Neither Here Nor There

By: Bill Bryson

Narrated by: Bill Bryson

Length: 5 hrs and 38 mins

Publisher's summary

Bill Bryson's first travel book, The Lost Continent, was unanimously acclaimed as one of the funniest books in years. In Neither Here Nor There he brings his unique brand of humour to bear on Europe as he shoulders his backpack, keeps a tight hold on his wallet, and journeys from Hammerfest, the northernmost town on the continent, to Istanbul on the cusp of Asia. Fluent in, oh, at least one language, he retraces his travels as a student 20 years before.

Whether braving the homicidal motorists of Paris, being robbed by gypsies in Florence, attempting not to order tripe and eyeballs in a German restaurant, window-shopping in the sex shops of the Reeperbahn or disputing his hotel bill in Copenhagen, Bryson takes in the sights, dissects the culture, and illuminates each place and person with his hilariously caustic observations. He even goes to Liechtenstein.

©2004 Bill Bryson (P)2004 Random House Audiobooks

Never disappoints.

Bill could narrate any story and I would enjoy listening to his voice. This one is just another of his long line of books that never fail to amuse, enlighten and entertain. Having travelled to many of these locations in Europe his stories bring back memories as only his style of writing can; never fails to make my day. No matter how many times I listen.

Delightful!

This is a delightful series of observations of the sort that only Bill Bryson can make. As always, he had me laughing and thinking. If you have never had the double pleasure of being exposed to Bill Bryson's writing and having the joy of hearing him read it, this is as good as any point to start. And you should start; you are in for a treat, and one which will have you hooked for many books to come. If you have already been exposed to him, I'm not really sure why you're reading this review. Purchase it already

A dissapointment after other Bryson's tales

Having listened to A Walk in the Woods and having read Notes from a Small Island I was really looking forward to Bryson's account on his travels in Europe. And... I was hugely disappointed. Not only by the narration but by the book itself finding it angry and arrogant. While Bryson is for sure a great author he must have written it when he was in a particularly upset mood, there seem to be just a few places that he actually liked while traveling around Europe. He should also leave the reading to someone else, nothing spoils the seldom occurring funny tale than a flat voice.

Dreadful! Bias! Unimaginative! Arrogant!

This book honestly destroyed any respect I had for the author, and even though I found it quite entertaining at first, during the final chapter it suddenly dawned on me that the reason I've always found his books funny is because Bill Bryson is in essence simply a bias asshole and should never write another book in his life. I suddenly felt a great sense of shame for allowing myself to enjoy his simple minded works in the past. With this single book he has managed to destroy each and every positive thought I have ever had about him and all his past publications. He is to put it quite plainly, the very definition of a bias, spoiled, unimaginative, arrogant American (or is he British now). I feel absolutely disgusted in the amounts of money I've spent in past years on this vile and disrespectful author's work.