meliaraastair's review against another edition
4.0
I’ve read a couple of other books by Bill Bryson. I’m A Stranger Here Myself, about Bill Bryson’s return to America after years away and the ridiculousness of American society, had me laughing out loud the whole time. I keep buying copies and gifting it to family members. A Walk in the Woods made me want to walk the Appalachian trail, and In a Sunburned Country made me want to avoid visiting Australia – but only because of all the deadly creatures there. Although I really disliked The Road to Little Dribbling. It felt like he was trying too hard to be funny and most of the book was incredibly dry.
This book was I believe Bryson’s first travel writing. It’s an entertaining glimpse of small town America as he drives from Des Moines through the South, Northeast, and back to Des Moines, then in spring sets out for Southern California, then loops through Yellowstone on his way back to Des Moines. Some parts were quite dry and reminded me of The Road to Little Dribbling. I think the difference was since this book is set in America, I’ve been in most of these small towns or ones similar to them in the same region of the country. This book reminded me of many long road trips with both my family and my husband and made me want to start planning the next one!
If you enjoy travel writing or other books by Bill Bryson, or enjoy a good old classic American road trip, you’ll probably enjoy this one! Also since this was written in 1989, prices are highly entertaining…I wish hotel rooms were still 20-30 dollars!
I’d give this a 7.5 out of 10 for enjoyment and 3.5 of 5 for readability. It’s got a great pace of a just a few pages per location at most, but there were some dry spots.
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This book was I believe Bryson’s first travel writing. It’s an entertaining glimpse of small town America as he drives from Des Moines through the South, Northeast, and back to Des Moines, then in spring sets out for Southern California, then loops through Yellowstone on his way back to Des Moines. Some parts were quite dry and reminded me of The Road to Little Dribbling. I think the difference was since this book is set in America, I’ve been in most of these small towns or ones similar to them in the same region of the country. This book reminded me of many long road trips with both my family and my husband and made me want to start planning the next one!
If you enjoy travel writing or other books by Bill Bryson, or enjoy a good old classic American road trip, you’ll probably enjoy this one! Also since this was written in 1989, prices are highly entertaining…I wish hotel rooms were still 20-30 dollars!
I’d give this a 7.5 out of 10 for enjoyment and 3.5 of 5 for readability. It’s got a great pace of a just a few pages per location at most, but there were some dry spots.
For more reviews, check out bedroopedbookworms.wordpress.com!
lucky_ducky's review against another edition
3.0
I toyed with giving this 2 stars, but in the end I think it's worth three, if by a narrow margin. This is one of Bryson's first travel books, and it doesn't stand up as well as some of his later works. His attitude is unnecessarily assholish for much of the book, and many of his comments and jokes left me cold. Still, parts are enjoyable. If you want to read Bill Bryson, I suggest trying another book.
bravelass85's review against another edition
3.0
It wandered as much as his trip did and I didn't always like. Him as a narrator but I enjoyed the details from his travels greatly.
jaimiejaimiejaimie's review against another edition
2.0
It's a Bill Bryson book, so it has some very funny bits. But it's a Bill Bryson book published in 1989, so it's awkward and dated. He says creepy stuff about women, is weirdly racist, and has significant issues with fat people. So my suggestion is: skip this one.
teddieplaysbass's review against another edition
adventurous
funny
reflective
relaxing
fast-paced
3.75
tylerand's review against another edition
1.0
If you think that all Southern people are uneducated religious zealots who hate black people and speak unintelligibly, you’re going to love this book!
I am an Anglophile myself, but I still love my own country. Bryson seems to think every person in small-town America is a backwards hick. Insinuating that farmers purposefully injure themselves and insert their limbs and digits into farm equipment is beyond degrading. It was the feeblest attempt at being funny. Farmers are the backbone of our country and grow and harvest much of the food we eat. Everyone in the U.S. has a part to play in society, even those (apparently everyone who lives outside of a major city) that Bryson deems stupid and worthless.
I normally love Bryson’s books. I am going to continue reading his other works, but I had to put this book down after Chapter 6. I just couldn’t do it anymore. As a girl from a suburb in the state of Georgia, I was tired of being bashed by this book because of where I am from. I am proud to say that I am well-traveled (despite my “backwoods” upbringing!), and luckily, it has not made me hate my own country or the people who live in it. If he is so cynical about where he came from, I don’t know why he bothered coming back at all.
I am an Anglophile myself, but I still love my own country. Bryson seems to think every person in small-town America is a backwards hick. Insinuating that farmers purposefully injure themselves and insert their limbs and digits into farm equipment is beyond degrading. It was the feeblest attempt at being funny. Farmers are the backbone of our country and grow and harvest much of the food we eat. Everyone in the U.S. has a part to play in society, even those (apparently everyone who lives outside of a major city) that Bryson deems stupid and worthless.
I normally love Bryson’s books. I am going to continue reading his other works, but I had to put this book down after Chapter 6. I just couldn’t do it anymore. As a girl from a suburb in the state of Georgia, I was tired of being bashed by this book because of where I am from. I am proud to say that I am well-traveled (despite my “backwoods” upbringing!), and luckily, it has not made me hate my own country or the people who live in it. If he is so cynical about where he came from, I don’t know why he bothered coming back at all.
bog_elfin's review against another edition
3.0
The style was a bit too snarky and negative for my taste, though funny at times. The thing that most struck me was how dated it is. The U.S.A. of Bryson's youth, that he recalls and searches for throughout the book, is more akin to what my grandparents experienced that what I did. It sounds nice, but the inherent superiority he assigns to the past is somewhat suspect. And even the "present" of the trip in the late '80s seems foreign in 2020. He seems to travel somewhat randomly, and I can't help but feel he could have been saved a good bit of consternation by a GPS.
viktoriya's review against another edition
4.0
I absolutely love how Bill Bryson writes. I love his sarcasm. Some readers criticized him for it, but I'd say the more, the merrier. Yes, this book is a little outdated now, but it is still a delightful read.
howattp's review against another edition
1.0
Rarely have I read anything so negative and hateful masquerading as some sort of travelogue. Yes, he travels, but he condescendingly dumps on everything and everyone and everywhere.
saara_ilona_muu's review against another edition
3.0
There were some laugh out loud moments, but he has written better fare.