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Product Description
Amazon.co.uk Review
Bill Bryson has made a living out of travelling and then writing about it. In The Lost Continent he re-created the road trips of his childhood; in Neither Here nor There he retraced the route he followed as a young backpacker traversing Europe. When this American transplant to Britain decided to return home, he made a farewell walking tour of the British countryside and produced Notes from a Small Island. Once back on American soil and safely settled in New Hampshire, Bryson again hears the siren call of the open road--only this time it's a trail. The Appalachian Trail, to be exact. In A Walk in the Woods Bill Bryson tackles what is, for him, an entirely new subject: the American wilderness. Accompanied only by his old college buddy Stephen Katz, Bryson starts out one March morning in north Georgia, intending to walk the entire 2,100 miles to trail's end atop Maine's Mount Katahdin.
If nothing else, A Walk in the Woods is proof positive that the journey is the destination. As Bryson and Katz haul their out-of-shape, middle-aged butts over hill and dale, the reader is treated to both a very funny personal memoir and a delightful chronicle of the trail, the people who created it, and the places it passes through. Whether you plan to make a trip like this one yourself one day or only care to read about it, A Walk in the Woods is a great way to spend an afternoon. --Alix Wilber, Amazon.com --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
Book Description
The funniest travel writer in the world takes a hike.
--This text refers to the
Audio CD
edition.
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Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
22 of 22 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
Having read all of Bill Bryson's travel books, this was the last one left. I hadn't read this because I had been told it was one of his weaker novels but I decided, through no other reason that I needed a hit of Bryson, to read it. People couldn't have been more wrong. From the very initiation of assesing the feasibility, to arranging for Katz to accompany him to the purchasing of his equipment (the careful selection process and how easy it is for us to get blinded by science - ie ripped off) and the purchase of 'a large knife for killing bears and hillibillies.' Bryson is at his absolute best. His encounters along the trail and Katz anti-social, childish antics make the first 150 pages more than laugh out loud funny. I couldn't have been more suprised. The encounter with the, erm... 'bear' and Katz' reaction compared to the wimpy Bryson is simply classic.
And then halfway through it stops.
They leave the trail to take some time off and from then on, I tried hard but it never seemed to pick up again, it was funny but you no longer felt you were joining you old mate Bill on this adventure, but just reading a somewhat disjointed collection of tales. Also, after they leave the trail, the book becomes bogged down in history which some may like, but personally, I was more interested in the humor which in the second half is often lacking. However, halfway through this book, I can guarantee theat you will have contemplated at least once, trying to walk the trail - even just a part of it! If flabby, smoking, unhealthy eating Billy boy can do it, I'll bet you I can!
Still, Bryson is and always will be in my mind, a pure genius and this book is well worth the money even just for the first 150 pages and maybe it was just me, no-one else seems to have found this a problem - maybe I'm just thick!
12 of 12 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
Two chracteristics that are fantastic to have are humour and wit and Bill Bryson has them in abundance. To write humour with such a comanding voice is an admirable quality indeed. The book is well written, planned, informative and funny.
My only comment is that towards the end the geographical, historical and geological information became a bit repetitive and I did find my interest waning. Aside from this it is another solid effort from a fantastic author.
My only comment is that towards the end the geographical, historical and geological information became a bit repetitive and I did find my interest waning. Aside from this it is another solid effort from a fantastic author.
19 of 20 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
I am a great Bill Bryson fan, and I loved reading this book.
Although, to tell the truth, it was so realistic that I felt I was camping out with him. I felt so relieved when he finally reached a decent place to spend the night, or when he found a supermarket where he stocked up on mostly junk food.
My heart went out to Katz, who stoically brought up the rear (and sometimes the front).
I tell you, I felt as if I walked every inch of that way with them and I was very happy when it finally got to the end. I was exhausted.
I felt I had to go the whole way with him, otherwise he might never make it!
If you don't want to get exhausted, worried about being attacked by bears, poisoned by mice dung or just plain lose your way or starve, go for some lighter Bryson reading where he gets in a car and travels somewhere relatively safe (like Britain).
Although, to tell the truth, it was so realistic that I felt I was camping out with him. I felt so relieved when he finally reached a decent place to spend the night, or when he found a supermarket where he stocked up on mostly junk food.
My heart went out to Katz, who stoically brought up the rear (and sometimes the front).
I tell you, I felt as if I walked every inch of that way with them and I was very happy when it finally got to the end. I was exhausted.
I felt I had to go the whole way with him, otherwise he might never make it!
If you don't want to get exhausted, worried about being attacked by bears, poisoned by mice dung or just plain lose your way or starve, go for some lighter Bryson reading where he gets in a car and travels somewhere relatively safe (like Britain).
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
Hit and miss
Have you ever been on a hike where you absolutely loved the first few hours on the trail but by the end every minute is dragging and you just can't wait to be finished? Read more
Published 11 days ago by John Smith
He left out all the really funny bits!
One of the most endearing things about Bill Bryson's books is his ability to find and interact with the funniest and most unusual people. Read more
Published 15 days ago by samantha70
A great adventure story but so much more...,
I realize that there have been over 100 reviews written on this book already since it wss first published in hardcover in 1998 and in paperback in 1999 yet the reviews keep coming! Read more
Published 27 days ago by Cynthia Danute Cekauskas, LCSW
A humourous hike
This is one of Bryson's best books. I enjoyed his pre-trip ie. His reading up on Bear attacks and his visit to the hiking store,very funny. Read more
Published 2 months ago by L. Andrews
Very funny
We had this on the shelf for a while before I finally picked it up but it was very much worth finally doing so. Read more
Published 4 months ago by Janice64
Curate's egg,but aren't they all?
I've read a few of Mr Bryson's books but haven't picked one up since I finished his Shakespeare effort. Read more
Published 6 months ago by Valentine Gersbach
OK, first you stop talking to fat ladies in laundromats.
Bill Bryson was born in Des Moines, Iowa, and is probably best known for his travelogues. "A Walk in the Woods" was first published in 1998, and follows his attempts to walk the... Read more
Published 9 months ago by Craobh Rua
Ohne Katz ist der Witz weg
Five Stars for the first part, one for the middle, three for the end.
In den letzten Tagen bin ich konsequent an die frische Luft gegangen, bei jedem Wetter. Read more
In den letzten Tagen bin ich konsequent an die frische Luft gegangen, bei jedem Wetter. Read more
Published 9 months ago by Vollzeitvater
really prompt service
i bought the book at the reduced used price . product was excellent . as a result have ordered more books by this author .
Published 10 months ago by matthew sturt
Laugh out loud funny
I've read this book several times now, and have just got the Kindle version. It makes me laugh aloud every time and with the K version I can see others like the same bits I do. Read more
Published 11 months ago by Janet Anderson
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