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Walk in the Woods

Rediscovering America on the Appalachian Trail

By Bill Bryson

(110)

| School & Library Binding | 9780613225786

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Book Description

"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 Continue

"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.

Critics

  • A Walk in the Woods by Bill Bryson Book Review by Amy Coffin

    Bill Bryson is just an ordinary guy who happens to have a job as a writer. He stumbles through life with all its ups and downs just like the rest of us. The only difference is that Bryson writes about his experiences and loyal fans on several contine ... (read full critics)

    thebookhaven published on Fri, 10 Sep 2010

  • A Walk in the Woods

    Bill Bryson is just an ordinary guy who happens to have a job as a writer. He stumbles through life with all its ups and downs just like the rest of us. The only difference is that Bryson writes about his experiences and loyal fans on several contine ... (read full critics)

    thebookhaven published on Thu, 2 Sep 2010

8 Reviews

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  • 3 people find this helpful

    This is SCARY.

    I mean it. Bryson has been all over the world, but this hike on the Appalachian mountains is the scariest thing ever. WHY do people go out in the woods? How did he not DIE? Perfectly amusing, like everything Bryson writes, but bloody hell, I got tired just READING it.

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    Paola said on Feb 7, 2008 about the Hardcover edition | Add your feedback

  • 2 people find this helpful

    This is the first Bryson book I ever read and it is my favorite. I recommend this book to everyone. This led me into reading every Bryson book i could get my hands on.

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    Dave Sanders said on Feb 13, 2008 about the Paperback edition | Add your feedback

  • 1 person find this helpful

    Do you know there's a 46-year-old mine fire in a small town called Centralia in Pennsylvania? I just love these anecdotes. Bryson's work is full of fun and information. It's a real treat for your mind and soul.

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    Nataliechen1 said on May 26, 2008 about the Paperback edition | Add your feedback

  • My advice: read "Neither Here Nor There" before this. You'll then be able to appreciate the reunion of Katz and Bryson twenty years after their split-up in Europe.

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    ary29 said on Oct 19, 2010 about the Paperback edition | Add your feedback

  • Switching between civilization comfort and grubbiness hike, Bryson and Katz went through one third of Appalachian Trail. I love the last part, Katz spoke out how he suffered from trying not indulged in drinking, got lost in the woods, and finally reunited with Bryson. Home might be too a comfort for ... (continue)

    Switching between civilization comfort and grubbiness hike, Bryson and Katz went through one third of Appalachian Trail. I love the last part, Katz spoke out how he suffered from trying not indulged in drinking, got lost in the woods, and finally reunited with Bryson. Home might be too a comfort for us sometimes, let's go out to experience some flash air in woods.

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    Hemi said on Jul 12, 2010 about the Paperback edition | Add your feedback

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9780613225786 School & Library Binding $28.15 $22.52 bn.com
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