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Neither Here Nor There

By Bill Bryson

(107)

| Paperback | 9780552998062

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Book Description

Like many of his generation, Bill Bryson backpacked across Europe in the early seventies -- in search of enlightenment, beer, and women. Twenty years later he decided to retrace the journey he undertook in the halcyon days of his youth. The result is Neither Here Nor There, an affectionatContinue

12 Reviews

2 people find this helpful

...[Italy] " it is now the fifth biggest economy in the world, which is simply staggering achievement in the face of such chronic disorder. If they had the work ethic of the Japanese they could master the planet. Thank goodness they haven't. They are too busy expending their considerable energies on ... (continue)

...[Italy] " it is now the fifth biggest economy in the world, which is simply staggering achievement in the face of such chronic disorder. If they had the work ethic of the Japanese they could master the planet. Thank goodness they haven't. They are too busy expending their considerable energies on the pleasurable minutiae of daily life - children, good food, arguing in cafés - which is just how it should be."

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Argia Sbolenfi said on Nov 12, 2007 | Add your feedback

1 person find this helpful

Needing to clear some space on my bookshelves I have decided to reacquaint myself with Bill Bryson’s travel books before Bookcrossing them.
This one was written in 1990, first published in 1992 and the edition on my bookshelf in 1998. I enjoyed reading this travelogue of his tour of some of the ... (continue)

Needing to clear some space on my bookshelves I have decided to reacquaint myself with Bill Bryson’s travel books before Bookcrossing them.
This one was written in 1990, first published in 1992 and the edition on my bookshelf in 1998. I enjoyed reading this travelogue of his tour of some of the major cities of Europe, many mentioned of which I have visited myself during the last forty years. Of those that I have not I think that Sofia in particular may well have changed beyond recognition, Eastern Europe having undergone the most changes in the last eighteen years.
Whilst one might not always agree with Bryson’s viewpoint it is none the less an amusing read, though one must also accept that in some aspects it can seem very dated.
Certainly worth reading if you are at all interested in any of the places in Europe he writes about but remember it was written nearly twenty years ago now.

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Lindyloumac said on Oct 6, 2009 | Add your feedback

1 person find this helpful

BWAHAHAHAAAA

Who else can make you laugh out loud helplessly when describing a bus journey or a run-down hotel somewhere in a Continental dump?

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Paola said on Feb 7, 2008 | 1 feedback

"In the early seventies, Bill Bryson backpacked across Europe - in search of enlightenment, beer, and women. He was accompained by an unforgettable sidekick named Stephen Katz (who will be gloriously familiar to readers of Bryson's A Walk in the Woods). Twenty years later, he decided to retrace his ... (continue)

"In the early seventies, Bill Bryson backpacked across Europe - in search of enlightenment, beer, and women. He was accompained by an unforgettable sidekick named Stephen Katz (who will be gloriously familiar to readers of Bryson's A Walk in the Woods). Twenty years later, he decided to retrace his journey. The result is the affectionate and riotously funny Neither Here Nor There."

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Sarie said on Jan 5, 2011 | Add your feedback

Bryson is always a good read, his sense of humor effortlessly shines through everything he writes and this book, detailing his adventures and misadventures as he travels around Europe, is no exception.
What makes this a good book instead of a very good one, though, is its age. Bryson’s trip was take ... (continue)

Bryson is always a good read, his sense of humor effortlessly shines through everything he writes and this book, detailing his adventures and misadventures as he travels around Europe, is no exception.
What makes this a good book instead of a very good one, though, is its age. Bryson’s trip was taken 20 years ago and going through the pages it is impossible not to notice how some things (some cities, some attitudes, and even some jokes) are now dated.
As the author discovered that Europe had changed from his previous trip (that he had taken over 15 years earlier), the reader can’t help but notice the same kind of discrepancies between what he/she is reading and what has become of these places.
That said it is still an interesting book, certainly worth reading and capable of causing many smiles and quite a few good laughs. The best solution would be to read it while retracing Bryson’s steps, city after city, playing some sort of ‘spot the difference’ game.
Just a word of advice: if you’re European, think your country has no faults, and lack a sense of humor, this book is probably not right for you.

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Zuraide said on Sep 23, 2010 | Add your feedback

To follow his stories Pepe Carvalho often travels, but it is never like the travels of Bill Bryson. A book about travels is something you should never bring with you while travelling, so I did not. Bill tries to follow the pattern of a trip around Europe he did when he was younger. He succedes in fo ... (continue)

To follow his stories Pepe Carvalho often travels, but it is never like the travels of Bill Bryson. A book about travels is something you should never bring with you while travelling, so I did not. Bill tries to follow the pattern of a trip around Europe he did when he was younger. He succedes in following his impulsiveness, his love for big cities and capitals, his marvellous literary fantasy. The guy is fun, very fun. Sometimes he is so funny that it gets boring. The book is well written and gave me the feeling of what it means being a tourist. Most interesting part was to see how being tourist changed over the years - and reminds me on how being a tourist like Bryson is, is already past tense.

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Peppuzzo said on Jan 15, 2010 | Add your feedback