justiceofkalr's review against another edition
3.0
Eh, nowhere near as good as [b:A Walk in the Woods: Rediscovering America on the Appalachian Trail|9791|A Walk in the Woods Rediscovering America on the Appalachian Trail|Bill Bryson|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1388189974s/9791.jpg|613469] or [b:In a Sunburned Country|24|In a Sunburned Country|Bill Bryson|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1388176242s/24.jpg|2611786]. It had its moments, but there were also a lot of moments where Bryson just seemed like a colossal asshole. I was almost ready to give up at one point because it seemed like all he did was talk about how grossly fat everyone was. And not even in a "hey, America has an obesity problem" kind of way, but in a grade school playground "look at that lard bucket" kind of way. I also was a little frustrated at times with how easily he gave up on or passed over certain things because they involved too much effort (waiting in line, driving a little further, paying an admission fee, etc.). Three stars in the end because I did enjoy a lot of his descriptions of places and everywhere he went.
vsra's review against another edition
4.0
Bill Bryson is an amazing author with a dry British sense of humor and sarcasm. The book does not inspire you to go and plan your next travel to the US but sure shows a side that you have never seen. I wish he had given more space to the picturesque West Coast. A good read if you want to see the real side of things and just not hear the touristy version.
wanderaven's review against another edition
3.0
The quote on the cover of this book is by New York magazine and says, "The kind of book Steinbeck might have written if he'd traveled with David Letterman instead of Charlie the Poodle."
Thus proving my theory that any and every situation can be improved by the presence of a dog.
As others have mentioned, Bryson tends to be fairly degrading towards minorities in this book, depending on the situation. HOWEVER, throughout this book, Bryson is degrading towards everything... all people, white, black, male, female, fat, thin, child, adult. So it's a bit fanatical to flat out say that he is racist - he just doesn't like anyone (at least in this book). All places, too, whether it be in a city or suburbs or countryside. I've been to most of the places he talks about and was really surprised to read him talking about, for example, how a particular stretch of highway was boring and/or ugly. I remember some of these areas as amazingly beautiful. Sure, he wrote the book twenty years ago but many of these areas are old wood forests and deserts that would have been the same twenty years ago, if not more beautiful because now there's more of a chance that places are being overpopulated and modernized.
Bryson is always amusing and witty and this balances the book out a bit but not enough to make me recommend it to anyone.
Thus proving my theory that any and every situation can be improved by the presence of a dog.
As others have mentioned, Bryson tends to be fairly degrading towards minorities in this book, depending on the situation. HOWEVER, throughout this book, Bryson is degrading towards everything... all people, white, black, male, female, fat, thin, child, adult. So it's a bit fanatical to flat out say that he is racist - he just doesn't like anyone (at least in this book). All places, too, whether it be in a city or suburbs or countryside. I've been to most of the places he talks about and was really surprised to read him talking about, for example, how a particular stretch of highway was boring and/or ugly. I remember some of these areas as amazingly beautiful. Sure, he wrote the book twenty years ago but many of these areas are old wood forests and deserts that would have been the same twenty years ago, if not more beautiful because now there's more of a chance that places are being overpopulated and modernized.
Bryson is always amusing and witty and this balances the book out a bit but not enough to make me recommend it to anyone.
cdlindwall's review against another edition
3.0
Bill Bryson will always be really, really, really fucking hilarious. When he's writing about boring suburbs and boring monuments, he's still super funny. When he's writing about walking through the woods for a good 1000-something miles, he's still super funny. That's pretty much why this book got 3 stars; I was laughing out loud almost continuously.
But why it was 3 stars and not 4? Because I think Bryson did a shitty job representing small-town America. He notices how ugly the suburbs are, how stupid the people are, how boring and over-priced the monuments are. But he doesn't actually talk to anyone from these places. Not in any meaningful way, at least. If your entire perception of why southern America is annoying and dumb is that a waitress talked to you with a drawl, then I think that's C-grade travel writing. He's hilarious, yes. Accurate? No. There's SO much culture in these areas. Louisiana? You don't think there's more to the people than a funny way of talking? The West? Colorado? Nevada? There aren't any gun-slinging cowboys out there with a good story to tell?
It's not enough to just tell me that the towns didn't have many restaurants to choose from -- because that's not really what these places are about. It's about the people. I think Bryson seriously missed out on what could've been an awesome and insightful book about the incredibly varied, inspiring, fascinating cultures that this country has to offer. Yes, making fun of how ignorant, untraveled, and ugly America is will always be easier/possibly way funnier. But it's a cop out.
But why it was 3 stars and not 4? Because I think Bryson did a shitty job representing small-town America. He notices how ugly the suburbs are, how stupid the people are, how boring and over-priced the monuments are. But he doesn't actually talk to anyone from these places. Not in any meaningful way, at least. If your entire perception of why southern America is annoying and dumb is that a waitress talked to you with a drawl, then I think that's C-grade travel writing. He's hilarious, yes. Accurate? No. There's SO much culture in these areas. Louisiana? You don't think there's more to the people than a funny way of talking? The West? Colorado? Nevada? There aren't any gun-slinging cowboys out there with a good story to tell?
It's not enough to just tell me that the towns didn't have many restaurants to choose from -- because that's not really what these places are about. It's about the people. I think Bryson seriously missed out on what could've been an awesome and insightful book about the incredibly varied, inspiring, fascinating cultures that this country has to offer. Yes, making fun of how ignorant, untraveled, and ugly America is will always be easier/possibly way funnier. But it's a cop out.
laurensands's review against another edition
2.0
Was hoping this would be similar to his UK reviews but found most locations to be rushed ( I suppose the US is far bigger than Britain) and a fair amount of his "observations" did not age well.
sheajacquelyn's review against another edition
2.0
A few years ago, I read A Walk in The Woods and loved it; I thought it was hilarious. I was hoping to feel the same way about this book as I did the former, however, I did not. There was so much potential in this book to truly appreciate the life around him and to find the good in every small town city, but Bryson’s negativity and cynicism in this book did not appeal to me as much. Also, as someone from the South, and who has traveled up and down the East Coast, I feel like he didn’t even visit the best small town cities!
miss__manga__'s review against another edition
informative
slow-paced
3.0
I’m not really sure what I listened to. I’m seeing that this is an abridged version, so maybe the longer one would be better. At the same time, I was bored so having to listen to five times more of this would not be up my alley.
It was an interesting take of how America was when I was younger, but I thought it ovule be more informative on towns and places rather than people. I didn’t find it particularly funny or insightful like the blurb states. It is interesting that things the author mentioned to be issues are still problematic today.
It was an interesting take of how America was when I was younger, but I thought it ovule be more informative on towns and places rather than people. I didn’t find it particularly funny or insightful like the blurb states. It is interesting that things the author mentioned to be issues are still problematic today.
askmashka's review against another edition
adventurous
funny
informative
lighthearted
medium-paced