A review by seclement
Neither Here Nor There: Travels in Europe by Bill Bryson

3.0

I was really disappointed in this book. I love Bryson. He's hilarious and a bit grumpy but also informative (usually). This book has its moments, and those moments are funny and mildly interesting . But it hasn't aged well, and the complaining is next level. Normally you get glimpses of his moments of delight, but this book really seemed to focus on what he found annoying, his judgments of people, anecdotes that are almost satirically stereotypical, etc. It reminded me too much of British people who go overseas, only to expect countries to fit the idea they had of that country, and get annoyed when it doesn't. The fact that he's an American who has lived in Britain, and spends a lot of time distancing himself from those American tourists whilst also complaining, also made me a bit uncomfortable. (I say this as an American who hasn't lived in America for half my life and also lived in Britain for many years....thus understanding how you'd be embarrassed of tourists from both countries. I am sure I have also fit the stereotype in my bad moments, but luckily I didn't write about those in a book.).

If you haven't read a Bryson book, please don't start with this. It's not him at his best, and it is also a bit uncomfortable at moments when read in 2023. Maybe it would have been equally uncomfortable 10 or 20 years ago, too. You won't learn as much as you do in the other books, and you might laugh a bit, but I would move it to the bottom of your reading list, even if you're a huge Bryson fan.