Rating: 
Summary: Not a hiker but "loved the book"
Review: I read a review on A Walk in the Woods in the main newapaper in Boston, MA, from a literary club. I had not heard of Bill Bryson or the book but was so enticed by the review that I got the book from our local library. It was wonderful, I laughed, wanted to cry sometimes and encouraged my husband to read it. He, too, enjoyed it almost as much as I did. The bottom line is, I am ordering a copy for our library so I can loan it to others and, read it again.
Rating: 
Summary: Excellent, but not what you expect...
Review: This book is not a guidebook. Nor is it an instructional book. If you hiked the AT and want to re-live memories, you probably won't like this book. If you want to see another perspective on backpacking, you won't learn a thing from this book. If you're looking for just a really funny book, this one will let you down after chapter 5. All in all, its not the book you think it is, or at least, it was not what I thought it was.But, if you love the outdoors, if current threats to wilderness get you up in arms, and if you've ever had a *bad* experience with food, getting lost, or your partner being annoying, you may like this book as much as I did -- which was an extraordinary and suprised amount. It is not always funny, not always historical, and not always a sheer and grand disgrace to the art of backpacking. But I enjoyed the mix so much that after I read it, I took it with me and read it aloud to my hiking partners over the 90 miles of the Wonderland trail. Go figure.
Rating: 
Summary: disappointed
Review: Excellent writing. I loved the style, and was excited to read another book about one of my favorite subjects, hiking, and the A.T. I have one big complaint, however. Fairly frequent crude references and words ruined the book for me. I was quite disappointed. I couldn't finish it.
Rating:
Summary: funny, informative, and yet...
Review: this is not a trail guide. this is most DEFINITELY not a how-to manual. this is a funny, informative book about a man, a writer, who has never backpacked before, who decides to take on the granddaddy of America's long-distance trails. a ridiculously out-of-shape, almost-forgotten friend from his past joins him. as a backpacker myself, who faintly dreams of one day trying the AT, i found the hiking narrative incredibly funny. i laughed out loud quite a few times. Bryson does frquently detour into historical anecdotes about people, places, and events that relate to the history of the trail. i was fascinated by a lot of his fact-gathering, and felt the history enriched the legend & mystique surrounding the trail. BUT, once the hikers have left the trail, the book falters. Bryson tries hard to keep the book knitted together, but the rhythm gets screwed up & even when the two misadventurers get back on their feet, it never regains the fun of the first half.
Rating:
Summary: mmmmmmmmm..........yeah.
Review: This could have been consistently funnier if Bryson had gone easy on the detail, but as ever, his lust for minutae gets the better of him. The funniest sections are those in which preparations are being made for the ordeal, the enlistment of Katz and their subsequent twelve year old tantrums on the trail itself. But what mars this thing is his infuriating tendency to talk your ear off for five pages about Colonel Blatherarse or Stanley Dupree McBoot or some other dead lunatic who once walked the trail, or wrote about it or discovered it or fell over the edge. Bryson is a very funny man and a very talented writer, but I would say this to him - don't give us the detail, we don't care. We only care what happened to the Debbie cakes.
Rating:
Summary: Review for A Walk in the Woods
Review: Our teacher reads this to us whenever she can, although we are 13-14 years old. It is funny and the author is clear in expressing what he feels on the trail.
Rating:
Summary: Spellbinding
Review: Just finished this book after it's been collecting dust on the bookshelf for some time. I laughed my way though most of it, was infuriated by the US's approach to conservancy, sat breathless as Bill's companion became lost at the end, felt superior because even on my worst day my diet is better than Bill's on the trail, etc. etc. The book is absolutely evocative and pretty darned honest. Now I want to join the Sierra Club, hike a bit of the trail (maybe the pretty, easy part in VA, once my heel spur goes away)... and pick up another Bryson book.
Rating:
Summary: A book much like the hike it covers
Review: Like a lot of long hikes themselves, this book starts off strong, but then losses momentum, energy, spark. The first third-to-a-half of it is witty, sparkling, very easy to get through. However, as the journey is broken up into pieces, so is the flow of the story. It's almost like as Bill loses his enthusiasm for the hike, he also loses it for telling the story - the annecdotes are fewer and farther between, the jokes less punchy, and the weariness of the seemingly-endless trail settles down over the reader's shoulders. That said, however, it's not a bad book - Bryson is a talented writer, and his writing is honest and easy to read for the most part. So honest, in fact, that at times I wondered if he and his walking companion are still speaking to each other - sometimes, he shows a terribly unflattering side or two of Stephen. Bryson gives a very revealing portrayal of the trail itself, too; its grandeur, its hardship, its ruthlessness, and its simple serenity. He simultaneously makes me want to get out there and hike the AT, the PCT or the CDT, but at the same time he doesn't give me false hope that it's going to be a simple walk in the park. This is definitely not a "how to hike the trail" book, but he surely does give a few tips that might be useful to a through-hiker. It's an amusing read, for the most part, and gives the reader a few tastes of parts of America that might otherwise be missed. If you've got a half a dozen spare hours, and are interested in hiking or the AT, this isn't a bad way to spend that time.
Rating:
Summary: I laughed, shuddered, and snorted my way through...
Review: *A Walk in the Woods* was my first Bill Bryson, and I am sure it won't be my last. My husband and I consider ourselves (extremely) amateur hikers, having explored some of the Blue Ridge Mountains over the past few years. We hope to eventually hike sections of the Appalachian Trail, and I thought it would be fun to acquaint myself with it through Bryson's experience. After living in England for twenty years, Bryson and his family moved to New Hampshire. Bryson decided that he'd also reacquaint himself with America by hiking the AT. After reading up on the many potential hazards of such a feat (hungry and angry bears, lions, and even a rampant moose or two), he invited everyone he'd ever met to join him on the hike. Stephen Katz, an overweight and recovering alcoholic finally took him up on the offer. Once on the trip, Katz and Bryson meet a number of interesting characters and brave almost every type of weather event. In addition to Bryson's hiking experiences, he offers various historical anecdotes ranging from the creation of the AT, his views on conservation and the government's role, and even local history of towns he passed through. Readers won't have a minute to be bored and will usually be giggling at Bryson and Katz's adventure.
Rating:
Summary: Simply Outstanding,...."
Review: Humorous,informative and singularly entertaining, Bill Bryson's "A Walk In the Woods" is an exceptional read! ....Bryson has a remarkable talent for writing about the mundane and turning it into a revelatory experience! If you're the type of person who begrudingly "suffers fools in silence",...you'll revel in Bryson's ability to put a moron in his place! ....While some reviewers carp about Bryson "crankiness",...I admire his ability to verbally skewer those who so richly deserve it! It takes a talented writer to make me "laugh out loud",...and Bryson never fails to deliver the goods! ....
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