Bill Bryson

Traces the author's adventurous trek along the Appalachian Trail past its natural pleasures, human eccentrics, and offbeat comforts.

Rediscovering America on the Appalachian Trail

A Walk in the Woods

SOON TO BE A MAJOR MOTION PICTURE Back in America after twenty years in Britain, Bill Bryson decided to reacquaint himself with his native country by walking the 2,100-mile Appalachian Trail, which stretches from Georgia to Maine. The AT offers an astonishing landscape of silent forests and sparkling lakes--and to a writer with the comic genius of Bill Bryson, it also provides endless opportunities to witness the majestic silliness of his fellow human beings. For a start there's the gloriously out-of-shape Stephen Katz, a buddy from Iowa along for the walk. Despite Katz's overwhelming desire to find cozy restaurants, he and Bryson eventually settle into their stride, and while on the trail they meet a bizarre assortment of hilarious characters. But "A Walk in the Woods" is more than just a laugh-out-loud hike. Bryson's acute eye is a wise witness to this beautiful but fragile trail, and as he tells its fascinating history, he makes a moving plea for the conservation of America's last great wilderness. An adventure, a comedy, and a celebration, " A Walk in the Woods" has become a modern classic of travel literature.

A Walk in the Woods (Movie Tie-In)

Ned Summers 

As always, Bryson is a brilliant storyteller, managing to somehow make a very long picturesque walk interesting without having to show any pictures or holding you for too long.

Laura Mauler

This book was fantastic. It did not follow where I expected it to go, which was exciting since it still went somewhere great that I couldn't predict.

Joyce Gu

My toxic trait is that I think I could hike the Appalachian trail

I absolutely loved this book. First I'd read anything by Bill Bryson, and I can definitely see why his style rubs some folks the wrong way... but it hit me just right. I laughed throughout and learned a lot and became even more intrigued with a subject (the Appalachian Trail) that was already very close to my heart.  

Brett Seybert

Rediscovering America on the Appalachian Trail (Official Guides to the Appalachian Trail)

Michael Springer

** spoiler alert **
           A warning: He doesn't finish the Goddamned trail! How much of a letdown is that? Anybody can walk half of the damned Appalachian Trail...well, okay, anybody can't...but, if you're going to write a Goddamned book about it, walk the whole thing! Forsooth!

Rant done. This book is fun, and since it'll be a long time before I tackle the Appalachian, I'm glad I found a fun book about it. Bryson writes well, and this book is full of fun, odd facts about both the Appalachian Trail and the DNR. And hiking in general. Fun, but a letdown in the end...then again, perhaps the POINT is that his quest was left incomplete. But, c'mon, that bookish lady I worked with in the University Writing Center walked the whole thing!

Colleen

3 Stars

I feel like I should like Bill Bryson's work more than I do. Travelogues. Dry humor. Random Facts... It sounds like it should be right up my alley. But both A Walk in the Woods and In a Sunburned Country left me underwhelmed. I simply am not that engaged by his writing style. While there were some humorous moments, they were not that funny.

In A Walk in the Woods, Bryson had recently moved back to America and decided to hike the Appalachian Trail. He started out with a little research and no physical preparation. This guy seriously thought that taking some day hikes in the English countryside was preparation for spending months backpacking. He had never even spent the night in a tent and listed his camping experience as building blanket forts in his house as a child. Despite being unprepared and out of shape, Bryson still managed to be extremely condescending towards everyone else. Frankly, he was often quite a jerk particularly to his friend who came along with him. If one of my friends wrote about me like that we would not stay friends. He also did a lot of fat shaming towards anyone remotely curvy. 

Bryson's brand of humor often relied on too much hyperbole. It got old quickly. He was particularly obsessed with ranting about the dangers of grizzly bears - despite the fact (which he even admitted to knowing) that grizzly bears don't live anywhere near the Appalachian Mountains. He might as well have talked about narwhal attacks for all the relevancy it had! In fact, looking back, his trip was largely uneventful and far more filled with him imagining worst case scenarios (usually involving being killed by wild animals) than actual events.

Overall, there were some interesting facts but his narrative often took tangential rabbit trails not relating to Appalachian Trail or his journey on it. The interesting parts were good enough that I will give this three stars (barely), but I will not be in a hurry to pick up another Bryson book any time soon. Just like when I read In a Sunburned Country, I got the strong feeling that Bryson does not enjoy travel or people and definitely not nature. There are better travel writers out there whose work I enjoy much more, and I'd rather spend my reading time with them than a guy who begrudgingly goes on trips only to complain the whole time.


RATING FACTORS:
Ease of Reading: 3 Stars
Writing Style: 3 Stars
Entertainment Level: 2 Stars
Originality: 3 Stars
Attention to Details: 3 Stars
Objectivity: 2 Stars

Gavin

I don’t rate him – his matey adjectival register and cutesy knowledge get on my nerves – but this is great. Dead funny throughout, free of bluster, and passionate about marginal researches (the fate of the hemlock tree in Northeast America, the punctuated history of very long US roads). 

I read this aloud and it worked very well. Even my townie girlfriend wants to go hiking now.

