Rating: 
Summary: "I once heard of Iowa . . . "*
Review: A window-shoppers' guide to the United States, The Lost Continent is an array of towns,
scenery and people given but passing glances. A head-spinning tour of thirty-eight states,
Bryson whisks us along freeways and back roads at a dizzying. However brisk, this tour
doesn't inhibit Bryson's expressing views on the merit of everything he sees. Nearly every
small community is boring. The few urban centers he enters are dangerous [in his eyes],
confusing and dirty. National parks or historical sites are crowded with obnoxious,
overweight or overage tourists. In short, this book leaves you with the idea that wherever is
home is where you should remain. In his case, this is Des Moines, Iowa. To those who have
seen Iowa or met Iowans, the proposal has some merit.After a sojourn in Britain, Bryson has [temporarily] returned to the American Midwest to
launch a journey of exploration. To those living elsewhere, the American term "Midwest" is
something of a puzzle. Bryson reinforces the perception of the region being rather "Middle"
as he tours various American cities, towns and villages. The contrast between "small town"
and urban America remains as stark as it was in Mencken's day. "Middle" America appears
drab, self-contained, inward looking and static, changing only in details. The urban scene is
rushed, dynamic, perceived dangerous and swamped by consumerism. The cultural
advantages of cities are ignored. In fact almost the only observation on cultural elements is
his failure to find a bookstore in Auburn, Alabama, a college town. Bryson has a keen capacity for observation. His Iowa roots remain the fundament of his view,
but he observes American communities of all sizes with a penetrating eye. Such a perspective
can only be achieved by one who has been elsewhere and retains a receptive outlook. Having
known Midwesterners who traveled the world and seen nothing, his breadth of vision is
refreshing. Imparting his observations with stinging wit, he keeps his readers in keen
expectation for the next phase of the journey. His style encourages you to remain with him as
he rapidly moves across the face of the United States. The pace is hectic - the thoughtful
reader may pause to wonder how Bryson can render his judgments with the limited time he
remains in each place. Those seeking more penetrating views of America should be reading
histories, not travel accounts. This is a very American view of the world. The title contains "Continent", but even close
brushes with Canada are avoided; after all, this is where American winters originate. He
even expresses the "belief - no, the understanding-that America is the richest and most
powerful nation on earth because God likes us best." It's a view he clearly subscribes to, even
if the "real America" abides around Des Moines. A consummate Midwesterner, Bryson thrice
glimpses the Atlantic Ocean without comment, but never reaches the Pacific. He likes
mountains, so long as they don't produce snow, and unspoiled hilly country. Well, don't we
all? Bryson's wit leaves us breathless. His descriptive ability brings us beside him, in the car,
restaurant or strolling along a Main Street. Droll observations keep us happily entranced,
impatient to have him reveal and react to his next disappointment or discovery. and conceals
his lack of depth. The pace is too fast to allow us to see what's lacking until the final pages.
By then, it's far too late. We've come to sympathize with his encounters with unpleasant
waitresses, inhabiting grungy motels and missing meals. Instead of research, he has Mobile
Travel Guides, distilled versions of history and geography. These booklets don't fail him, but
then he asks little of them. Even when they don't provide sufficient information on which
roads to follow, he blames the locals for failing to provide proper road signs. Given that so
many of the routes he takes are for local transport and not interstate tourism, the lack is
hardly surprising. He doesn't live and pay taxes in the communities he chastises. A traveller's account, not a guidebook; even his criticisms are charming since it's his feelings being expressed. He doesn't demand you follow either his route or his thinking. Indeed,
there are many places where suggestions are offered and could be followed. The National
Parks Service's role in Yosemite and Yellowstone parks are examples. Better management
requires better knowledge of conditions. He doesn't state it explicitly, yet it's fairly clear that
the Service is well down on the list of American priorities and requires elevating. In short, this is an entertaining read, but not something to take on a driving trip to these
places. In many ways, it's best read by those who've already been where he visits. It may
bring back fond memories or otherwise. But, if nothing else, this book is certain to bring at
least a smile. A brief request to other readers: those who grasp the reference to Booker T. Washington and
his later musical career are free to write this reviewer with an explanation. Please state your
age, location, the title of the tune made famous and who used that tune for commercial ends.
There's a real generation gap here, and it would be interesting to see how many fell into it. * Ray Kinsella in "Field of Dreams"
Rating: 
Summary: Funny but gets old quickly
Review: When I first started reading this book I thought it was great. I'm American but I certainly think America can be very culturally barren. When Bryson went to town on America and it's people I thought it was hillarious. He is very funny, honest, and mean. And I loved it. The problem is that all this book does is have him drive to a small town and make fun of people there and then go to another town and do the same thing. When I was about halfway through the book I realized that I could choose any chapter at random and it wouldn't matter. I quit halfway through because the book was going nowhere. There doesn't seem to any real point to his book other than that he thinks Americans are stupid and that their towns suck. He doesn't develop anything about that such as why this is the case, what it means to the world, or even what's so great about living in Britain. Overall this book was just an exercise in being a .... I do that everyday of my life but you don't see me writing a book about it.
Rating: 
Summary: Face it - it is his best book USA/UK
Review: I bought this book in Gatwick London; and read it on the way to Pennsylvania. I then worked in the US for a year. I was very much engaged by this book. 'A Walk in the Woods' is a great read but this is even better. I understand why people living in the USA might be upset by the book, but Bryson is after all, a US citizen. The UK is THE home of the USA, and vice-versa. The USA-UK allegiance is the most important in history.
