• A Walk in the Woods

  • Rediscovering America on the Appalachian Trail
  • By: Bill Bryson
  • Narrated by: Rob McQuay
  • Length: 9 hrs and 44 mins
  • 4.4 out of 5 stars (11,471 ratings)

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A Walk in the Woods  By  cover art

A Walk in the Woods

By: Bill Bryson
Narrated by: Rob McQuay
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Publisher's summary

The Appalachian Trail trail stretches from Georgia to Maine and covers some of the most breathtaking terrain in America - majestic mountains, silent forests, sparking lakes. If you’re going to take a hike, it’s probably the place to go. And Bill Bryson is surely the most entertaing guide you’ll find. He introduces us to the history and ecology of the trail and to some of the other hardy (or just foolhardy) folks he meets along the way - and a couple of bears. Already a classic, A Walk in the Woods will make you long for the great outdoors (or at least a comfortable chair to sit and read in).

©1999 Bill Bryson (P)2012 Random House Audio

Critic reviews

"Short of doing it yourself, the best way of escaping into nature is to read a book like A Walk in the Woods." ( The New York Times)
"A terribly misguided, and terribly funny tale of adventure.... The yarn is choke-on-your-coffee funny." ( The Washington Post)
"Bill Bryson could write an essay about dryer lint or fever reducers and still make us laugh out loud." ( Chicago Sun-Times)

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What listeners say about A Walk in the Woods

Average customer ratings
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What a jerk

I won't be reading any more books by Bill Bryson. He is a jerk and needs to be brought down a peg. His views on the south are rude and condescending and I hope he sticks to his plan to never go this far below the Mason Dixon line again. For someone who didn't even come close to finishing really anything at all he is awful cocky. This book was a huge letdown.

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amazing

Whilst Bryson is a horrid liberal this is one fanciful tale. A must read or listen.

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    3 out of 5 stars
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    3 out of 5 stars

Okay.

I thought Cherly Strayed's "Wild" was better. This guy seems pretty self-absorbed. Not bad though, an ok way to pass some time.

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    3 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars

For once, the movie is better than the book

What did you like best about A Walk in the Woods? What did you like least?

The story is great. But - the author goes off on long lectures about the environment and global warming and past bad Forest Services practices. The problem is that this takes you away from a great story. The movie leaves out the lectures, and you're left with a great story. There's just one scene where the environment is discussed, which was good. When I want to read about depressing environmental stories, I'll go read one. When I want an entertaining story about two old guys in the woods, that's what I want. I don't think the two can be blended without putting a major damper on an otherwise good story. I am returning the book. I didn't finish it. I watched the movie instead hoping they filtered out the lectures, and they did. I've never said a movie was better than the book before. But, in this case, it was.

Which character – as performed by Rob McQuay – was your favorite?

Enjoyed them all.

Could you see A Walk in the Woods being made into a movie or a TV series? Who should the stars be?

Has been done. Movie is great. Better than the book, because it leaves out all the lectures.

Any additional comments?

Watch the movie instead. I'm returning the book unfinished. Got sick of getting a lecture when I just wanted to know what happens next.

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Both versions are great .

I like both versions, the abridged one read bt Bill Bryson is funnier. It's not boring. As the author says , it makes me want to throw a loaf of bread and a tin of tea in a pack and head out .

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read the book

I have read the book a couple of times and enjoyed this recording. The narrator sounds as I would imagine Bill Bryson to sound.

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    4 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars

Two goofballs getting lost and found ...

What did you love best about A Walk in the Woods?

Very entertaining story of a personal journey against the backdrop of an incredible physical accomplishment. I loved the interaction between the two main characters and could see myself in one then the other and then back again, over and over. It almost felt like a conversation all within the author's head at times (which happens to me often on the trail).

What other book might you compare A Walk in the Woods to and why?

It has some similarities but just as many differences to Into the Wild (more personal demons), Wild (more personal demons, less about hiking), Kindness of Strangers (less wilderness), The Pilgrimage (way more spiritual), AWOL on the Appalachian Trail (much more about hiking and from experienced perspective),

Did you have an extreme reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?

Definitely laughed from time to time and other times I definitely relived the pain of my very first backpacking trip!

Any additional comments?

This "hiking" story is much more of a story versus a trail journal. So as long as you go into it looking for a story and not a recounting of what gear he used or mileage covered daily, then you'll enjoy it!

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  • E
  • 09-18-15

Entertaining but a bit too didactic.

Love Bryson's style & wit, but he drones on a bit with statistics on the climate and forest between his storyline

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Disappointing

Really?!? I used my monthly credit on a story of failure? If I had known that I would have passed. Full of unnecessary F-bombs. Not sure how this is on my sons 8th grade reading list. Boo!

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    3 out of 5 stars
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Strays from the Path

A mostly believable tale of two oddly-coupled hikers hiking the Appalachian Trial (at least some of it). I enjoyed the witty dialogue and funny situations of these two hikers. The narrative alternates between the hiker story and chapters on various topics, related (if only remotely) to hiking. This book started nice but then changed into something more like a magazine with off-topic articles. To me these off-topic articles did not incorporate well with the main story. I probably would have appreciated the abridged version of this book much better.

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