Rating: 
Summary: Lost in his writing
Review: Mr. Bryson's writing which sparkled when he wrote about his travels in England, seems flat in this sad story about his attempts to discover America. Perhaps the flatness mirrors the flatness of his home state of Iowa, but for whatever reason it's more of a sad commentary on the isolation and fragmentation of society. Bryson is a humorist first and travel writer second, and when the liveliness fails hims, there is little left. Putting this book down was not hard. I had expected more.
Rating: 
Summary: A genius at turning the mundane into the unforgettable
Review: Other Amazon reviewers have touched on most of what I would say about this book (leaves one prone to extended periods incapacitated by laughter, brings on violent urges to read it aloud to any available form of animate life). Bryson induces these symptoms with his ability to let us see the world through his insider/outsider perspective. He turns the obvious over and shows us the idiocies, idiosyncracies, and illusions of everyday life. Best of all, he takes nothing, especially not himself, too seriously, and yet doesn't lose sight of what is really important
Rating:
Summary: I am a major fan of this book.
Review: Undaunted by the bizarre cataloging of this book (travel section), I have found and given it as a gift to almost everyone I know. His mastery of words and images has been inspiring and a sign that in this jaded paranoid
world there still are people with resounding senses of humor. Thank you, Bill. I look forward to every word you write.
Rating: 
Summary: Airport fodder and Interstate diversion
Review: The cover and liner blurbs of "savagely funny", "facetious text jollies" (you have to expect something complete undecipherable from the Scots), and "..a serious indictment of the American way of life" seem a little over the top for a decidedly readable travelog. Bryson's book was meant for consumption during the inevitable airport delays and seems to comfortably fit in with those who prefer to read USA Today and spend a couple of hours each evening glued to the tube.
I found the most interesting parts of the book to be when Bryson talked about his family, his own community, and, yes, Mr. Morrisey the milkman. Since this was written nearly a decade ago, some of his observational wit would be considered a tad politically incorrect these days. I would have liked to have seen the author spend a little time in some of the "forgettable" bergs along his travels in an attempt to probe deeper into why these people are where they are and do what they do. The glossing over, with distain of places like Cripple Creek and Wiscasset, caused me endless disspointment throughout the book.
Having lived as an expat in Europe, Asia and the Middle East for 14 years, and originally coming from the Midwest myself, I did identify with Bryson's "stranger in my own land" sentiments. There is considerable truth to the term of reverse culture shock and this book's strength lies in Bryson's repeated examples of an expat's "selected recollections" when comparing home to his/her home away from home.
Put this book in your briefcase or carry-on bag. Recommeded reading for world-travellers and required reading for expats making their way back to the U.S.A. after a few years abroad.
Rating:
Summary: Why I love to travel in the U.S.
Review: Mr. Bryson confirmed for me a lot of things I had suspected ! I love to travel in the U.S. and this book has made me look at the country and it's inhabitants in quite a different way.
What a joy to read !
It has greatly influenced the way I write my own trip-reports.
Love to see his articles in National Geographic Magazine.
As a part-time Anglophile I enjoyed his 'Notes From A Small Island' as wel
Rating:
Summary: An accurate view of America
Review: As an American living abroad for the past 12 years, I feel Bryson's book took the words out of my mouth! You have to be an American revisiting your own country after years away before you can truly understand the absolute brilliance of his writing and observations
Rating:
Summary: The funniest book I have ever read.
Review: Bill Bryson's travelogue of the United States can be best described as a side-splitter. Like many of the others who have reviewed this book for Amazon, I found myself reading it out loud to anyone who was close by. A great way to make friends at crowded airports. This is the tale of Bryson's travels as a young adult with many references to his childhood experiences in Iowa doing such things as traveling on summer vacation with his parents and sister. While the book has a definite Iowa slant, his experiences are so universal that they will be enjoyed by all. What man has not wondered why the nubile cuties of his youth look as if they had swallowed airmattresses 10 or 15 years later. Bryson is cynical, jaded, snide and sentimental all at the same time. A good book for anyone who has traveled to Boston, Washington DC and particularly good for anyone with Iowa roots. And, by the way, his mother seems to be still alive and well - I saw an article in the Des Moines Register recently with her byline
Rating:
Summary: A Book Full Of Cheer!
Review: As an avid "road-tripper" across the United States, I found Bryson'a account to be both accurate and hysterically funny at the same time. My husband and I actually spent several weeks reading chapters aloud to one another each night before going to sleep. I passed the book on to several friends who had not travelled to many of the places Bryson explores, but who came back to me with high praises nevertheless. For anyone who truly appreciates the distinctly different flavors of our nation's cities and regions, this book is a pure treasure. Thanks to Bryson, those of us who have been to Des Moines, Boston, Philadelphia and Los Angeles, can relive many of our own observations at the time. And, for those who haven't been to all these places yet, Bryson seems to give just enough description to make you desire to experience it all first hand. Delightful
Rating:
Summary: Excellent and side-splittingly funny
Review: The first page is enough to set you up for what it is to come. The author's accounts of recreating the journeys that he made as a child around various parts of the USA strike up such clear and hilarious images. Well written and the best of his whole output so far IMHO
Rating:
Summary: One of the funniest travel books on the market;
Review: Bill Bryson presents the
anatomy of the North American continent in a manner which geography and history teachers would
do well to adopt, a manner which would lead
to an immense upsurge in popularity of these subjects
in our schools and colleges. Through the irreverance
and the joviality one is made to not only appreciate the "soul" of this vast continent but also to enthuse about its vitality and amazing diversity. Readers are seriously warned not to be caught reading this book in crowded places (airport lounges, planes, railway stations, etc.) as they are liable to burst out
with loud guffaws at regular intervals...guffaws
which might land one in trouble with puzzled
on-lookers. Readers with weak stomach muscles
should also avoid this book...bellyful of
laughter is likely to lead to medical complaints!
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