A review by ursa_arlo
A Walk In The Woods: The World's Funniest Travel Writer Takes a Hike by Bill Bryson

adventurous funny informative inspiring lighthearted slow-paced

3.25

Positives. Although Bryson is probably not 'the world's funniest travel writer' as the cover suggests, (granted, I don't know many travel writers,) he has a pleasant way of storytelling. You meander along with Bryson's scenic descriptions as he weaves facts about the Appalachian trail with his own experiences. I likely won't remember much of the story after a few days but sometimes getting lost in the pages of a book is all you need.

Negatives. The way Bryson talks about deaths on the AT -especially sensationalized murders- was a little hard to swallow. It abstracts from the real tragedy of the deaths. This juxtaposition between the tragic deaths and the lighthearted way Bryson writes about them becomes especially grating at the end of the book when Spoilers for the ending 

his friend Katz gets very close to becoming a statistic himself when he almost loses the trail. This was a thematically satisfying end but it clashes heavily with the lightheartedness that characterizes the book. This section also goes by so fast that you don't have time to process the shock of what happened before the book ends.

Quote. "'Anyway, we did it,' Katz said at last, looking up. He noticed my quizzical expression. 'Hiked Maine, I mean.'

I looked at him. 'Stephen, we didn't even see Mount Katahdin.' 

He dismissed this as a petty quibble: 'Another mountain,' he said. 'How many do you need to see, Bryson?'

I gave a small laugh. 'Well that's one way of looking at it.' 

'It's the only way of looking at it,' Katz went on and quite earnestly. 'As far as I'm concerned, I hiked the Appalachian trail. I hiked in snow and I hiked in heat. I hiked it in the south and I hiked it in the north. I hiked it till my feet bled. I hiked the Appalachian trail, Bryson.'