I regularly found myself looking up these European places and wanting to find out more. His descriptions were beautifully written (especially the Northern Lights, Capri, Austria) and often made me feel like I was standing there too. This was set in 1990 and while Europe is a dramatically different place today, Neither Here, Nor There never felt too outdated. On the occasions it did start to wander into that territory, it came across more like a beautiful snapshot of a bygone era instead. The chapter on Bulgaria was a real-opener in regards to this.

Lost Continent by Bill Bryson, First Edition - AbeBooks Lost Continent by Bill Bryson, First Edition - AbeBooks

But he continued to poke fun at the locals in subsequent books that recounted a journey around Europe, Neither Here Nor There, and then Notes from a Small Island, which made his name in the UK, before publishing A Walk in the Woods about a trip along the Appalachian trail that established his reputation in the US. “And I still reserve the right to do that. Most things in the world are ripe for sarcasm. The world is crazy and there is a lot of stupidity and there are a lot of things that are exasperating, but more and more I’ve tried to balance that with some positives because there is also a lot of good in the world.” It is as funny as anything you'll ever read, as well as being touching, poignant and fascinating. It is the first book I've read since 'Neither Here Nor There' (also by Bryson) that has caused me to think of calling my travel agent. That’s quite a turn, because The Lost Continent is mostly about Bryson badmouthing all that he surveys. His exploits into tiny villages with no hotel booked, his trips to the local police station when he's mugged in Florence, his desperation for some 'proper' food when he is confronted with a terrifying 'date sausage roll' - the list goes on. So I got off the train at Hergenbootensberg and it was raining. Why does it always rain when I travel? The place was a dirty shithole and no one spoke English at all. I went to a travel desk and complained to them and then asked them to find me a room for the night.In this book travel writer Bill Bryson wrote about a whirlwind trip through Europe that seemed designed solely to give him something to write about rather than a journey he actually wanted to take. I didn't take notes so Bryson's stops in Norway, Sweden, Denmark, Lichtenstein, Yugoslavia, Bulgaria, Austria, Italy, etc. blended together into a continuous blur of traveling, finding hotels, walking around, looking at things, eating, drinking, and so on. I could hardly distinguish one city from another. Bryson kind of loses focus of his main task along the way, but that doesn’t prevent him from slinging his jibes at 38 of the lower U.S. states. I have not looked into the matter, but I wonder if Bryson realized that childhood and nostalgia would work better – and sell more books – than this toxic stew. I wonder if he did the calculations and changed his style accordingly. If he did, only he can say if the change was more than skin deep. He ends up in Leadville through Twin Lakes. He calls it 'outstanding'. He concludes the chapter in Timberline Motel 'dreaming happy dreams'.

The Lost Continent | Penguin Random House Canada Excerpt from The Lost Continent | Penguin Random House Canada

Bryson's goal in this trip was generally to avoid tourist destinations, instead choosing to experience the real every-day America, stopping at small towns and forgotten points of interest. This book is an overview of the United States from Bryson's point of view. There is less focus on factual insight into the history, geography and culture of the destinations in this book than is found in some of Bryson's later books, focusing instead on observations made with the intention of being humorous. He writes travel books, that are mostly humourous and based on his own experiences. He also writes books on the English Language and Scientific subjects. He then talks of theMid-West and how directions are extremely important to them yet they may be wrong about their directions. He wonders how they would always know where north is. But there’s more. He goes on to write that “[h]ardly anyone ever leaves. This is because Des Moines is the most powerful hypnotic known to man.” Okay. I can see how a young man, especially one who has traded Iowa for England, might have the same reaction to the place he left. Bill Bryson's travel books are mostly like this one, a constant whining about everything. His other non-travel books I love. It's not that I don't get the "humor" in this book, I just think that it isn't funny, not in the least. I should also say that I have lived a full one quarter of my life outside of the United States and I don’t care if someone makes fun of anything and everything American (I’ve done a bit of bashing myself).

He begins another journey to Flagstaffbut hears the weatherman on the radio announcing snow is due. Both of these books are the strongest and the funniest of Bryson’s earliest work and undoubtedly established his reputation (at that time) as a travel writer and commentator of repute, producing engaging and very entertaining travelogues. In 1958, my grandmother got cancer of the colon and came to our house to die.” This last event must have brought untold joy to the young writer. The Lost Continent is a book to take your mood, whatever it is, and drive it down, like a nail pounded into soft mud by a sledgehammer. In other words, not the best thing to be reading in 2020, while America falls apart. (In all honesty, this might have played a part in my reaction).