Not his greatest, but still entertaining
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There are some good and some bad points to this audio CD.
First, it isn't as good as his travels around Britain, Europe, or his notes from a Big Country. There is considerably less material here - it's all about him hiking the Appalachians with his friend Steve Katz. It's still enjoyable in itself, but Bill Bryson writes best when he is put into new, bewildering situations, poking fun at the people he meets and poking fun at his reactions. And in a Walk in the Woods, he simply doesn't meet enough weirdos with which to test his acid pen.
Bill Bryson narrating the book is a mixed benefit. On the one hand, it's always good to have the author read his own material. And the passages in which Bill Bryson desribes the hostile beauty of Appalachians are particularly evocative. The problem is that unfortunately, his voice is quite relaxing and occasionally dull. Despite the fact that he is one of the funniest writers around today, he can't tell a straight-forward gag, whereas the often irritating narrator on some of his other work (the name escapes me) at least knew when and how to tell a funny story.
Despite the shortcomings, it is still enjoyable. I listened to it whilst driving long distance, and it's very nice to pass the time to. But I don't think I'd listen to it sat at home.
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Ideal for that long car journey. (The audio book that is!)
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Bryson's dry wit is very much to the fore in this very entertaining account of another of his (many) journeys. The essence of his writing lies in the way he observes the places & people around him & he has the knack of making a fairly routine event into something humorous such are the powers of his description.
I'd recommend this to anyone whether they are familiar with his work or not.
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