Mackenzie K. (renegadebison) reviewed on 8/24/2009 + 3 more book reviews

I've read a number of Bryson's books and really enjoyed them, but this is my least favorite so far. He covers too much ground with not enough thoroughness, and by the end I felt like all I'd read about was a middle-aged white guy traveling alone through countries where he did more or less the same thing over and over. I didn't feel like I got much sense of what the places or people were like in the places he visited, nor did I get any real idea of which of those places might be enjoyable to visit. This book doesn't lean much on interesting facts and history about the places he travels -- his Australia book, "In A Sunburned Country," is much better in that respect -- and lingers instead over Bryson's bad experiences, giving more detail to the poorness of the service in restaurants and difficulty in finding hotel rooms than he does about what the places are actually *like*. Bryson manages to come off as a whining, annoying American/British tourist and often when he was playing a recollection for humor I just wanted to cringe.

I'd recommend instead his books "In A Sunburned Country" (Australia), "A Walk in the Woods" (the Appalachian Trail), and "I'm A Stranger Here Myself" (notes on returning to America after 20 years away). Part of what disappointed me about this book was that, having read those others, I knew he was capable of much better. I'd give this one a miss just to avoid being disappointed.

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