Rating: 
Summary: Depressing
Review: I didn't like it. It is the first book of Bill Bryson's I have read, and probably won't read another one. I have also traveled extensively in Europe, and similiar to Bryson, never planned my hotels, etc. But while I always have a good time, he just seems to dislike everything. It depressed me to picture him traveling through Europe, being that negative. Skip this book, and read an intelligent and interesting travel book, like something by David Hatcher Childress.
Rating: 
Summary: Mistaken Good Intentions
Review: As a fan of the other Bill Bryson books, I was disappointed by this one. It really appeared to me that Bryson took this trip because he wanted to relive the wonder of his first youthful European trak without really realizing how much he had changed. He still offers funny anecdotes but he clearly did not connect with many Europeans and his sarcasm was not tempered with much genuine enjoyment of his experience. I would have been just as happy for him to have spent his summer in England with his family and simply used his extraordinary ability to tell stories about his daily life!
Rating:
Summary: Funny but superficial.
Review: Bryson is a good deal funnier and more mature than, say, Jeff Greenwald, but he falls into the trap of not meeting enough locals and padding his book with initially-amusing-but-eventually-repetitious accounts of surly service workers and mediocre hotels. He helpfully weaves tips on traveler's checks and museums into some of his anecdotes.
Rating: 
Summary: Bill Bryson is brilliant!
Review: For anyone that has backpacked through Europe or is on their list of things to do, "Neither Here Nor There" is a must read! It is factual and funny. He has each country down to a tee. He is wonderfully sarcastic. His relationship with fellow backpacker, Steven Katz, is continued in his following novel, "A Walk in the Woods." This book is a must read for any one that loves Europe!
Rating:
Summary: Bryson is a tourist in continental Europe, not a traveler.
Review: Bill Bryson walks you through quite a fiew European cities. He gives you accurate observations and - as far as I can tell - a good feeling for the places he visits. But he also prefers to sit in public places and read other people's books on those places, instead of talking to all the different folks of Europe and giving you impressions on what really adds spice to Euorpe. This is were the book completely misses out on Europe. Tourists will never get experience; and neither in Europe nor from Bill. He remains a tourist himself, and seldom turns into a traveler. I still give him 3 stars because of his entertaining humor. And because - from 30'000 feet - he rates the Austrians even lower than the Germans.
Rating: 
Summary: Immensely amusing!
Review: I know that a few were turned off by Bryson's relentless criticism of just about every place he ventured. He rehashes many old stereotypes and prejudices. But, I guess that I should hate to admit, but I don't, I found it immensely amusing, and I know that much of it is based in fact. I think that many of his critics forget that he is trying to entertain more so than he is trying to educate - the point of this book is not to provide to the reader a travelogue with precise cultural detail - but to relate BB's impressions as he traveled Europe, and as BB is a humorist, you expect that humor to pervade his observations. I didn't find this particularly meanspirited.
Rating:
Summary: hahahhahaha...snort*
Review: The first time I read this book I was on an Amtrack heading toward Seattle. I only made it to page 30 than I had to put it away. I was laughing so much, the people around me were becoming annoyed. Bill Bryson's work belongs right up there with Ted Simon and Sean Condon, all who have the ability to make you laugh, think and become a part of their adventures. I strongly recommend this book for anyone who has traveled, and for those of you that have not traveled, read this book, buy a ticket to anywhere and try living a bit.
Rating:
Summary: Laugh out loud funny
Review: During my recent trip to Europe, I decided to read this book since I enjoyed his other book Walk in the Woods. It was well worth it. The book was extremely funny, even to the point where I would laugh out loud during the middle of train trips. There were parts of the book that were probably exaggerated for effect but nonetheless the entire book was entertaining and well worth the read.
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: Clichés and Commonplaces
Review: When a prejudiced guy goes abroad to nourish his prejudices, it begets a book full of clichés. Sure, BB is subtle enough not to let us in on his preconceived judgements, but he definitely carries a bagful of them. The book even lost its (claimed) humor on me because, as an European, I've been familiar with all those commonplaces in ages. "Neither Here Nor There" is so shallow that it has almost nothing to do with what Europe is about. Indeed, BB should stick to his English teaching knack.
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