A Walk in the Woods
Manufacturer: Random House Audio
"Not long after I moved with my family to a small town in New Hampshire, I happened upon a path that vanished into a wood on the edge of town."
So begins Bill Bryson's hilarious book A Walk in the Woods. Following his return to America after twenty years in Britain, Bryson decided to reacquaint himself with his native country by walking the 2,100-mile Appalachian Trail, which stretches from Springer Mountain in Georgia to Mount Katahdin in Maine. The AT, as it's affectionately known to thousands of hikers, 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 test his own powers of ineptitude, and 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 who accompanies the similarly unfit Bryson on the trail. Once Bryson and Katz settle into their stride, it's not long before they come across the fabulously annoying Mary Ellen, whose disappearance ruins a perfectly good slice of pie, a gang of Ralph Lauren-attired yuppies from whom Katz appropriates a key piece of equipment, and a security guard in Pennsylvania who, for no ascertainable reason, impounds Bryson's car. Mile by arduous mile these latter-day pioneers walk America, along the way surviving the threat of bear attacks, the loss of key provisions, and everything else this awe-inspiring country can throw at them.
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 fragile and beautiful 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, a lament, and a celebration, A Walk in the Woods is destined to become a modern classic of travel literature.
Amazon.com Review:
Your initial reaction to Bill Bryson's reading of A Walk in the Woods may well be "Egads! What a bore!" But by sentence three or four, his clearly articulated, slightly adenoidal, British/American-accented speech pattern begins to grow on you and becomes quite engaging. You immediately get a hint of the humor that lies ahead, such as one of the innumerable reasons he longed to walk as many of the 2,100 miles of the Appalachian Trail as he could. "It would get me fit after years of waddlesome sloth" is delivered with glorious deadpan flair. By the time our storyteller recounts his trip to the Dartmouth Co-op, suffering serious sticker shock over equipment prices, you'll be hooked.
When Bryson speaks for the many Americans he encounters along the way--in various shops, restaurants, airports, and along the trail--he launches into his American accent, which is whiny and full of hard r's. And his southern intonations are a hoot. He's even got a special voice used exclusively when speaking for his somewhat surprising trail partner, Katz. In the 25 years since their school days together, Katz has put on quite a bit of weight. In fact, "he brought to mind Orson Welles after a very bad night. He was limping a little and breathing harder than one ought to after a walk of 20 yards." Katz often speaks in monosyllables, and Bryson brings his limited vocabulary humorously to life. One of Katz's more memorable utterings is "flung," as in flung most of his provisions over the cliff because they were too heavy to carry any farther.
The author has thoroughly researched the history and the making of the Appalachian Trail. Bryson describes the destruction of many parts of the forest and warns of the continuing perils (both natural and man-made) the Trail faces. He speaks of the natural beauty and splendor as he and Katz pass through, and he recalls clearly the serious dangers the two face during their time together on the trail. So, A Walk in the Woods is not simply an out-of-shape, middle-aged man's desire to prove that he can still accomplish a major physical task; it's also a plea for the conservation of America's last wilderness. Bryson's telling is a knee-slapping, laugh-out-loud funny trek through the woods, with a touch of science and history thrown in for good measure. (Running time: 360 minutes, four cassettes) --Colleen Preston
Lowest Used Price: USD 9.99
Lowest New Price: USD 18.47
- ISBN13: 9780553455922
- Condition: NEW
- Notes: Brand New from Publisher. No Remainder Mark.
- Click here to view our Condition Guide and Shipping Prices
- Abridged
- Audiobook
Release Date: 1998-05-04
Original Language: English
Unknown: English
Published: English
Now this is a cool job...
What a cool job... do what you want to do (hike the AT) and then get paid to write a book about it! I'm way jealous. Great story and information about the Appalachian Trail. Funny characters and situations. Gets a little soap-boxy at times, but still a good read.
Bill's Walk
I love laughing out loud with Bill. Once again he cracked me up. I found this book slightly more tedious than all his other ones because of so much factual history and details about the national parks. But over-all, I appreciated his candor, relished in his irreverent wit, and laughed out loud. Thanks, Bill.
