dlockeretz's Full Review: Bill Bryson - A Walk in the Woods
It's not often that I find have to pace myself when reading a book. (Food is another story, but I digress). I wanted to plunge farther and farther into "A Walk in the Woods", but this is writing to be enjoyed slowly. Bryson's eye for detail, ear for dialogue and love for history all make this book a classic.
Bill Bryson returned to the United States after living in England for 20 years, settling into a quiet New Hampshire town. When he discovered that his house was near the Appalachian Trail, he decided to hike the whole thing, from Georgia to Maine. His out-of-shape buddy Stephen Katz joined him for the trip. They started out at Georgia's Springer Mountain and slowly made their way north.
On the way, they encountered many interesting fellow hikers, found themselves in situations they hadn't expected, bickered about food and bonded in nature. Bryson and Katz found humor in their struggles and learned to appreciate the little things in life.
But "A Walk in the Woods" isn't just about male bonding; into the narrative of their trip Bryson weaves the histories of the different areas near the trail and scientific facts about the land, the flora and fauna. Bryson's ability to shift back and forth between types of narrative is sharp; at one point, during an elaborate description of the chestnut tree blight of the 20th century, I found myself saying, "Enough already, let's get back to the trail." Almost as if on cue, at that point, Bryson wrote, "Enough science for now" and his focus switched back to the journey.
At times in the book Bryson's point of view becomes a little bit preachy and condascending. I found myself wincing whenever I found the phrase "Many Americans." ("Many Americans don't get enough exercise...many Americans never set foot in the national parks...", etc). In all fairness, Bryson's statements about Many Americans are probably true, but not all of his editorializations are necessary. (He does do a good job explaining how many national parks are not short of funding; just inefficient in how they handle it). His descriptions of some of the people ("Charmingly idiotic"; "touchingly naive") are a little self-important, although again he's not entirely unjustified in his opinions. He recalls one story in which a kid's parents put honey on his arms so a bear could lick it off for the camera. The bear chomped the kid's arm right off.
But just as for the two protagnoists, the benefits of each others' company far outweighed the detriments, so the strong points of "A Walk in the Woods" overshadow the few snits I have about it. This was one of the best books I've read in a while, one that I have already recommended to several friends. It might not get you out to hike the Appalachian Trail but it will certainly give you a lot to enjoy and remember.
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