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Summary: He tells it like it is!!
Review: My daughter and I were in a bookstore a few years ago and the saleslady said she had just read this book. I think it's hilarious. I sent Mr. Bryson a letter in care of the publishing company and got a nice letter from England from him several months later - he said it probably came to him via "snail mail"- my daughter and I each have copies of most of his books. I haven't read the newest about Australia but I'm sure I'll add it to my collection. I understand he is now living back in the U.S.
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Summary: A TRAVEL WRITING GENIUS AND FUNNY TOO !!
Review: I rather like Bill's writing style and lets face it when it comes to humourous travel writing Mr Bryson is a genius. Before setting out to comment on this book I read a sample of the reviews already penned and what a disappointment! I note the reviews are mainly by Americans who, some of them it would seem, have taken it all a little too seriously, have lost the plot, and quite obviously dont take to criticism.The human race and this rock we call Earth is diverse and varied and Mr Bryson has had the immense fortune to have swallowed a large chunk of it. This book is penned in his own inimitable style and reflects his own personal views/opinion, which we are all entitled to give and should respect. I like the way he seems to stand back and with time seemingly to have been slowed to an imperceptible pace he captures all the myriad foibles and characteristics of the American way of life. So what if America is loud, brash and over commercialised, dont ya just love it! I'd love to see the waitresses with beehive hairdo's, the awful, mind numbing television shows, the small town tacky museums, the endless plains and digitless/limbless farmers of Iowa - all so I could say "yup Billy boy, yer were right". I rather think dear old Mr Piper got a hard deal seeing as he is now pushing up the daises but maybe the good lord thought that the Brysons had suffered enough. I am fortunate to live in Yorkshire, England where Bill lived for 20 years and is quite obviously where he got his zest for life. I have been enjoyed America's enchanting character many times and I love her just the way she is - may she never change. This book is a dammed good read, it kept me gripped from the word go and its a crying shame that any criticisms appear here at all. Buy the book, dont have any preconceptions, read it through Mr Bryson's eyes and enjoy the finest piece of narrative I have digested in a long while!
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Summary: Been done better by others
Review: Yes, this is a funny book. Bill Bryson is funny, but his editors give him too much leeway. If you want to write about small town America then get off the Interstate Highways! And when you do get off the highway do not be surprised if staying in a motel with a superior attitude does not cause each town to open its secrets to you and invite you in. Fact of the matter is, the reason he comes across so many surly people in his travels in America or England is probably because most everyone he meets doesn't like him. It was with amazement that I read his "revelations" about how the interstate highways are all the same. Well, duuuh! I think with even the smallest foresight one would realize this and a good editor very quickly would say "Uh Bill, can you get off I95 sometime?" part way through his trip. If you want a true travel story about a funny guy travelling through small town America, read "Out West" by Dayton Duncan - small town America is still out there.
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Summary: You Decide
Review: I first read Bill Bryson's "A Walk in The Woods", detailing his experinces on the Appalachian Trail and was eager to read more of his works. While I found this book entertaining and humorous, I was mildly disappointed. At times I found myself laughing out loud. Mr. Bryson has a wonderful wit and sense of humor. But as the book wore on, I became somewhat bored, much like the author himself. He was searching for the perfect small town in America but all he found was an endless stream of commercialism and neglect. Traveling through 38 states, he comments on a few wonderful and enchanting sights but mostly complains about over development and the lack of decent food. OK, we get it, but sorry Bill, that's America. I don't care for the commercialization either but he constantly beats a dead horse. He focuses on too many negatives and fails to accentuate the positives. This is a wonderful country and the people and scenery are all part of the unique tapestry that is America. He seems to speed on through his journey and fails to stop and smell the roses. He appears more interested in getting back to England than sharing meaningful insights of small town America.
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Summary: An Antidote to the Serious Travelogue
Review: One could accuse the book's subtitle - Travels in Small Town America - of being misleading: Bryson spends as much time in major cities (Philadelphia, New York) and national parks, or simply driving down the Interstate listening to radio stations, as he does exploring the smaller settlements of his homeland. Even when he does get out of the car (or his motel room), he can hardly be said to 'explore': he speaks briefly with waitresses, shopkeepers and other tourists but scarcely engages with any deeper stratum of local life. One of the book's ironies, it could be said, is that Bryson sticks as religiously to the conventional tourist agenda (museums, battlefields and other 'places of interest') as the consumerist day-trippers and backpackers he ritually scorns. But then the book does not set out to be a serious travelogue. Indeed that is much of its point. It is an antidote to worthy travel literature - and, by extension, a rebuke to those who take such things too seriously. America exists for Bryson to make jokes about, deplore, occasionally appreciate and then make more jokes about. The Lost Continent reads like a cross between a good piece of travel journalism and a first-class stand-up comedy routine: it is fast-paced, relentlessly witty, shallow and eminently readable.
