Name: The Lost Continent
Rating: 3.772727272727273 (33 reviews)
ISBN: 9780060920081

Bill Bryson

An unsparing and hilarious account of one man's rediscovery of America and his search for the perfect small town.

Travels in Small Town America

The Lost Continent

'I come from Des Moines. Somebody had to' And, as soon as Bill Bryson was old enough, he left. Des Moines couldn't hold him, but it did lure him back. After ten years in England, he returned to the land of his youth, and drove almost 14,000 miles in search of a mythical small town called Amalgam, the kind of trim and sunny place where the films of his youth were set. Instead, his search led him to Anywhere, USA; a lookalike strip of gas stations, motels and hamburger outlets populated by lookalike people with a penchant for synthetic fibres. He discovered a continent that was doubly lost; lost to itself because blighted by greed, pollution, mobile homes and television; lost to him because he had become a stranger in his own land. Bryson's acclaimed first success, The Lost Continent is a classic of travel literature - hilariously, stomach-achingly, funny, yet tinged with heartache - and the book that first staked Bill Bryson's claim as the most beloved writer of his generation.

Travels in Small-Town America

A witty and very funny look into a fairly mundane roadtrip through the United States. He provides as very perceptive account of the people and places he visits. I would rate this higher, but I personally just wasn't a fan of Bill Bryson. 

Keegan Ford

Greg Talbot

Along with a Wilco cd, travel mug, and roll of quarters for tolls, a Bill Bryson book is in sync with any roadtrip. "Lost Continent" delivers on a very funny, insightful and comprehensive trip across the great states. Like a "short history of nearly everything" Bryson has the knack for describing the wide and universal in a very personal, salt of the earth voice. There is passion, humor and a dodgy sense that small town America is really all part of that same Iowa he grew up with (with slightly different landscapes and accents).<br /><br />Bryson hits that one note of the curious traveler little too much for me to fully enjoy the book. The same setup of rolling in to another town, having a little adventure can be fun but not nearly as creative as his other work.<br /><br />Of course it is worth reading. Bryson hits zingers, cultural milestones, personal stories and brainstorms unique thought clouds. A national treasure instead a larger one.

Tristan Currie

Rose Stanley

This, Bill Bryson's first foray into travel writing (or at least his first big hit), is a bittersweet trip to a range of places connected with his childhood and youth. The overall feel is slightly melancholy - despite flashes of Bryson's trademark caustic humour and some genuinely interesting facts. It's kind of the opposite of a Lonely Planet guide - a list of places Bryson visits so you don't have to, for which I can only salute him.

Rhian Davies

Alan

"Here in one volume are two comic masterpieces by Bill Bryson ; - The Lost Continent is the story of Bryson's return to the land of his youth; - Neither Here nor There Bryson is in Europe, travelling the breadth of the continent."--Publisher. description.

Travels in Small Town America ; And, Neither Here Nor There : Travels in Europe

Iestyn Lloyd

Martha F.

Apurva Chitnis

Pierke Bosschieter

Matt Illing

Wilde

Barbara

Wonko the Sane

Sara Piteira 

Keith Lang

"I come from Des Moines. Somebody had to." And, as soon as Bill Bryson was old enough, he left. Des Moines couldn't hold him, but it did lure him back. After ten years in England he returned to the land of his youth, and drove almost 14,000 miles in search of a mythical small town called Amalgam, the kind of smiling village where the movies from his youth were set. Instead he drove through a series of horrific burgs, which he renamed Smellville, Fartville, Coleslaw, Coma, and Doldrum. At best his search led him to Anywhere, USA, a lookalike strip of gas stations, motels and hamburger outlets populated by obese and slow-witted hicks with a partiality for synthetic fibres. He discovered a continent that was doubly lost: lost to itself because he found it blighted by greed, pollution, mobile homes and television; lost to him because he had become a foreigner in his own country.

The Lost Continent Travels in Small Town America

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