Rating:
Summary: Naughty but nice
Review: He's a bad man is Bill Bryson. He says all the things I wish I'd thought of first. "Some of the shops were just a bit twee, I must admit. One of them was called The Cutest Little Shop In Town, which made me want to have the Quickest Little Puke in the County". In his irreverent drive around The States, Bryson never leaves you in any doubt about what he likes and what he doesn't like. Of one town, he says, "I walked up Thames Street, where some fine old sea captains' homes were fighting a losing battle with litter and dog sh*t and the encroachment of gas stations and car transmission places. It was all very sad. This was a place where the people didn't seem to care, or perhaps just didn't notice how shabby they had let things grow. It reminded me of London." So, are you left in any doubt? And when he sings the praise of a town or region, he sings it high. The Lost Continent is both informative and amusing - very amusing. Bryson's satirical observations are splendidly catalogued and beautifully tailored for the job in hand. Five out of five for an excellent journey, minus one for some slightly more tedious moments part way through.
Rating: 
Summary: After Bryson's "Walk in the Woods" this really disappoints.
Review: Like lots of folks, my first experience of Bryson was reading his genuinely hilarious account of his Appalachian Trail adventures. So, when I found "The Lost Continent" on sale at a flea market for a dollar, I snapped it up. Now I'm relieved that that is all it cost me. I started the book with high hopes not only because I'd enjoyed "A Walk in the Woods" but because I, too, would love to find the perfect small town. I thought that Bryson might help in that quest. In fact, the reason for two stars, rather than one or none, is that he does help in that endeavor. Right from start this book jolted me. [...]. There is some point at which humor crosses the line and becomes just plain nasty. Bryson crosses it frequently; his early chapters are almost unremittingly meanspirited. As just one example, he continually ridicules his father, for whom he claims to have affection, yet seems unaware that he describes exactly the same qualities in himself - for which he finds no fault, but blames others. Specifically, he laughs at his father's difficulty in finding an access road to a tourist attraction to which thousands of others have gained access, yet, in Oxford, Mississippi, Bryson is unable to find William Faulkner's house, a "feat" thousands of tourists have clearly accomplished. Instead Bryson pokes fun at the polite woman who tries to give him directions. There is no question that Bill Bryson has a very readable style and there is also no question that many of his insights are spot-on funny and perceptive. But were it not for my wish to find "perfect" small towns to visit, I would have quit the book very early. I genuinely hated - no other word for it - the harshness of his not-at-all funny atttacks on countless people and places.
Rating:
Summary: A Funny View of America
Review: One man's very funny view of America. Some readers below have critiqued this as cruel - I thoroughly disagree! Yes, Mr Bryson takes irreverant "shots" at many spots in the US (my hometown included), but always with a purpose. If you have traveled across the US in a car, this story rings true. If you like Bill's sense of humor, you'll like this. A fine accompaniment to his books on Britain, Europe and Australia.
Rating:
Summary: Totally hilarious!
Review: I kept my husband awake by laughing constantly while I read this book at bedtime.
Rating:
Summary: Sometimes funny but often cruel
Review: After reading "A Walk in the Woods" I came across this book and bought it. For some reason Bryson isn't as funny. His observations about people and places seem unnecessarily cruel. Prehaps Bryson needs to be reminded that the people he makes fun of in his books aren't cardboard cutouts in the landscape but human beings. I have to contrast his views on small town America with those of the late Charles Kuralt. Kuralt always managed to find the goodness and beauty in the people and places he went. Bryson, on the other hand, fails to see the prosperity that the endless fields in the heartland represent. His constant need to demean and make fun of the people who cross his path makes me wonder what could possible motivate him to be so mean-spirited. Might I suggest that Bryson take a tour of a ravaged African nation...prehaps he might come back a greater appreciation of this nation and its people.
Rating:
Summary: A funny but puzzling travelogue!
Review: Bill Bryson, in a touch of nostalgia for the United States, leaves his family and adopted home in Great Britain for a trip throughout the United States. He begins and ends his travels in his former home state of Iowa which he finds delightful. Covering thousands of miles throughout the United States traveling alone by car, he visits numerous cities, small towns and occasional tourist traps. Bryson's stories are hilarious but often have a biting edge to them. He finds a few places which gratify him, but mostly he finds disappointment. Too many times he seems to be in places or situations that he does not like. He often is critical, even nasty, in the descriptions of people he meets along the way. Although the account of his trip is funny, one is left wondering why he bothered to travel at all if he found so little pleasure in the people and places he encountered.
Rating:
Summary: Funny, but this is one man's journey, not a travel fact book
Review: Don't expect journalistic impartiality (is that an oxymoron?) or factual presentation of travel info from Lost Continent. This is one man's trip throughout the US, and his opinion of what he sees. This book has Bryson's ramblings about boring Western towns, his childhood vacations, awful gambling casino decor, bad road food, racial tensions, and "funny" accents in Miss-hippy as he spells it. You, like Queen Victoria, may not be amused. Especially if you are from any of the places Bryson visted and if you love your hometown more than Bryson did. I certainly WAS amused, especially throughout the section on my own home town, which took plenty of (well-deserved and accurate) dings from Bryson. Bryson is as ever, laugh-out-loud funny. The parts of the book about his dad's ability to get lost and how his family "negotiated" to choose a vacation destination are priceless. All in all, a fun read. Not for the thin-skinned.
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