire trail. Nevertheless, I was compelled to find out how he was going to fill the last 100 pages. Finally, because I'll never make the trip myself, I appreciate the vicarious experience this book gave me.
Rating:
Summary: A great read!
Review: Full of humor, with a sprinkling of fact and history, this book was hard to put down. My biggest regret was that it wasn't longer. Although Bryson and Katz didn't finish the whole trail, they did "walk the AT" and bring us many insights. Recommended for the most casual to the most rugged outdoors lover.
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