Rating: 
Summary: Surprising touching (and, of course, pretty damn funny)
Review: This book has been sitting on my bookshelf, unread, for over year now, ever since I announced to friends and family that I wasa planning to do a thru-hike of the Appalachian Trail and promptly got two copies for Christmas (a little gift coordination please, people?). During that time, thirty to forty well-meaning souls have asked me, in one form or another, "Oh, so you're going to hike the Appalachian Trail? Have you read 'A Walk in the Woods?' It's really funny." Right. The last straw, though, was when my two roommates each grabbed the book off the shelf and read it in a period of about three weeks. Fine. I'll read it.To begin with, I didn't have the highest of expectations. I'm not the world's biggest fan of non-fiction, and the humor of incompetence (Darwin awards excepted, of course) doesn't do much for me. And for the first two chapters, my worst fears were headed for confirmation -- Bryson the incompetent shopper and Bryson the incompetent packer, sprinkled liberally with little asides about Bryson the incompetent, overweight hiker. I went outside and announced to my roomate (the second one who read the book), "I don't think I'm going to like this book very much." Well, I was wrong. Bryson the hiker reaches the trail, where he and his pal promptly throw away much of their unnecessary gear (and slightly more necessary food), and Bryson the writer magically throws away much of his smug idiocy. The book becomes a rather touching account of he and his friend's sheer desire to hike the trail, in the face of the fact that they're in no way prepared, physically or mentally, to do so. A hundred pages in, we can easily see why. In between all the humor (and there's a lot of that), Bryson manages to convey the joy of carrying one's life on one's back, and moving only as far and as fast as one can walk in a day. Incidentally, the book contains a fair amount of ecological, environmental, and historial information about the Appalachians and the trail, nicely packaged so that we hardly realize that we're being taught something until it's too late to object. All in all, this book is good stuff. Highly recommended.
Rating:
Summary: HIGHLY ENJOYABLE! (but didn't need the science lesson)
Review: I only write a review when the book was either awful or the best thing I've read lately. Bill Bryson's A WALK IN THE WOODS is definately the latter. All the blurbs you see on the back testifying that this is a funny book are not only true, they're an understatement. There are times when Bryson is either describing his own bewilderment or the bewilderment of his hiking companions (most notably "Katz", though those who have had the pleasure of reading WOODS will remind you of a certain thick-headed woman named "Mary Ellen") that forced me to laugh out loud and to wipe tears from my eyes. This is the strength of the book. The weaknesses are few but taxing, such as the author's tendency to preach on conservation and evolution. But thank goodness these side-trips are brief, usually under 3 or 4 pages, so they don't detract from the fun of the book. A wonderful job!
Rating:
Summary: 340 pages about a trail ? Doesn' this sound like hardcore ?
Review: I bought "A Walk In The Woods " at the airport on the way back from a hiking adventure on the southern hemisphere.So I thought it to be the ideal book to read and compare my impressions with the author's.I soon got absorbed by the book and by the very ironical way of writing.The first half of the book is indeed brilliant and worth reading as you get a good picture of the trail and additional information about its history(etc.) .Nevertheless,at a certain stage your reading slows down: The trail gets somewhat uniform and boring to both the author and the reader and together with Bryson's arrogance concerning everybody apart from himself it makes the reader struggle with the second half of the book. Why the hell did he not stop writing at page 150 ?
Rating: 
Summary: Good for a few yuks, but disappointing
Review: The concept is good--two out-of-shape middle-aged guys try to hike the 2,100 mile Appalachian Trail--and the first fifty pages of "A Walk in the Woods" are enjoyable. Despite years of camping and hiking in the Boy Scouts in my youth, I too would be out of my league trying to prepare and equip for hiking the AT. But in the interest of full disclosure, the book should have been called "A (Short) Walk in the Woods--Rediscovering (Small Parts of) America on (39% of) the Appalachian Trail". Bryson hikes from North Georgia, but calls it quits at Gatlinburg, Tennessee--renting a car to drive from there to Roanoke, Va. Perhaps realizing that he was supposed to write a book on the AT, but had quit (oops), Bryson then drives around to various parts of the Trail, taking day hikes on weekends. He then teams back up with the indomitable Katz to hike the last hundred miles of the trail in Maine. Again--you guessed it--they quit and go home, lamely insisting that they had hiked the Appalachian Trail. I'm sure hard-core thru-hikers everywhere are simply beside themselves over this. Interestingly, at the same time Bryson talks about how those on the AT depend on "the kindness of strangers," Bryson and his foul companion Katz are almost vicious to their fellow hikers--mocking their intelligence, rebuffing attempts at friendly conversation, "ditching" companions, even stealing shoestrings from other hikers' boots in the night--nice. And as others have noted, while preaching about environmentalism and repeatedly criticizing the Park Service, Bryson and Katz leave a trail of cigarettes, discarded equipment, and soda cans over miles of the Trail. Bryson stereotypes Southerners (another "Deliverance" insult--yawn) and spouts knee-jerk environmentalism (acid rain! yikes!) all the while. And the brief foray into Civil War history--a brief profile of Stonewall Jackson--is a howler, filled with inaccuracies and undisguised Yankee disdain for a man who, though eccentric, was arguably one of the greatest military commanders of all time. That said, Bryson does have an ear for witty repartee (one wonders how much was filled in later, for comic effect); I chuckled out loud a few times. The book is also a nice, quick read, good for an airplane ride or short weekend, for instance. But I couldn't help but be disappointed. I was ready to root for two underdogs to conquer a daunting physical task--instead, they gave up early and were jerks to everyone they met along the way. Granted, if I tried to hike the AT, I might not make it half as far as Bryson--but hey, I didn't sign up with my publisher to write a book about hiking the Trail, either.
