Rating: 
Summary: I guess you had to be there . . . .
Review: It's interesting to read through the reviews for this book: most of those praising the book either come from Europeans, or else mention "Neither Here Nor There" resonating with their memories of travelling in Europe. The negative reviews all chastise Bryson for being too superficial, or shallow, or racist, or for not 'interacting' properly with the people he meets. What's particularly strange is the number of reviews that praise Bryson's other books, then say this one is not up to his standard. Well, to those who fail to catch the humor here: book a flight to Europe, and see for yourselves. Europeans aren't somehow beyond the possibility of being unintentionally funny, and Bryson is not being an 'ugly American' for pointing out their foibles in very funny ways--witness, for example, his devastatingly funny transliteration of Dutch conversation, or his adventures getting travellers' checks replaced after they've been stolen by a Gypsy girl in Italy. Bryson is also honest. He tells you what he likes, and what he doesn't, and, far from being xenophobic or parochial, he's perfectly willing to change his mind when a place he visits either exceeds or falls short of his expectations. He lavishes praise on the most unlikely of destinations, and avoids the fawning tones of many travel writers who feel somehow obligated to adore every place they visit, especially the most famous ones. All real travellers are familiar with this phenomenon: the most intense joys of travel are most likely to be experienced in the least obvious places, and often at the most inopportune times. Finally, Bryson is simply funny, and this book is too. I hope he comes to Asia next.
Rating: 
Summary: A very funny book, spoilt by too much swearing
Review: In this book, the American travel writer Bill Bryson decides to take a big trip around all the countries in Europe. He starts at Hammerfest (the northernmost town in Europe), goes through countries including Germany, Holland and Italy, ending at Istanbul (near Asia). He retraces the steps he took as a young student in the early seventies.
I wasn`t sure I would like this book because I`m not normally a fan of travel writing, but after reading a bit I began to really enjoy it, because its very funny. Bryson makes lots of wry observations and little jokes about the places he visits (for example, did you know Liechtenstein is the worlds largest producer of false teeth and sausage skins?)
He also boasts a near-encyclopedic knowledge of each country he is talking about, so this book is also good if you`re interested in European geography or history, but I think the humor is its best feature.
Although the book contains lots of funny jokes, the thing I don`t like is that Bryson has a tendency to swear an awful lot and use bad language in his narrative. Swearing occasionally I can understand, but he does it so much that after a while it ceases to be amusing and Bryson sounds like a 12 year old saying "I can use four letter words! Aren`t I clever?" Bryson has a tremendous talent with words, and there is no need for him to resort to this.
Apart from that, I think this is a great book and would recommend it to anyone who likes Bill Brysons humor. If you`re new to the travel writing genre in general, or Bill Bryson, this book is a great place to start - its guaranteed to make you smile.
Rating:
Summary: Bryson could make anything funny
Review: I love Bill Bryson. I've read almost all his books, and each time I finish another one, I get a little sad thinking there are now fewer left for me to get to. He is that good. "Neither Here Nor There" is classic Bryson. This guy could write about paint drying and still make the funniest, smartest observations ever. Although all the giddy excitement of traveling to new places shines through in this memoir, most of the time Bryson talks about his experiences on trains, railway stations, police stations, waiting rooms, or hotel rooms by himself. Here is were his true talent shines through and he illuminates the absolutely wacky in the mundane. I could have done without some of the misguided political commentaries he let slip in this book, but it is still a wonderful treat to see Europe through this mild-mannered madman's eyes. If you really want to laugh and laugh, go pick up this book--and all his other ones, too!
Rating:
Summary: No need to get in a fuss-this truly is a hilarious read!
Review: I believe there are more than enough reviews here to decifer whether or not you plan to read this charming, witty and candid book. However, as an Australian raised in both Europe and America, I must heed a warning to those of you who read the negative reviews by Europeans and Asians. DO NOT LISTEN TO THEM!! They obviously lack a sense of humour and the ability to laugh at themselves (unlike Bryson). Bryson can be provincial at times, but he is so charming indeed! One who has traveled for days in a foreign land can understand his exhaustion and frustration and will howl with laughter. Yes, Bryson at times can be brutally honest with his opinion of foreign countries and their inhabitants and culture, but they are HIS OPINIONS and they are frankly FUNNY and quite observant. I suppose those who take offense to his opinions neglected to understand that Bryson is a brazen self critic and will unabashedly admit to his lack of sophistication due to his stereotypical midwestern American upbringing. Please take no notice to the malevolence of the quazi-sensitive and humourless French and Germans who negatively reviewed this charming and engaging work. Give the man a break and give this book a READ...Unless you possess absolutely no sense of humour, you will find it quite enjoyable!
