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Summary: enjoy funny and crazy experiences with Bill!!!
Review: Bryson is very descriptive about his travel to Europe. He shares his opinions and thoughts (good and bad) with the reader about every place he explores. Also, he shares his view as an American observing completely different cultures. Bryson reminds that each place is different and unique and to simply enjoy your journey. Bryson shares with the reader his hilarious experiences in these strange yet unique places. Overall, this is a very funny book which goes into detail about different cities, towns and people in Europe.
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Summary: Very Amusing
Review: I agree with several other readers in that this isn't Bryson's best book. However, that doesn't keep it from being a funny, quick read into how Bryson sees Europe.Throughout this book, Bryson recconects with a European vacation he took with his friend Katz after college. He wants to revisit the places he saw - now, of course, with a much more jaded eye. He visits some new places too, among them the Arctic circle and Rome. Rome was for me the funniest part of the book - particularly Bryson's take on his travel guides! Are his observations always on target, and always kind? No, of course not. But, it's still an interesting look at how an American (who writes humor for a living) sees a different culture.
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Summary: Not a travel guide but for pure entertainment - VERY funny
Review: If you're looking for a travel book to use when you explore Europe, this one won't be the most useful book out there. But if you are looking for entertainment, want to learn a bit about Europe and are prepared to laugh uproariously, this is a great choice. Bryson skewers the traditions and habits of other countries, recounts many hilarious experiences during his travels and describes some of the best (and worst) destinations in Europe. He has a fine writing style, casual, breezy and unique. The section on waiting for The Northern Lights to appear - and waiting and waiting for days on end - was worth the price of the book alone.
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Summary: NOT Brysons' BEST effort!
Review: If you want to read a captivating Bryson Title go for the Australian title, "In a Sunburned Country". I read that one first and then bought this one and the Appalachian Trail title, "A Walk in the Woods." I have to say I enjoyed the hiking book about his experiences hiking the Appalachian Trail only because he was so concerned about encountering bear. The other books haven't met the mark for me. READ "In a Sunburned Country" there is plenty of history and incredible accounts of what he sees and does in that book that are a lot of fun to read.
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Summary: Funniest Book I've Read in a Long Time
Review: This is by far the funniest book I've read in a long time and everyone I've lent my copy too has loved it. It is even funnier if you've already read A Walk in The Wood because Bryson retells many delightfully funny misadverntures with Katz from his first trip around Europe. I would warn you, do not read this in the company of others as you will not be able to keep from laughing out loud - and I don't mean snickering, I mean full out guffaws. BUY THIS BOOK!
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Summary: One of the funniest travel books I've read
Review: In this book, Bill Bryson retraces the path of his trip which he took with a friend in the 1970s. He runs into awkward moments, memorable moments, and, best of all, hilarious moments. Bryson has a way of describing funny incidents so that one laughs hard. For instance, he describes that after one party one night back on the 1970s trip, his friend got back, stumbled in, and "urinated in the wastebasket [thinking it was the sink]" Bryson could have used simpler words, but this line, if spoken, would probably be in a completely serious tone, either actually serious or faking it. Either way, this 'serious tone' line describing a hilarious instance makes it even more funny. Another thing that makes this book especially funny is the way Bryson talks to the audience. One example of this is when he is talking about one country sending out men to fight in the war. He says, "they sent out eighty men, and, -you're going to like this- they came back with eighty-one, because they made a friend" These qualities plus Bryson's funny descriptive style create an outstanding, hilarious travel book which I like a lot!
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Summary: it may not flatter Bryson, but it's pretty entertaining
Review: When Bryson was young, he toured Europe. A generation later, he went back for another look, and this is what he saw. Enough has been written about this book that my goal here is to help the prospective reader sort it out. Yes, it's true, Bryson's got a sharp tongue and an Americocentric streak two feet wide. He does come off as petulant when what he wants doesn't just sort of appear before him. A lot of his dissatisfactions can surely be attributed to his own spasmodic trip management and monolingualism. At the same time, he ranges from funny to hilarious. He spots a lot of interesting things about other countries. There were a lot of places he really liked, and he said so. And it must be admitted that he made it to some out-of-the-way places: Hammerfest, Capri, Locarno, Sofia. I have to respect the effort that required. So who'll like the book? It depends on your approach. If Bryson dogged your country/city/favourite landmark, and you're inclined to get annoyed at such things--or if American tourists are your (understandable) pet peeve, probably you won't much care for him. If you enjoy funny travel writing from someone not afraid to show his complete ignorance and make a merry fool of himself in public, Bryson is for you. While Bryson pokes a lot of fun at grumpy ticket counter people and waiters, he is his own single largest target. I'll raise a beer stein to that.
