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A review by somanybookstoread
Neither Here Nor There: Travels in Europe by Bill Bryson
3.0
Generally, I like Bill Bryson a lot. I think he has a strong personality that comes through as a distinct and accomplished writer's voice. I think he's funny and clever and I admire how prolific he is and the range of topics on which he writes.
This book, however, is definitely a young and not yet fully developed Bryson as a writer. While the personality was very much there on the page and there were some passages that made me laugh out loud, the book was largely incoherent. Bryson came across as a whining tourist who didn't leave me with a distinct impression of any of the places he visited. He also seemed like a pervert and the multiple references to animal cruelty (wanting to shoot poodles, leaving a cat in a pantry for three weeks, a few others) did not sit well with me.
Will I read more Bryson? Yes. Do I think he's likely embarrassed by this work from more than 20 years ago? I hope so.
This book, however, is definitely a young and not yet fully developed Bryson as a writer. While the personality was very much there on the page and there were some passages that made me laugh out loud, the book was largely incoherent. Bryson came across as a whining tourist who didn't leave me with a distinct impression of any of the places he visited. He also seemed like a pervert and the multiple references to animal cruelty (wanting to shoot poodles, leaving a cat in a pantry for three weeks, a few others) did not sit well with me.
Will I read more Bryson? Yes. Do I think he's likely embarrassed by this work from more than 20 years ago? I hope so.