A Walk in the Woods Poll

[prozac]

Bottom line, did you enjoy reading A Walk in the Woods? Not whether it was factual or should be classified as non-fiction. Irrelevant whether he "gave back to the trail" or not. Just vote based on whether you enjoyed it or not.

[Heater]

Bottom line, did you enjoy reading A Walk in the Woods? Not whether it was factual or should be classified as non-fiction. Irrelevant whether he "gave back to the trail" or not. Just vote based on whether you enjoyed it or not.

I would have liked to see an "It was just OK" choice. It wasn't a bad read but it wasn't a good read either. If you have not read it, you are not really missing anything.

JMHO.

[frieden]

I thought the first half of it was hilarious, and really enjoyed the read. It fizzled out at the end, though. It is said that he was running out of time on his contract, so he had to write something down quickly, and it shows. I would still recommend it, though.

[generoll]

yeah, like he said. The first half was hilarious. Once you read to Gatlinburg, throw the book away. He clearly has little use for southern towns or southerners, but he still has a wicked sense of humor.

[emerald]

I agree certain portions of A Walk in the Woods are what I would call hilarious, but I believe there are much better books about the A.T. It's unfortunate this is the book most people who read only one A.T. book will read, but I suppose it's better than none.

I didn't vote because I needed another option somewhere between the two alternatives available to me.

[Yahtzee]

I thought the historical aspects were of great value. But any human aspect, meaning involving him, to me was less about hiking than about lazy Americans. Would love to see Bryson in Hiawassee spouting his opinions to the faces of those he disparages.

I prefer the Real Bill Bryson. Man had a backpack as big as a satellite.

[troglobil]

I'll have to agree, first half was hillarious. Second half was ok.

[DavidNH]

I loved the book, very fun story!

Bryson did not hike most of the trail it is true, I doubt he ever really wanted to. But hiked enough to get a flavor of things. It is an entertaining read.

David

[fiddlehead]

i couldn't vote because the poll was between like and hate. That's too broad of a range for me. I was definitely somewhere in between.
From experience, i don't normally like Bill Bryson's books at all. He tends to make fun of others and some people think that's funny. I never thought his stuff was funny. I just read some of his books because i had travelled in the same places: europe, Austrailia, and now the AT.
But of course i read "Walk in the woods" because it was about my 1st long distance trail. It was typical of his books, make fun of everyone around you and he can't cut the tough stuff.
But hate it? that's a tough statement. i don't HATE much in life but dislike many things.

[weary]

This poll doesn't have enough categories to be useful. I enjoyed the book, as opposed to liking it. But I also thought it presented a totally distorted view of the trail and the people who walk it.

[BigCat]

I read the book in a single sitting and very much enjoyed it. I've actually read every book he's published and almost every one had at least one laugh-out-loud moment. For Walk in the Woods, like all his work, I took with a grain of salt and enjoyed it for the entertainment it was.

Hell, if you read his latest The Life and Times of the Thunderbolt Kid he notes that Katz (his sidekick) refers to Walk in the Woods as a 'work of mostly fiction'.

[Brrrb Oregon]

I would have liked to see an "It was just OK" choice. It wasn't a bad read but it wasn't a good read either. If you have not read it, you are not really missing anything.

JMHO.

Exactly my thought. It was just OK.

yeah, like he said. The first half was hilarious. Once you read to Gatlinburg, throw the book away. He clearly has little use for southern towns or southerners, but he still has a wicked sense of humor.

The problem is that it was more wicked than humorous, and the farther I got into the book, the more I felt that way.

The bottom line is, this is not the kind of guy I would want to hike with. If he spoke about Southerners in that way at my house, he wouldn't be invited back. The South is a section of the country with a sense of humor about itself, it wasn't that. He just got too mean about it, and when someone is being cruel, I don't buy the "oh, c'mon it's just for fun" excuse.

[Wanderingson]

Here is my favorite quote from this book:

"You know what I look for in a female these days? A heartbeat and a full set of limbs."

Now that one was hilarious.

[rafe]

I read the book in a single sitting and very much enjoyed it. I've actually read every book he's published and almost every one had at least one laugh-out-loud moment.

. . . Just one?

[Heater]

. . . Just one?

...at least.

[rafe]

"So do you feel bad about leaving the trail?" Katz asked after a time.

I thought for a moment, unsure. I had come to realize that I didn't have any feelings toward the AT that weren't confused and contradictory. I was weary of the trail, but still strangely in its thrall; found the endless slog tedious but irresistable; grew tired of the boundless woods but admired their boundlessness; enjoyed the escape from civilization and ached for its comforts. I wanted to quit and to do this forever, sleep in a bed and in a tent, see what was over the next hill and never see a hill again. All of this at once, every moment, on the trail or off. "I don't know," I said. "Yes and no, I guess. What about you?"

He nodded. "Yes and no."

We walked along for some minutes, lost in small thoughts.

- AWITW, paperback edition, pp 270-271

[TOW]

i liked it, in fact that book was what got me on the trail...........

[Toolshed]

On trips to the UK, My family always asks me about the AT. AWITW was one of Bryson's biggest sellers over there.

When I first read it, I was more into climbing in the NE with a lot of shorter backpack trips (3-7 days) and not so much AT oriented - I liked the book and thought Bryson was his usual self (His works are much more widely read in other countries). I also read it in one day.

When we moved to PA in 2000, very close to the AT, I decided to start section hiking the AT and I now re-read the book at least 1X per year. I have a hard time undertanding folks that hate Bryson.

[NICKTHEGREEK]

Certainly read it,
definately did not hate it
more than just liked it
poor poll choices

[weary]

....I have a hard time undertanding folks that hate Bryson.

I have a hard time understanding folks who love Bryson so much, that they consider any criticism of him to be hate.

Weary