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Summary: Continuing with Cliches
Review: Whenever I need something to read before I fall asleep, I reach for one of Mr. Bryson's book. Since I travel a lot, people assume I love travel literature, and give me his ridiculous books as "going away gifts." This particular book, "Neither here nor there" certainly doesn't buck the trend of under-educated, under-informed, boring slop. Although I don't doubt that Mr. Bryson has traveled in Europe, his use of standard cliches has the ring of someone afraid to leave his front door, in case he might have to eat something with which he is not familiar. He pretends to know the political and cultural history of every country he visits - therefore allowing him to make the rudest and ugliest jokes...but what can we expect from an American afterall?
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Summary: Bryson, a disgruntled Europhobe
Review: Not much joy here as Bryson, an American Anglophile infected with Europhobia, whines and whinges his way across Europe. Bryson takes us to Stockholm where he complains about the quality of the Italian cuisine. We stop in major European cities where Bryson refreshes himself with a carbonated, caramelized caffeine drink or with typical American standby hambuger and fries as if Europe's kitchens could offer no better. We share the fights and slights of times past when Bryson flashes back to another Eurovoyage with an equally disagreeable companion. Curiously or perhaps understandably Bryson meets no one who doesn't bore him or anyone he doesn't crown "the most boring...". Other critics' views are altogether too generous but read it if you must.
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Summary: Dead beavers & movie theater rituals: Bryson takes on Europe
Review: To those of you who have not visited Europe, do so and this book will be even more funny than it already is. Amazingly recognisably and absolutely hilarious, Bill really captured the essence of Europe (J/K)! But to be serious, which even Bryson can do and in a very entertaining and interesting way, he seems to have experienced exactly those little things that you might not notice when you're doing the Europe-in-a-Week tour, but that are definitely there for the more observant traveller. I am quite sure most Europeans will recognise their own country in this book. I know I did! (The Netherlands) But even more interesting were the countries I visited, such as Norway, where the movies are quite a strange experience. One buys a ticket that has a preassigned seat, as theatres in europe often do. Naturally you just sit down wherever you like, who cares about the ticket? And even then the tickets are distributed so that people are evenly spread through the theater. However, in Norway, they have a mysterious system that, I'm sure for some strange incomprehensible reason, places everyone in the middle of the theater, stuck together in a small group. Now the system wasn't what amazed. What was truly strange, was that people actually abided by these "rules"! It wasn't until my Norwegian friend and I decided this was absurd, got up, and reassigned our own seats,m that some people suddenly managed to get the courage to get out of those seats and actually... move two seats over! Wow. Then of course there are the french. Whenever I tell people about Bill Bryson, I grab this book, and look up the story about Bryson going to the bakery's in Paris. (not exactly quoted, don't have the book with me, but pretty accurate probably) In French, he attempts to ask for a loaf of bread please. Of course he gets the "who the hell are you and what the hell are you trying to say" look first, then the woman reaches behind the counter, grabs something, and then slams a dead beaver onto the counter. In his very best french, he tries to explain that he did not ASK for a dead beaver, he wanted a loaf of BREAD. The woman looks at the other costumers and says, in french much too fast for him to understand, something about the stupid foreigner asking for a dead beaver, about her then giving him a dead beaver, and now he's saying he didn't want a dead beaver at all, he wants a loaf of bread. Of course the other customers then looked at him "like he had just farted in their handbags", and he quickly leaves France for Belgium, where he'll hopefully get something to eat again. This is just a taste of what you'll read. Need I say more? Bill Bryson speaks for himself, wherever he travels!
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