A Walk in the Woods

Abridged
Author: Bill Bryson
Narrator: Bill Bryson
Genres: Fiction, Comedy
Publisher: Random House (Audio)
Date: May 1998
Length: 6 hours
Ratings:
  • Book Rating: 4/5
Formats:
  • CD

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Overview

"Returning to United States after 20 years in England, Bill Bryson decided to reacquaint himself with his mother country by walking the 2,100-mile Appalachian Trail. Known affectionately as the AT, it offers an astonishing landscape of silent forests and sparkling lakes. But for Bryson it also offered an opportunity for humor and irony as he learned the trail's hard lessons about self-reliance. He persuaded his friend Stephen Katz to join him, and through weeks and months on the trail these two pioneers get in touch with a lot more than just life on the trail."

Selected Reviews

Entertaining

by Susan
  • Book Rating: 4/5

Appalachian

by T Morrell
  • Book Rating: 3/5

More...

Read All 20

Reviews (20)

Entertaining

Written by Susan from Dinuba, CA on July 24th, 2008

  • Book Rating: 4/5

Very entertaining but Bill's books usually are. I really wish Bill would have someone else read his books. His voice is annoying.

Appalachian

Written by T Morrell from Woodside, NY on June 20th, 2008

  • Book Rating: 3/5

Interesting when you lookup Appalachian English on Wikipedia it points out that those who are from Appalachia say "App-a-latch-ah" while outsiders call it "App-a-lay-csh-ah." Having grown up in the Smokey Mountains I've known this for all my life. You would think that Bryson would have picked up on this given his Walk in the Woods, but then again. Did he really experience Appalachia, including the "red necks", or just go walking in a modern day wilderness and encounter other well-supplied, comfort technology oriented hikers on an extended excursion. I grew up playing in those woods with the bears and polecats and such. It's a funny book at times but not terribly much about the Appalachian Trail... More really about a novice experience in hiking. Given my background I probably have more criticism than your average bear but I can't, in good faith, fully recommend listening to this book. Keep it for a dry spell.

A Wonderful Walk

Written by Sara Cardella on March 27th, 2008

  • Book Rating: 4/5

I love to hike and have always felt guilty that I wasn't better at it. This book helped me realize that a day hike is really just as wonderful as overnight trips. I loved the discriptions; they really gave me a sense of place. The diversions into wonderings about cars and people and land use were philososphically intriguing. The history lessons illuminated life at that time. Not enough travel books out there!

A walk in the woods

Written by Charlie Dixon on November 26th, 2007

  • Book Rating: 1/5

This book came highly recommended by friends but I found it very slow, drawn out and boring. Funny at times but not worth the time investment to get there. I expected much more from this accomplished writer.

A Walk in the Woods

Written by Anonymous on November 14th, 2007

  • Book Rating: 4/5

This book is very funny. I'd highly recommend it to anyone that has hiked any portion of the AT. Some of the information/statistics about the AT are a little dry - but interesting.

A Walk in the Woods

Written by Anonymous from Rochester, MN on July 26th, 2007

  • Book Rating: 5/5

Bryson is an entertaining and humous writer. Fascinating story of the Appalachian Trail. Made me want to do some hiking.

Funny in places

Written by JK on June 23rd, 2007

  • Book Rating: 2/5

I found this book moderately funny in places, but in general it was not particularly compelling. The main highlights are the descriptions of the "interesting characters" that they meet along the way - all of whom Bryson has inventive ways of insulting. I also found the narration a bit annoying.

A Walk In The Woods

Written by Cheryl Wolber on October 17th, 2006

  • Book Rating: 5/5

The person who didn't finish listening to this book, short-changed herself. It is a deleriously funny true story. I first listened to it on a long drive down the east-coast. Truckers going by must have thought I was crazy; I laughed so much. It certainly made the drive a joy I didn't want to stop driving. It is a well-written narrative of Bryson's trials and tribulations as he and his friend "Cat", on impulse, trek the Appalachian Trail. Bryson includes a lot of interesting history and facts about the areas they travel thru.But it is his own narration of this story that makes it priceless.Definitely listen to the 'Unabridged' narration; there is too much left out of the 'Abridgement'. I've listened to both and I'm glad I heard the 'unabridged' version first.

A walk in the Woods

Written by Connie on June 16th, 2006

  • Book Rating: 1/5

I found this book difficult to get into. The author decides to take a hike invites a friend along who he barely knew they walk for days then he talks himself into not finishing the hike then he tries to go back to hiking.

Great story for the car

Written by Stephanie G. from Philadelphia, PA on December 18th, 2005

  • Book Rating: 4/5

I really enjoyed listening to this in my car during my commute. I laughed a lot and it kept me interested, but not distracted from my driving. In my mind the perfect combination. I look forward to listening to other books by Bill Bryson.

Selected Reviews

Entertaining

by Susan
  • Book Rating: 4/5

Appalachian

by T Morrell
  • Book Rating: 3/5

More...

Read All 20

Author Details

Author Details

Bryson, Bill

"Bill Bryson was born in Des Moines, Iowa, in 1951. A backpacking expedition in 1973 brought him to England where he met his wife and decided to settle. He wrote for the English newspapers The Times and The Independent for many years, writing travel articles to supplement his income. He lived with his family in North Yorkshire before moving back to the States in 1995, to Hanover, New Hampshire, with his wife and four children. In 2003 he and his family moved back to England, where they currently reside.

The Lost Continent, Bill Bryson's hilarious first travel book, chronicles a trip in his mother's Chevy around small town America. Since then, he has written several more about the UK and the US, including notable bestsellers, A Walk in the Woods, I'm A Stranger Here Myself (published in Britain as Notes from a Big Country), and In a Sunburned Country (published in Britain as Down Under).

His other books include Bill Bryson's Dictionary of Troublesome Words, Neither Here nor There: Travels in Europe, Made in America, The Mother Tongue and Bill Bryson's African Diary. His latest book, A Short History of Nearly Everything, was published in Spring 2003."