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Summary: I still laugh ...
Review: Having traveled by car when I was a child, I know how tedious this can be. I have never laughed out loud reading anything before I read this book. With tongue firmly planted in cheek, Bill Bryson wends his way down memory lane mixed with the bite of present day reality. This is one hilarious story. I liked it so much I bought the audio version and had to stop and cringe when the narrator refered to Nehi pop as "Neh-hee" rather than "Nee-high" - who edits these things? Aaaaarghh. Nevertheless, the story came across vividly and Mr. Bryson should be thanked repeatedly for inviting us along and making our sides ache.
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Summary: Read this before touring the USA by car
Review: After reading this waggish travel book I've made up my mind to see the Grand Canyon - one day -and never to eat food provided by any establishment connected to a highway especially if the food is described as a "Pastie" cf English cuisine. Travelling through 38 states driving his mother's Chevette, sleeping in motels, visiting tourist sites, national parks and towns he renames to protect the innocent, Mr Bryson's candid comments, fun about local accents ( " how doo yew lack Mississippi?), potted statistics and historical info make for an enjoyable read. Most amusing bits to me: his interaction with waitresses. " The hostess came over. She was chewing gum and didn't look over friendly. ' Help you?' She said. 'I'd like a table for one, please.' She clicked her gum in an unattractive fashion. 'We're closed.' 'You look pretty open to me.' 'It's a private party. They've (the Shriners) reserved the restaurant for the evening.' ' I'm stranger in town. Can you tell me where else I can get something to eat!' She grinned, clearly pleased to be able to give me some bad news. 'We're the only restaurant in Sundance' she said.
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Summary: When it's not "boring," America's great!
Review: Pity poor Bill Bryson. He had the chance many of his readers would love to have--travel throughout the US with apparently no money or time constraints. (Even if a Chevy Chevette may not be everyone's idea of comfortable travel!) However, the main word Bryson can find to describe places he doesn't care for is the oft-repeated "boring." The Mississippi River is "flat and dull," and merely driving is almost invariably "boring," unless the scenery is spectacular. Ah, what's a guy to do when he has book to write? Carry on, despite overcrowded national parks, sleepy small towns, ignorant people and the occasional threatening weather. Still, in spite of the negative attitude Bryson so frequently adopts, the book is entertaining and enlightening. Perhaps I enjoyed it so much because I agree with so many of Bryson's views about the over-commercialization of America's natural wonders and historical places. I also sympathize with his regrets for the lost small towns, particularly the downtowns which have been decimated by the development of malls, strip malls, large discount stores and fast food franchises until all small towns look depressingly the same. Perhaps the best thing one can say about a book like this is that it made me want to make my own journey of exploration, to discover the country on my own. And that, I believe, is the response any travel writer would love to have. Bryson succeeds and so I recommend the book to all readers who can smile at the foibles of America and Americans, including, perhaps, themselves.
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Summary: Still the best Bryson book
Review: There are two view that readers seem to take on Bill Bryson : thos that enjoy the humorous side of his books and those who appreciate the travel. This, in my opinion, is the only book in which he has managed to excel at both. Though born in Des Moine, Iowa, Mr. Bryson spent many years living in England. His travels through small town USA are therefor part-tourist, part-native. His insights are very accurate and his desciptions are informative without being dull. Once or twice, he overdoes the humor by repeating a joke, but he more than makes up for that in othe parts of the book. Mr. Bryson shows us a side of the US that not many of us see in our mad-dash everyday lives. I first read this book while living in England and then again after living in Arizona for a number of years. Having had the benefit of spending time in both places, I appreciated the humor more the second time around. The Lost Continent is not a guide book and you're not going to find it too much use if you're planning a drive across the country. However, it's a useful book to read if you want to take a little time to notice the smaller, less significant parts of the world that we pass by. And it's still the best of all his books.
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Summary: Can't recommend
Review: I enjoyed Bryson's Walk in the Woods and recommend it frequently. I wish I could say the same about this book. Bryson would be the ultimate joykill on a road trip: arrogant, exceedingly negative and critical, and unable to poke fun at himself. Buy Walk in the Woods instead.
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