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Liked It7 of 7 members found this review helpful “Two middle-aged, out-of-shape guys decide to hike from Georgia to Maine on the Applachian Trail. I was a bit piqued when they skipped my entire neck of the woods, taking a taxi from Gatlinburg, TN to Roanoke, VA. Then they quit at Fort Royal, Virginia and skip the middle two-thirds, picking up...” see full review » see other reviews » |
Didn’t Like It1 of 1 members found this review helpful “I got a little bit bored reading this one. Maybe I don't relate very well to the interest in hiking the Appalachian Trail. I still like his writing style, but the topic wasn't for me.” see full review » see other reviews » |
Newest Reviews
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“In theory, I should love Bill Bryson: his writing is reflective, witty, and peppered liberally with science and nature facts. I devoured A Short History of Nearly Everything with a child-like abandon, but am starting to think that may have been a One Hit Wonder for me. A Walk in the Woods describes Bryson's attempt (accompanied by his friend, Katz) to hike the 2,000+ miles of the Appalachian Trail; they realize from the beginning they will not be thru-hikers, but plan on doing a large portion of the trail. They end up making one really good attempt followed by numerous day-hikes and ending with a colossal failure on the final 100 miles in Maine. He weaves together stories of their hike with the history and nature of the trail.
Nicole R wrote this review 2 days ago. ( reply | permalink ) Was this review helpful? Yes | No
Most of Bryson and Katz's story are humorous in melodramatic and self-deprecating ways, descriptions of the nature stretching from Georgia to Maine are interesting but some were riddled with numbers that stopped being impressive and started to lack meaning, and the history lessons of the AT were occasionally engaging but for the most part felt like filler. I know several people who have thru-hiked the AT (one couple in less than 4 months!) and am a little appalled at Bryson and Katz's casual disregard for the preparation and precautions that should be taken when committing to hike even a portion of the length of the US.
Was I entertained? At parts. Was I informed? Overly so. Did I enjoy the book? I didn't not enjoy it. Overall, just an okay book that doesn't inspire me to run out and get the next Bryson book. But I will continue to recommend A Short History of Nearly Everything until my final breath!”
“A laugh out loud book!”
CBF wrote this review 2 days ago. ( reply | permalink ) Was this review helpful? Yes | No
“Very funny! Bill Bryson is an excellent writer.”
mary l wrote this review 3 days ago. ( reply | permalink ) Was this review helpful? Yes | No
“Just started it, but its already funny. Reminds me of the German book
Claudia P wrote this review 4 days ago. ( reply | permalink ) Was this review helpful? Yes | No
"ich bin dann mal weg" ”“This was quite an amusing book.”
Kevin R wrote this review 8 days ago. ( reply | permalink ) Was this review helpful? Yes | No
“I had just finished the Thunderbolt Kid and wanted to read another book by Bill Bryson. I've also always had the (unrealistic with my lifestyle) dream to hike the Appalachian Trail, so I loved this account. ”
Kim J wrote this review 9 days ago. ( reply | permalink ) Was this review helpful? Yes | No“I had to take back to libaray on 11/14/09 - will check out again at a later date.”
Judy B H wrote this review 3 weeks ago. ( reply | permalink ) Was this review helpful? Yes | No
“Funny book about hiking the Appalacian Trail. Although there were points when I wanted to throttle Bryson.”
Paula C wrote this review 3 weeks ago. ( reply | permalink ) Was this review helpful? Yes | No
“I really enjoyed this book. I found myself laughing out loud at many parts. I loved his style of writing. The reason I didn't give this five stars is not because he didn't do the whole trail. He did a lot of it more than i could ever do. It was because he was so conflicted with his views i don't feel like i could understand it fully. He was constantly changing his mind about how he felt, that a good chunk was him contradicting the previous statement he had made. ”
Alora Rose wrote this review 3 weeks ago. ( reply | permalink ) Was this review helpful? Yes | No
“Phenomenal book about deciding to walk the AT and then realizing the enormity of the task. Super interesting and hilarious at times. Even though he doesn't technically get the trail done, the writing will inspire you to do a little walking of your own!”
Ed wrote this review 2 weeks ago. ( reply | permalink ) Was this review helpful? Yes | No