Rating:
Summary: A funny way to improve your cultural knowledge
Review: In his book "Neither here nor there" Bill Bryson writes about the experiences he made when he was travelling through nearly the whole of Europe, fluent in only one language (which is English).
He starts in Hammerfest, Norway (as far north as you can get in the world by public means of transport, he says), goes to Paris, Brussels, Belgium, Aachen and Cologne in Germany, then on to Amsterdam, Hamburg in Germany again, Copenhagen in Denmark, then onto Sweden (Gothenburg and Stockholm), then down to Rome, then to southern Italy (Naples, Capri and Sorrento), up to the top (Milan, Como), through Switzerland, Liechtenstein, Austria, Yugoslavia, Sofia in Bulgaria, and finally Istanbul.
As you can see, by reading this book you'll learn a lot about European countries with their different languages, customs, habits and ways of life. But this isn't one of those boring highbrow books, that you can't read without falling asleep - no! - once you start reading you can't stop. Bryson has a unique brand of humour that I personally like very much. He is able to crack jokes about any situation, no matter how hopelessly and unpleasing they might have been.
Especially as an European citizen you'll have a lot of fun because you recognize all the stereotypes that you know either from telling or personal experience. And be prepared for some nasty jokes about your compatriots!
All in all I can highly recommend this book to everyone who wants to get to know European countries in an amusing and interesting way.
Rating:
Summary: Bill Bryson has an incredible sense of humor
Review: Bill Bryson really made it big in England after the release of 'Notes from a Small Island', which, however isn't his best book. His best would be either 'The Lost Continent' or this book 'Neither Here Nor There'. I very rarely laugh out loud at TV shows or books. Only 'Frasier' on TV and Bill Bryson in books have this capacity to make me laugh relentlessly. 'Neither here Nor There' is Bryson's story of the reenactment of his student-day travels through Europe some twenty years later. He tries to visit all the places that he visited with Katz (yup, he appears in 'Walk in the Woods' too) in the seventies, as well as Norway to see the northern lights. Bryson's descriptions of situations are hilarious, primarily because he is just a normal guy and you can imagine yourself in the same situation, especially if you have visited any of the countries he visits, but even if you haven't, it is still a delight to read. Another great thing about Bill Bryson is that he is not afraid to be politically incorrect, calling France's population 'Insufferably French' to give just one example. He is also happy to insult a place if he feels it deserves it, something which other travel writers can seem reluctant to do. He of course balances out these criticisms with his entusiasm for so many places and you also learn many interesting facts from his stories such as Liechtenstein is the world's largest producer of sausage skins and dentures. Hands up who knew that!!! I can't even begin to do this book justice in my review, all I can say is buy Bill Bryson's books and I promise you will not be dissppointed, they are all a joy to read. Bill seems a lovely guy and, in his words, not mine, 'If he wishes to acknowledge this unsolicited endorsement with a set of luggage or a skiing holiday in the Rockies, let the record show that I am ready to accept it'!!!
Rating:
Summary: Rucksack traveling through Europe.