Flawed, But a Step Up From The Lost Continent
Bill Bryson's A Walk in the Woods is work about Bryson hiking portions of the Appalachian Trail. I picked this up after having it recommended to me by several others, and having found a kernel of something to like in Bryson's The Lost Continent.
First, Bryson's condescension is toned way down from The Lost Continent to A Walk in the Woods. Bryson's atitude in the book is more congenial here; the near bitterness on display in The Lost Continent would have served this work rather badly. For that, Bryson hasn't lost any of his great wit, which makes his storytelling so entertaining when he's at his best.
Second, Bryson is extremely readable. A Walk in the Woods goes by quickly.
The downside is that it's almost two books squeezed into one. The first section, which is by far the best, finds Bryson and his friend Katz hiking southern sections of the AT. Afterward, they leave the trail, and Bryson comes back to hike other parts of the trail in short sections, sometimes only for a day. The final section has a reunion of Bryson and Katz, this time hiking the northernmost sections of the AT.
I don't hold it against Bryson that he didn't hike the whole thing. He hiked nearly 900 miles of it, which is certainly enough to describe the experience. However, the middle section has such a different tone and feel from the first and last sections, it almost reads like another writer took over that portion of the book. The effect is jarring and lends the book an unfortunate disjointed feel.
It's still a fun read, but if the middle section could have been like the first and last sections, it would really have been much better.
Best adventure book I've ever read
Bryson has his own very specific style of writing, which I like a lot. Since I read first of his books, now I am addicted to them. I am buying one after another and all of them are very funny and interesting. I advice this book to anyone who like funny read and stories about nature and adventures.
Two Not So Experienced Guys Tackle the Applachain Trail: Fun Book, 2nd Half less so w/o one of the Participants
A very pleasant book about two regular guys, not trail experts, planning to walk the entire Appalachian Trail (AT) but not completely as it turns out, in large sections with large step offs here and there. Not to be confused with an expert hikers view of what it is like on the trail but essentially two amateurs. The tell tale sign was when Bryson buys camping equipment and when he purchases a 0 backpack he is stunned to find out that the straps cost extra along with the rain pack cover. I still had to buy pedals (& shoes). The author is accompanied by an out of shape friend but surprisinghly durable, hard luck friend named Katz and their interactions along the trail set the style of the book. Well meaning, and surprisingly earnest adventurers tackle the greater portion of the AT. The tale is fraught with humor with their less than stellar encounters, although successful in overall travel, hiking through a good portion of the southern trail, middlke area and an attempt to finish a section in Maine. Roughly 800 plus miles out of 2,000 by books end. The humor and sarcasm about certain places and people along the way is entertaining as well as great detail in describing the trail, it's history and the attarctive features along the way. Very good descriptions of the various small towns they encounter, camping sites with very good descriptins of shelters and assorted motels, cabins and bunk houses along the way they periodically utilize for showers, food and recovery. One bunk house was described by an earlier arriving patron as Stalog 17. But the amusing aspect is the interaction between the two and quite a number of folk along the way, the knowledgeable, the well meaning and the off the wall. Again, not for the hard corps hiker looking for the ultimate guide but if they are looking for an amusing, descriptive of semi-amateurs trail experience, they will enjoy the book. The book loses something in the second half when there is a significant break and Katz goes home. The author proceeds much later with day hikes with a leapfrog effect using his car until he moves further north. Theook picks up at the end as Katz returns and the humor and likeable interaction picks up for the last 100 plus miles in Maine that does not pan out well. If you are looking for a serious book on the trail, this is not really it, but it does provide an very appreciative taste of life on the AT, and a fun adventure that the less skilled wilderness folk can appreciate.
Possibly Related Posts:
- Overcome the Fear of Flying
- Selected Shorts: Travel Tales A Celebration Of The Short Story
- Trekking and Climbing in the Western Alps (Trekking & Climbing Series)
- The Geography of Bliss: One Grump’s Search for the Happiest Places in the World
- Travel Talk Moroccan Arabic (Arabic Edition)
Entries (RSS)