A CLASSIC FROM THE “NEW YORK TIMES” BESTSELLING AUTHOR OF “ONE SUMMER
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Back in America after twenty years in Britain, Bill Bryson decided to reacquaint himself with his native country by walking the 2,100-mile Appalachian Trail, which stretches from Georgia to Maine. The AT offers an astonishing landscape of silent forests and sparkling lakes–and to a writer with the comic genius of Bill … Bill Bryson, it also provides endless opportunities to witness the majestic silliness of his fellow human beings.
For a start there’s the gloriously out-of-shape Stephen Katz, a buddy from Iowa along for the walk. Despite Katz’s overwhelming desire to find cozy restaurants, he and Bryson eventually settle into their stride, and while on the trail they meet a bizarre assortment of hilarious characters. But “A Walk in the Woods” is more than just a laugh-out-loud hike. Bryson’s acute eye is a wise witness to this beautiful but fragile trail, and as he tells its fascinating history, he makes a moving plea for the conservation of America’s last great wilderness. An adventure, a comedy, and a celebration, “A Walk in the Woods” has become a modern classic of travel literature.
“From the Trade Paperback edition.”
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One of my all-time favorites for outdoor adventure. Bryson is fantastic at keeping the reader on the trail along side him.
Thoroughly enjoyable, as was the movie.
Bryson is a great author and keeps your interest throughout the pages…..
Entertaining and informative in Bryson’s usual fashion. It taught me a great deal about the the trail while providing laughs and chuckes.
I have read this book several times now, and it never – EVER – fails to make me laugh out loud. Nor does the book ever fail to motivate me to embark on an adventure.
Loved this!
I laughed out loud. I read several of Bryson’s books after devouring this one, but this remains my favorite.
Original hiker story. Bryson helped launch the hiker story, and this has become a classic. Interesting places, interesting characters. Due to the age of the story, I left off a star as it is a bit dated now.
A fantastic book – one of my favorites. I’ve read it many times and have given it often to others. After reading it, I sought out and read everything else Bill Bryson had written. None were as good as this one. Good idea for a book, good story-telling along the way – masterful turn of phrase. His descriptions of friend Katz brought coffee out of …
A rather good book, Bill deserves credit for attempting to hike the trail “through” while not exactly a 19 year old … and I believe he had kids at the time. A pretty big commit. The book is entertaining, but it’s sort of missing that big “umph” of some climax or revelation … but then we are talking about a “walk in the woods.” One thing Bill …
“A Walk in the Woods” is like “Walden” for the rest of us: this book is about going into the woods while overweight, out of shape, and as prepared as one can be for dealing with bears (i.e., this is never enough.) I laughed so hard that I had tears all the way through.
And for anyone stuck at home in 2020, I highly recommend treating yourself to …
Love Bill Bryson’s writing style!
Before reading this book, I had no idea what it meant to walk the Appalachian Trail. Thanks to Bryson, now I do, and have enormous admiration for everyone who attempts to walk even a small part of it. Not that I ever plan to be one of them, but I did enjoy learning about the planning, organizing, and surprises that meet the hikers. A great …
Laugh out loud funny. Rude to read in front of other people.
Very entertaining
Bryson never fails to entertain.
One of the funniest books I’ve ever read, he gets to the nitty gritty of the subject and tells a great story.
Funny, funny, funny! One of my favorites
I have read many of Bill Bryson’s books. As a former hiker who has covered small sections of this trail in New Hampshire and Maine, I appreciated the real difficulties in this endeavor, and cried laughing tears at some of the absurdities of hiking with someone who has no idea of the planning needed and the physical difficulties expected. A very …
ROFL – This book is laugh-out-loud funny. It helps that I know many of the locations in the book and can picture him in those spaces.