Review: "Traveling is more fun," Bill Bryson (aka "Bernt Bjornson") observes in this hilarious account of his backpack travels through Europe, "hell, life is more fun--if you can treat it as a series of impulses" (p. 131). After first backpacking through Britain, Ireland, Scandanavia, Germany, Switzerland, Austria, and Italy in 1972 (p. 13), as a "skinny, shy" 20-year-old American from Iowa, lost in "private astonishment" (p. 20), and then returning with Stephan Katz (Bryson's memorable hiking companion in A WALK IN THE WOODS) the following summer (p. 20), Bryson attempts to recapture that experience nearly twenty years later in NEITHER HERE NOR THERE. Bryson lived in England for fifteen years before setting out on his midlife pilgrimage from Hammerfest, Norway to Oslo, Paris, Brussels, Belgium, Cologne, Amsterdam, Hamburg, Copenhagen, Gothenburg, Stockholm, Rome, Naples, Florence, Milan, Como, Switzerland, Liechtenstein, Austria, Yugoslavia, Sofia and Istanbul. While the result is characteristic Bryson, this book doesn't quite hit the mark of some of Bryson's other books (e.g., A WALK IN THE WOODS, A SHORT HISTORY OF NEARLY EVERYTHING, NOTES FROM A SMALL ISLAND), primarily for the following reason. Somewhere along the way, Bryson lost his sense of "private astonishment" for Europe. Wherever he travels in this book, and as hard has he tries, Bryson is unable to recapture his youthful sense of wonder for Europe again; it is neither here nor there. As a result, and as numerous other reviewers have previously noted, this is the travel narrative of a xenophobic tourist, who finds very little to praise about his experience traveling through Europe. Instead, we find Bryson tramping through Europe, rather indistinguishable from the hordes of other boorish tourists who overrun major tourist destinations like Paris, Florence, Brussels, Stockholm, Rome, in search of inexpensive American food like burgers and beer, offering us very few original insights along the way, attempting instead to entertain us with sophomoric and mean-spirited humor. While many rucksack travelers (including me) have known the "private astonishment" Bryson experienced while traveling through Europe in his younger years, few readers would ever want to visit the Europe Bryson has described in this book. G. Merritt
Rating: 
Summary: Mediocre at best
Review: Sure he's kind of funny, but this book was more frustrating than rewarding for me. Bryson here seems to be extraordinarily ethnocentric and much of the humor is from looking down on other cultures. He offers observations but no real insight and is more like a spoiled kid on a trip than a travel writer. I did learn one good thing about the bizarre Capuchin Monk tomb in Rome, other than that the book was a waste. I abandoned it in a foreign hotel room- not even worth carrying home to the used bookstore.
Rating:
Summary: Bryson could make anything funny
Review: I love Bill Bryson. I've read almost all his books, and each time I finish another one, I get a little sad thinking there are now fewer left for me to get to. He is that good. "Neither Here Nor There" is classic Bryson. This guy could write about paint drying and still make the funniest, smartest observations ever. Although all the giddy excitement of traveling to new places shines through in this memoir, most of the time Bryson talks about his experiences on trains, railway stations, police stations, waiting rooms, or hotel rooms by himself. Here is were his true talent shines through and he illuminates the absolutely wacky in the mundane. I could have done without some of the misguided political commentaries he let slip in this book, but it is still a wonderful treat to see Europe through this mild-mannered madman's eyes. If you really want to laugh and laugh, go pick up this book--and all his other ones, too!
Rating:
Summary: Excellent Memoir
Review: I picked this book up on a whim. I found myself near the Travel section and it just called my attention. I had been wanting to get a travel memoir for a while, so I decided to follow my instinct and buy it and read it immediately. I am very glad I did.
Bryson's memoirs of his trip through Europe are incredibly funny and poignant. Interspersed throughout the narrative are stories from a 1972 trip he took with a "friend" named Stephen Katz which help to bring modern Europe into focus. Bryson, who at the time was living in England though he is American, has a bit of a "best of both worlds" kind of vision, which makes him able to see Europeans on their own terms, so to speak. The book covers a lot of ground, as Bryson travels from Scandinavia, through the usual staples of Western Europe, and ends up on the fringes of Europe, in Yugoslavia, Bulgaria and Istanbul. Some of the places he visits I have visited myself, and in those cases it was fun to see how we each experienced the city (I am happy to report we share our opinion of Naples, namely Ugh!) and/or country; in those cases where he goes to places I have never been (and there are quite a few those), the fun is in both his stories and just the sheer fun of travel. As I said, Bryson is funny in a candid way; he has no problem telling you about how many times he got drunk, or the various times he gets completely taken for a fool, always with wit and humor. Travel memoirs usually include these little details, factoids, that make the places come alive, and Bryson, though not a scholar and not a travel guidebook writer, injects quite a few of them in, always with an eye to bring the destination to life through history and context. In the end, however, the book is excellent because it is a very heartfelt and honest travel memoir that takes you along as a companion. Anyone who has ever traveled can relate to it, especially if you have visited Europe and can chuckle silently (or loudly, as I did too many times to count) when you remember all those little quirks that are quintessentially European. On a personal level, memoirs like this help me to bring into focus my own trip to Europe, going on three years ago, and remind me of the joy of travel, of the joy of seeing new lands, of the joy of coming home ready to do it all, all over again. And that is something that I appreciate immensely.
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