Rating: 
Summary: Very Funny Book
Review: I loved this book. I listened to the audiobook which he reads and did a great job. I highly recommend it. I was laughing out loud on the way to work and back. Even small errands were enjoyable. Definitely check it out.
Rating:
Summary: Great introduction to adventure of walking..
Review: I enjoyed the book very much. This was my first introduction to this genre of books and I have since been reading a lot of them. Thanks.
Rating:
Summary: What a treat!
Review: LOVED this book! He had me in stitches throughout the story! I highly recommend this to people who wouldn't be caught dead without a flush toilet - but, would like to hear about the adventures of hiking the AT. Keep in mind this book is tongue in cheek - don't expect survival advice. Do expect a wonderfully light hearted story about a regular guy with high aspirations!
Rating:
Summary: A leisurely stroll of a book
Review: Judging from the pleasant, comical cover, I think I should have expected less from this book. It came highly recommended to me by a man who is a long-time hiker and experienced outdoorsman. After reading the book, it surprised me very much that he regarded it so highly. Bryson is an ambling ametuer of a hiker and barely even American after spending the last 20 years in England. Perhaps Bryson's self-effacing style and admitted inexperience gained him a suitable amount of leeway in my friend's eyes. It is clear from the beginning that Bryson is not out to prove anything about his brute strength or will. He is reacquainting himself with the country he left as a young man by walking its woods; not a bad way to get to know your country. A Walk in the Woods is Bryson's journalistic review of the journeys he and his old pal Katz (a truly comical, almost human, figure) take through the Appalachian Trail. At first, Bryson's droll, conversational manner of prose is appealing, relaxing even, but after a couple hundred pages I was asking myself, "Why am I reading this? " I have no real plans to hike the Appalachian Trail and I am a fit youngster sharing little in common with this author so why keep reading? The fact that I did tells you something about the easiness of the text and there are definitely enjoyable and informative narratives scattered throughout. Bryson's well-researched chapter intros, dealing with everything from the history of the trail to a disastrous Pennsylvania coalfire that has been burning for 30 years and could burn for 1000 more, are fascinating and occasionally deeply provocative. His accounts of the simple and somehow likable Katz are gems. I would highly recommend this book as travel reading, whether on a train, plane, or car. Don't expect a guide to the AT...that's not the goal of his book. Expect a british-american version of Dave Barry walking segments of American Woods and offering his witty, descriptive opinions about the things he sees and reads. Bryson is clear and articulate, sometimes a little too flowery and un-American for my taste, but mostly very humorous, a few times poignant and always enjoyable.
Rating: 
Summary: Buy this Book to Laugh but not to Learn
Review: Out of curiosity I took a quick read through some past reviews and found exactly what I expected: Most folks loved this book but most serious backpackers detested it. If you're looking for a good, factual, insider's perspective on the Appalachian Trail you will be sorely disappointed. When I began reading this book, I expected to be treated to an epic story of a 2000+ mile backpacking trip taking many months to complete. The fact is, Bryson completed far less than half the trail. There is absolutely nothing wrong with doing shorter hikes (not many folks ever want to complete the whole trail,) it's just that it was simply not the book I expected. And he never seemed to immerse himself and become "part of the trail," but remained an uncomfortable visitor. Also, Bryson is sometimes annoyingly critical of people he meets along the way. Still, if you are simply looking for good reading and great laughs, you'll enjoy this book. There's no doubt that Bryson is a talented writer, and it's not necessary for a book to be a learning experience for it to be a worthwhile read.
Rating:
Summary: Walk with Bryson...you will not be disappointed
Review: A Walk in The Woods is an uproariously funny, and well-written tale of Bill Bryson's trek across the Appalachian Trail. Many people talk about someday hiking the trail, or doing it over a period of time. Bryson, with little experience or expertise heads out and actually does it. He takes along a slightly delinquent, sidekick, Katz whose only qualification for the hike is that he knows Bryson. Together they lead us on a delightful walk. A walk that brings to mind what would happen if the Marx Brothers and Three Stooges hiked the trail together. Bryson pokes fun at much of what he finds along the trail, but he writes about it with a humor and wit that will have you laughing out loud. I have read some of the other reviews, especially those by AT aficionados. While Bryson may not be their idea of the dedicated Appalachian Trail fanatic, their reviews read as if they need to hike less and get a sense of humor. This book is witty and written with clarity that is rare today. If you need a few hours of enjoyment, walk the trail with Bryson, you will not be disappointed.
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