Bouke van der Bijl

Fun read, and works very good as an audiobook. I fucking love anything Bill Bryson writes, and this book is a testament to why people should explore the outdoors and experience nature. It sure makes me want to go on a camping trip.

farah

3.5 stars

Was a good enough book, well written and the perfect amount of "education" on the Trail. Only issue was the walking the trail is a bit boring, and it comes through in the book. But I don't regret reading it :)

had this book for years and finally got around to reading it and how glad i am that i did. bryson is witty, real and writes in such a brilliant way where you can’t stop turning the page. extremely enjoyable read.

Shay Henrion

It's not just any book that makes me feel like I should set foot on a mountain trail. But this did that.

jack morris

I will never tire of reading British writers' opinions on America and American culture. Bryson is no different. His writing is simultaneously witty and incisive in a way English people only ever seem to be. This book is the story of the time he tried to hike the full Appalachian trail (from Georgia to Maine) along with his fat ne'er-do-well friend Katz.

Their journey is fraught with peril, and it doesn't seem all that fun. March in Georgia sounds cold and wet and life on the trail sounds tiring and lonely. But Bryson's tongue-and-cheek account manages to make even the most dire of situations seem a little bit funny, and I appreciated what seemed like a realistic portrayal of what would happen when normal folk attempt to walk 2,100 miles. 

The story is educational, too: Bryson takes time out of the story to play naturalist, environmentalist, and historian. There's loads of information about the Appalachian Trail, the places nearby, and the animals (and people) within. The endless jokes start to fall flat after awhile– I don't think I'll read another Bryson book for some time– but I laughed a lot, and I feel like I learned a decent amount, too.

Traces the author's adventurous trek along the Appalachian Trail past its natural pleasures, human eccentrics, and offbeat comforts

Trever

Nice humorous book. I don't really have anything negative to say about it. Made a good bed read.

Caroline Lewicki

If you've ever thought about setting out on a wilderness adventure, you must read A Walk in the Woods. Bill Bryson so perfectly juxtaposes humor with the harsh reality of the taxing journey through the Appalachian Trail. If you enjoy the outdoors, I highly recommend this!

Melody Izard

Very funny account of the out of shape authors attempt to walk the Appalachian Trail. There were parts of the book that just have to read out loud to whoever happens to be nearby. In addition to the humor there are a lot of very interesting facts about the AT and the little towns surrounding it.

Rose Stanley

Always enjoy Bryson and this was no exception. Learned while laughing, good times. Unlikely to attempt the AT myself on this basis however (but kind of want to read the books he mentioned, especially - ghoulishly - the one about bear attacks)!

Nat Welch

My favorite Bryson book. It makes me want to hike the PCT or just spend a summer camping.

Brandon Waters

It was okay. The first half was fun and very entertaining. The second half didn't hold my interest at all.

Ciska van Bokhorst

De stukken dat hij schrijft over het lopen van de trail zijn 5 sterren. De andere gedeeltes over o.a de geschiedenis vond ik minder boeiend. Vandaar de 3 sterren.

Tara King

Bryson is Bryson. He writes the book you want him to write: It's funny, smart, charming, honest, vulnerable. It's a lot like the book I'd like to write if I ever found myself in over my head. You laugh your ass off and then harass your friends with trivia about the AT and the US Forest Service. You begin to believe you too could thru-hike the AT.

Or maybe that's just me. Bryson really has a way of meandering into the history and context of a place without the reader quite noticing that's what he's done. Let's face it: The bulk of his experiences on the Appalachian Trail involve walking along a densely wooded path for weeks at a time. Somehow this incredibly boring activity blossoms into a meditation on wilderness, history, conservation efforts, interpersonal relationships, and commitment.

Rebecca Light

Bryson missed an excellent opportunity in the writing of this book, in my humble opinion. First of all, I feel that when you set out to hike the entire Appalachian trail and then fail to do so, you sort of forfeit your right to write a memoir about it unless you are very skilled and decide to re-frame your memoir in a way that makes the failed attempt the main narrative. But no, he just didn't do it. You can't just rent a car and drive a third of the way and then keep writing as if you hiked the AT! This pissed me off. However, the moment he realized he wasn't going to be able to hike the whole thing he should have changed his approach to writing this book. It should have been a deep character study of his friend, Katz, and their relationship. Katz was a fascinating guy and Bryson barely scratched the surface. An obese, lonely, recovering alcoholic who decides to take on the Appalachian trail with a friend he hasn't seen in decades? That's character gold! And Bryson just pretty much ignored it completely and instead tried to be funny about ticks and bears (seriously dude, get over the bears), with some Wikipedia excerpts about the snooze-fest history of the trail sprinkled in. I can't believe this book is such a hit. I hope they are able to do in the movie what the writer himself completely overlooked — make this an odyssey about an odd couple who are in way over their heads. This book. Snooze.

Sam Haynie

Francine Corry

In the company of his friend Stephen Katz (last seen in the bestselling Neither Here nor There), Bill Bryson set off to hike the Appalachian Trail, the longest continuous footpath in the world. Ahead lay almost 2,200 miles of remote mountain wilderness filled with bears, moose, bobcats, rattlesnakes, poisonous plants, disease-bearing tics, the occasional chuckling murderer and - perhaps most alarming of all - people whose favourite pastime is discussing the relative merits of the external-frame backpack. Facing savage weather, merciless insects, unreliable maps and a fickle companion whose profoundest wish was to go to a motel and watch The X-Files, Bryson gamely struggled through the wilderness to achieve a lifetime's ambition - not to die outdoors.

A Walk in the Woods Rediscovering America on the Appalachian Trail

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