Bryson brings his unique brand of humour to travel writing as he shoulders his backpack, keeps a tight hold on his wallet and heads for Europe. Travelling with Stephen Katz—also his wonderful sidekick in A Walk in the Woods—he wanders from Hammerfest in the far north, to Istanbul on the cusp of Asia. As he makes his way round this incredibly varied continent, he retraces his travels as a student twenty years before with caustic hilarity.
Neither Here Nor There
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From Publishers Weekly
After 20 years as a London-based reporter, American journalist Bryson ( The Mother Tongue ) set out to retrace a youthful European backpacking trip, from arctic Norway's northern lights to romantic Capri and the "collective delirium" of Istanbul. Descriptions of historic and artistic sights in the Continent's capitals are cursory; Bryson prefers lesser-known locales, whose peculiar flavor he skillfully conveys in anecdotes that don't scant the seamy side and often portray eccentric characters encountered during untoward adventures of the road. He enlivens the narrative with keen, sometimes acerbic observations of national quirks like the timed light switches in French hallways, but tends to strive too hard for comic effects, some in dubious taste. He also joins other travelers in deploring the growing hordes of peddlers who overrun major tourist meccas.
Copyright 1992 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
Copyright 1992 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
From Library Journal
Bryson, a baby boomer, retraces his journeys through Europe in 1972 and 1973, when he and an Iowa high school buddy backpacked through the continent's major capitals and cities. In this account, Bryson revisits many of those places, and his tales about the changes in the sites--and within himself--are fascinating and often hilarious. The interests of Bryson and his unforgettable buddy, Stephen Katz, were quite different almost 20 years ago; they were in a constant search for beer and women and their favorite and least favorite places were judged accordingly. His interests on this latest trip are a bit more sophisticated. Bryson blends the accounts of the two journeys, offering insight into the various countries as well as his own life. This book is fun for travelers or armchair travelers, especially for anyone who journeyed through Europe in the hippie days of the early 1970s.
- Melinda Stivers Leach, Precision Editorial Svces., Wondervu, Col.
Copyright 1991 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
- Melinda Stivers Leach, Precision Editorial Svces., Wondervu, Col.
Copyright 1991 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
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Customer Reviews
Most helpful customer reviews
By K. Gill
Format:Paperback
For an American, Bryson writes in a refreshingly candid British style, full of stereotypes and sarcastic observations. Totally loved it and gave me a good insight into some of trials and tribulations of travelling across Europe. Only wished he had gone into Spain and Portugal, but overall a really funny read.
By Justin
Format:Paperback
A Short History of Nearly Everything was my first venture into the world of Bill Bryson, but I don't think I truly enjoyed his writing until I read his travels in Europe.
If you've ever been to Europe, or long to, you will enjoy this book. You may not, however, enjoy this book if any of the following is true:
A) You can't read.
B) You do not want to go to Europe.
C) You eat "Freedom Fries".
D) You refuse to read anything writtin by someone named Bill.
And lastly:
E) You've got a fetish for J.W. Bell.
Seriously, though. Neither Here nor There is a classic travel epic. Bryson does an amazing job keeping the reader entertained throughout the book, and I couldn't help but make a fool of myself laughing out loud in the most inopportune times. Thanks, Bill. Keep on truckin'.
Format:Paperback
Before embarking on a longish trip, Jill and I like to read about the places we are going to visit. Not just guidebooks--although I must admit we buy those by the pound--but travelogues, histories, and novels set in those areas. Sometimes this is easy. Italy and the Galapagos are well represented in literature. Other places are not so visited by those whose inclinations are to put pen to paper or hands to keyboard, including Ecuador and Costa Rica. At the present, I am unsure of where Austria and Switzerland will fall, but the thought has crossed my mind that a well-placed proposal might nab me a book contract.
As histories go, Austria is completely overshadowed by its larger German-speaking neighbor. This is unfortunate. While it is understandable that historians be interested in Germany, Austria has plenty to answer for in the last century as well. The same goes for the Swiss, who sorely need some bright lights shone in their shady vaults and executive suites, as the recent findings about Jewish bank accounts proves.
The problem in travelogues lies in the fact that no travel writer seems to go to either of these countries by themselves. Nestled in the heart of Europe, they are waystops between places--like from Germany to Italy or France to Russia--and while travelers may make it a point to stop in, say Salzburg or Zurich, for the night, the urge to stay never comes over them. According to Bill Bryson, the lack of this urge may not be wholly the blame of the visitor.
Austria and Switzerland each get a chapter (out of the total 22) in Bryson's Neither Here Nor There. Similar to his first travelogue, The Lost Continent, this one has Bryson still trying to recapture earlier days, but in Europe. Although American by birth, Bryson is thoroughly British in his writing and wit. His journeys resemble those of Redmond 0'Hanlon, except more cosmopolitan acid without a companion. It is not that things go wrong necessarily, but that when they do so he describes it so hilariously.
Something that Bryson does not describe is how he can afford his trip-- both in time and money. He mentions wife and children seldomly, although he has both. He does not mention regular employment, but I get the feeling that he is not independently wealthy either. It is neither here nor there, but I am intensely curious (if only to see if it is possible to emulate).
I am not sure that I learned that much about my upcoming vacation here, but Europe through Bryson's eyes is almost as much fun as going yourself.
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3.9 out of 5 stars
Most recent customer reviews
1.0 out of 5 stars
Neither Here Nor There
Not for the serious travel buff. I have been to almost all the same places and found it incredible that Bill Bryson made such little effort to interact with the locals. Read more
Published 1 month ago by travelguy
2.0 out of 5 stars
Funny read, at times annoying
I would rate this book as the witty, clever ramblings that are to be expected from an American who has spent around half of his life living in England. Read more
Published 15 months ago by KafkaSmooth
3.0 out of 5 stars
Neither very funny nor terribly annoying
This is the first book by Bill Bryson I've read. I was attracted to the fact that he wrote light and funny books. Read more
Published on April 4 2007 by richard tremblay
2.0 out of 5 stars
A tailspin into mundanity
after reading "A Walk In the Woods", I was extremely excited to get my paws on another Bryson book. I was dissapointed. Read more
Published on July 14 2004
2.0 out of 5 stars
Not Bryson's best
Bryson's best book is "Notes From a Small Island," about traveling in Great Britain. It's one of the funniest books I've read. Read more
Published on July 6 2004 by Thomas D. Kehoe
4.0 out of 5 stars
Rucksack traveling through Europe.
"Traveling is more fun," Bill Bryson (aka "Bernt Bjornson") observes in this hilarious account of his backpack travels through Europe, "hell, life is more fun--if you can treat it... Read more
Published on May 29 2004 by G. Merritt
2.0 out of 5 stars
Mediocre at best
Sure he's kind of funny, but this book was more frustrating than rewarding for me. Bryson here seems to be extraordinarily ethnocentric and much of the humor is from looking down... Read more
Published on May 17 2004 by R. Dean
4.0 out of 5 stars
Bryson could make anything funny
I love Bill Bryson. I've read almost all his books, and each time I finish another one, I get a little sad thinking there are now fewer left for me to get to. Read more
Published on Mar 20 2004 by Jerry Brito
5.0 out of 5 stars
Excellent Memoir
I picked this book up on a whim. I found myself near the Travel section and it just called my attention. Read more
Published on Feb 23 2004 by Daniel M. Perez
5.0 out of 5 stars
Bryson's a Treasure, Wherever He Goes
It can't truly be said about many authors, but Bill Bryson is laugh-out-loud funny. Especially if you like your humor with a little edge to it. Read more
Published on Feb 4 2004 by Brian D. Rubendall
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