Rating: 
Summary: Don't totally agree, but he's got a lot of it right.
Review: This book is superbly readable, highly critical, completely accurate and I totally disagree with his point of view - all in one! Bryson's sense of irony is superb, and given the America he sought to re-discover - the dreamy places his father always seemed to miss when they drove around - no wonder he was disappointed. Whoever said small-town America was going to pretty? Paradoxically, Bryson portrays an accurate (in my view) picture of low-down small town America, a good comparison between rich and poor and, for an American, has a remarkable grasp of the sense of humour from ths side of the world. I don't hold with the outward criticism, but I think his descriptions are bang on.PS - his poor father gets no favours! He seems to have brought him everywhere when they were young, ungrateful git!
Rating: 
Summary: A lot of money for a little entertainment!
Review: I should have taken note of the reviews for this book. He gets weary and critical from the get-go and never lets up, even after a winter break! I know many of the places and agree with many of his observations but he could have "lightened up" a bit! A better read for a third of the price!
Rating: 
Summary: Bang On The Money
Review: Having lived in the States for two years during the early eighties, I snorted my way through this all too familiar landscape. Anyone who has ever tried to buy a ticket at Cincinatti airport and been treated to a lecture on the merits of the death penalty by the person on the other side of the counter or ever eaten at an 'International' House of Pancakes will laugh too. Though his voyage is random, he experiences enough of America's cultural diversity to form his conclusions, many of them justifiably harsh. It would be unfair to say that Bryson relishes this critique. There is the distinct sense that he is sitting behind the wheel of his car for much of the journey in aghast disbelief, quite unable to understand what has become of his own country and unsure of where it's headed. The Lost Continent is informative and for the most part, objective and it contains much of the hallmark deadpan irony with a fiesta of wisecracks throw in for good measure. Whatever you're feelings about Mr B's conclusions, you won't be bored.
Rating:
Summary: Oh, lighten UP!
Review: Having traversed many of the highways described in this hilarious road trip account, I can tell you that Bryson's right on the money. He's snide, though, so be prepared. He's snide about everything, including himself, and at times that's all that saves him and the book from seeming hopelessly snobby. A previous reviewer pegged this book as a wake-up call. That it is. It's also great fun if you're not one to take yourself (if you're an American) too seriously.
Rating:
Summary: A humorous and warm description of an interesting travel
Review: Bryson has travelled through small towns of thirty-eight states of US, and has depicted a picture of the life in "small-town America" with warmth and humour. He saves the monotony by making wisecracks, and his percentage of successful wisecracks, though not 100%, is fairly high. If you're hurt by his sometimes sarcastic tone, remember that he makes fun of everybody - including his parents, and above all, himself. Overall, a book I'll highly recommend.
Rating: 
Summary: Don't waste your time reading this drivel!
Review: Mr. Bryson is a writer of astonishingly meager abilities...here is a potentially rich and fascinating subject to which he has failed miserably to do justice, and the monumental chip on his shoulder makes for tortured reading. If I could have awarded him 0 stars, I would have! Look elsewhere for intelligent, enlightened, and humorous travel writing!
Rating:
Summary: Sense of humour deficit alert
Review: It's quite clear from some of the previous reviews that this uproariously hilarious book has riled some of Bryson's rather humourless compatriots. Yes, he is scathing about the creeping homogeneity of life in the US (something which is creeping malevolently over to Europe - thanks guys) and some of his countrymen's insularity, parochialism and sheer ignorance but this book is imbued with a deep sense of loss and regret. Bryson is quite transparently upset at how his country is being dumbed-down and how the huge corporate chains and malls are destroying downtowns and communities across the nation. Unfortunately, many of your reviewers chose to see The Lost Continent as an affront to their patriotism rather than as a long-overdue wake-up call. It's now probably too late.
Rating:
Summary: Disappointing
Review: I was ready for a book with funny insights into American culture. Instead I learned that 1)Americans are fat, and 2)build ugly fast food restaurants. This book has some mildly amusing parts, but nothing laugh-out-loud funny. A book to borrow, but not to buy.
Rating:
Summary: Tremendous Travel Tales
Review: We are Australians about to take our third trip to the United States. I am reading The Lost Continent for the third time - and I never fail to find it enormously entertaining. I am reading it aloud to my husband - a chapter a night - and he rolls around in bed screaming with laughter! I think that this is the best of Bryson's books, although I've found all of them very entertaining. Perhaps those people who live in the mid-west and find Bryson's book insulting will enjoy laughing at us - I believe Bill has recently been in Australia getting material for a new book!
Rating:
Summary: funny, funny, funny
Review: not a review really but when Bill reprints could he possibly insert a MAP!! Living in Australia and not knowing the U.S. well I had to keep running into the office where we have a large map on the wall 0- exhausting. but loved the book he can travel anywhere with me!
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