Rating: 
Summary: DO NOT READ THIS BOOK IN PUBLIC!
Review: 'The Lost Continent' should come with a government health warning: DANGER! READING THIS BOOK MAY SERIOUSLY DAMAGE YOUR HEALTH! I laughed so loud, so long and so much that I was convulsed with physical pain. As the tears rolled down my cheeks and I clutched my ribs, doubled up with mirth, my kids asked "What's wrong, dad?" And I tried to explain (when I was able to catch enough breath) that, far from there being anything wrong, it was the effect this wonderful book was having on me.It is a hilarious, sarcastic, in-yer-face look at the States through ex-pat Bryson's eyes. His style might not appeal to everyone (if some of the readers' reviews on this page are anything to go by), but his time away from the land of his birth has given him a distance which enables him to perceive things which those who have not been away might either not be aware of, or prefer to overlook. And, boy, does he notice things. Few aspects of the American way of life escape his scrutiny. And that's the real gist of the book. Bryson is not just out to do a hatchet job, in fact, I'm not even sure he IS doing a hatchet job. What he does is display a real compassion and concern for the way in which his native country - the lost continent of the title - has lost its way in the decades he has been away. Readers who castigate this book are surely overlooking the fact that, deep down, it is a heartfelt plea from an American to Americans to stop and take a look at themselves and take stock of just what is happening to their wonderful country. It would have been easy for Bryson merely to have cracked a string of jokes and poked fun. That would have been the mark of a lesser writer. No, the real beauty of the book lies in the way in which he transcends this and makes his book into a valuable piece of social commentary. To the reviewers on this page who have mumped about the book and given it one measly star, I say - lighten up! It takes fewer muscles to smile than to frown! To anyone who is looking for a SERIOUSLY funny read and is interested in a travel book which is not afraid to go beyond the bounds of 'accepted' travel writing, I urge you to buy a copy of 'The Lost Continent' a.s.a.p., if not sooner!
Rating: 
Summary: Disappointed!
Review: I was hoping that I would add dozens of interesting places to our vacation destinations for years to come. He could have presented the towns in a humorous manner without being so synical and negative.. The United States has many wonderful towns with very caring and interesting people.
Rating:
Summary: Hilarious and vivid odyssey across America
Review: I've just finished The Lost Continent and am still recovering from the experience. Bill Bryson's devastating wit and keen perceptions are right on target. I had tears rolling down my face, collapsing in helpless laughter when reading about tacky souvenir shops in Savannah and Gatlinburg and pig-out marathons in Pennyslvania Dutch restaurants and boring nonsense on historical markers. He never misses an opportunity to zing Americans for their lack of taste but he also lovingly describes scenic back roads and the few small towns that are still thriving, or are at least interesting (especially if they resist the lure of fast food chains and WalMarts). Anyone who went on endless car trips as a kid will definitely love this book. I must read more by Mr. Bryson!
Rating:
Summary: very fun-to-read book
Review: I have experienced many of the places Bryson described in this wonderful book. With each stop, I enjoyed reliving the journey. Bill wrote in a way that made me laugh... often. I was sorry to finish the book.
Rating:
Summary: Sometimes amusing but frequently annoying travelogue.
Review: Bill Bryson can be witty and can certainly turn a phrase, but the insights are few and far between in this book. He skewers easy targets; fat, poorly dressed tourists, southern accents, the American dependence on automobiles, strip malls, the decay of Main St mom and pop businesses, interstate highways and tacky tourist traps. There may be a few cliches he missed, but none come to mind. Bill came home to America and discovered that it isn't 1965 and it isn't Europe. Rather than discovering America, he starts with preconceived notions and merely reinforces them. His more recent book "A Walk in the Woods", is a much more thoughtful look at America and has some genuine insight, read it instead.
Rating: 
Summary: Depressing.
Review: Try as I might, I found this book neither witty nor real. After the first chapter, one could only sumise Mr. Bryson to be a very unhappy person, and using writing as his tool for therapy. Every sentence of every chapter is such a dreary and negative depiction of people and life in the States. My only question... why did he choose to move back to the States?
Rating:
Summary: Witty and hilariously sarcastic
Review: If you appreciate (and understand)sarcasm and have ever ridden in the back seat of a wood-panelled station wagon, you'll love this book. Bill Bryson reminisces about the quirks of family vacations and skewers strip malls, tourist traps, small towns, and American culture. While I lived in the UK, Bill Bryson had attained cult-like status with his satiric look at British culture. The British adore his wit and sarcasm where many of my fellow Americans, alas, don't get it and take personal offense when he pokes fun at Mississippi or Iowa. Try "Notes from a Small Island" and "Neither Here Nor There" after you read this.
Rating: 
Summary: Cynical, p**** but hilarious counterpoint to Blue Highways
Review: Bill Bryson brings a unique viewpoint to his writing abouttravelling around America. An expatriate for twenty years he returnsto rediscover the land of his youth and--not suprpisingly--he finds that some changes have been made. Most are not to his liking. Some red-blooded American readers may take offense at Bryson's withering descriptions of the denizens of America's small towns, tourists, K-Mart, RVers, scenic highways , southern cops and cultural icons, but I found it insightful and very, very funny. Bryson contrasts the America he remembers from his childhood with the America he encounters upon his return in ways that highlight changes the rest of us might not have noticed or just accepted without too much thought. Some readers may get a little tired of Bryson's chronic crankiness and exaggerated-for-effect descripitions of people or places that arouse his ire but I think they'll find his points are generally right on the nose.
Rating:
Summary: Lighten up!
Review: Bryson writes a book taking the mickey out of the Brits, and the Brits all review it saying how funny and accurate it is. Bryson writes a book taking the mickey out of us Americans and we become terribly offended and complain that it's not classic travel literature. Lighten up guys, he's joking. Is our self-esteem so insecure that we cannot take a bit of mocking? Maybe that's what Euros don't like about us....
Rating:
Summary: I laughed aloud
Review: Every chapter has a laughable story, and I shared some of the stories with co-workers. We all loved the story about the panty shields with funnel dot protection (TM). At times, I felt that Bryson might have met some of my relatives in the South. His very short description of the San Joaquin Valley in California was bleak, but so is the valley. In addition to the stories about his travels as an adult, he also shared memories about what it was like to vacation around the country through the eyes of child at a time when exploration of our country was just becoming achievable for any American family who owned a station wagon.
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