kickerdad - , reviewed on 9/23/2012 + 123 more book reviews

Neither Here nor There Travels in Europe is my least favorite Bill Bryson book which I have read to date. This is a recounting of his mid-life solo travels through Europe - city by city, train ride by train ride -somewhat attempting to follow the trail of his youthful adventure across the continent. And while it is filled with Mr. Bryson's typical whit and candid, whimsical reflections on observations of life around him, much of the book felt forced, as if he were trying to fill the pages and kept finding himself short; as if he were working hard to turn "ride train, check into hotel, visit museum, wander aimlessly, eat dinner, drink beer" into something entertaining for the reader. While there is a sprinkling of history lessons throughout, "Neither Here Nor There: Travel in Europe" contains less spontaneous presentation of useless facts than typical for his books; leaving me wondering what he was going to complain about next with regards to his travel accommodations or his meal - fun a few times, but it got old quickly.

But even a bad Bill Bryson book is better than many others! And 'Neither Here Nor There: Travels in Europe" accomplished what I intended it to do - give me some mental respite from my work with something a little less serious. Good read, not great, but I would still recommend, especialyl to a Bill Bryson fan.

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