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ketchikrista's review against another edition
3.0
I found this book very difficult to get through. There is not enough information given or stories entertaining enough to really make this worth your while. I had one quote I enjoyed and that was in the first 30 pages.
samyukta_24's review against another edition
3.0
Having only read Bill Bryson’s, “A Short History of Nearly Everything”, I went into this expecting a similar plethora of information and memorable anecdotes about his travels in Europe. I certainly was not expecting it to be as raunchy and mildly vitriolic as it turned out to be.
There were things I loved, tolerated, as well as disliked, about the book. To begin with, the aspects I loved were his short random anecdotes and analogies. They were extremely relatable to anyone who has ever traveled anywhere, and a few of them were certainly of the laugh-out-loud kind. Another thing I loved was that it was refreshingly different from an ordinary guidebook. It was one person’s truly personal and biased account of Europe and all it had to offer, and that was enough to keep it from getting boring. Also, another nice addition were the stats and histories of specific places that were interspersed in between.
Moving on to the things I did not love but could deal with, was the adult tone of the book as well as the stereotypical approach towards each country. It's all fun and games when you see other countries getting roasted until you realize he might do the same to yours. Most of the writing was plain grousing, but some passages truly made me want to write that place down on my travel list, just by the way he described it.
And finally, the parts I truly disliked would have to be the kind of whining undertone throughout the book, especially regarding the food and hotels. They were putting a damper on the momentum. Towards the end, I could feel Bryson’s fatigue through the book and was silently willing him to just end his travels and return home, because it was starting to sound tiresome, which might be as realistic as a travel memoir gets.
All in all, I don’t regret reading it, and it is an entertaining book if taken in a carefree spirit with no deeper meanings attached.
There were things I loved, tolerated, as well as disliked, about the book. To begin with, the aspects I loved were his short random anecdotes and analogies. They were extremely relatable to anyone who has ever traveled anywhere, and a few of them were certainly of the laugh-out-loud kind. Another thing I loved was that it was refreshingly different from an ordinary guidebook. It was one person’s truly personal and biased account of Europe and all it had to offer, and that was enough to keep it from getting boring. Also, another nice addition were the stats and histories of specific places that were interspersed in between.
Moving on to the things I did not love but could deal with, was the adult tone of the book as well as the stereotypical approach towards each country. It's all fun and games when you see other countries getting roasted until you realize he might do the same to yours. Most of the writing was plain grousing, but some passages truly made me want to write that place down on my travel list, just by the way he described it.
And finally, the parts I truly disliked would have to be the kind of whining undertone throughout the book, especially regarding the food and hotels. They were putting a damper on the momentum. Towards the end, I could feel Bryson’s fatigue through the book and was silently willing him to just end his travels and return home, because it was starting to sound tiresome, which might be as realistic as a travel memoir gets.
All in all, I don’t regret reading it, and it is an entertaining book if taken in a carefree spirit with no deeper meanings attached.
laurabenny's review against another edition
3.0
I didn't like this one as much as his others. Bryson visiting and commenting on a country that is no longer a country added to my feeling that the book seemed outdated. I preferred reading In a Sunburned Country because it focused on one country, in Neither Here Nor There he jumps around so much there's not enough detail for each place (although I suppose that's what the title is getting at!)
tonytharakan's review against another edition
3.0
Bill Bryson is one of my favourite authors and with this I crossed another of his humorous travelogues off my reading list. This time Bryson is criss-crossing Europe, detailing his experiences in countries such as Belgium, Germany, Italy, Switzerland and Austria. Being a Bryson book, there are several laugh-out-loud moments -- whether cheating death by crossing a road in Paris traffic, being robbed by a gypsy girl in Florence, or trying to order something edible from a German menu. Highly recommended even if you are not planning a Europe trip.
jeffmauch's review against another edition
4.0
Another solid outing for Bryson here. I really enjoy his sense of humor, especially when it comes to the oddities of international travel and some of the illogical things that can occur. I know that some readers get down on him for being too negative at times or even for being over critical, but in the heat of the moment when you are spending money to travel, inconveniences can be incredibly annoying and frustrating and I think Bryson does a good job of expressing these frustrations with humor. There are highs and lows in his travel, like anyone else (Italy vs Switzerland) and it’s interesting how varied Europe can be, even town to town. While this book is a bit dated at this point, it’s still quite enjoyable.
bookhoarding's review against another edition
4.0
I now need to go to Europe. Thank you Bill Bryson for writing quality travel stories about the people and places.
smitchy's review against another edition
2.0
Not my favourite Bryson by a long shot. I have read and /or listened to a fair few others and this was the crudest - in a literal sense, there is a lot of swearing - and it felt a bit unpolished. I don't know if this is because the other books I have read are later in his work and therefore benefiting from more experience or if the constant profanity was putting me off. Don't get me wrong I can swear with the best of them but this kind of felt like he was trying to impress an audience of twenty year old boys.
The actual "travel" part of this was occasionally enlightening but mostly I found Bryson's hyperbolic style off putting. Every interaction was to one extreme or another. He spends so much time bemoaning (frequently American) tourists cluttering up all these places he (a British / American tourist) is trying to see it gets old fast. Yes, 20 years previously all these places probably were less crowded and less "touristy" but so what? This is how they are now (or at least how they are in the early 1990's). I have been to many of the places he goes through and while occasionally accurate even in the early 2000s things were not as bad as he exaggerates them to be.
The actual "travel" part of this was occasionally enlightening but mostly I found Bryson's hyperbolic style off putting. Every interaction was to one extreme or another. He spends so much time bemoaning (frequently American) tourists cluttering up all these places he (a British / American tourist) is trying to see it gets old fast. Yes, 20 years previously all these places probably were less crowded and less "touristy" but so what? This is how they are now (or at least how they are in the early 1990's). I have been to many of the places he goes through and while occasionally accurate even in the early 2000s things were not as bad as he exaggerates them to be.
gagnedouze's review against another edition
4.0
A very enjoyable read overall but did get a little frustrated with Bryson's whinging near the end. I cannot really recall many places that he actually enjoyed to be honest.
I also would have liked some more history and information behind the cities/countries he was staying in but the humour (and it was hilarious!) made it tick along nicely.
My first Bill Bryson experience and will not be my last.
I also would have liked some more history and information behind the cities/countries he was staying in but the humour (and it was hilarious!) made it tick along nicely.
My first Bill Bryson experience and will not be my last.
ywslouise's review against another edition
I read this 8 years ago and was excited to re read it but realised it was not how I expect it to be