A Walk in the Woods

By: Bill Bryson

Narrated by: Bill Bryson

Length: 5 hrs and 58 mins

Publisher's summary

"Not long after I moved with my family to a small town in New Hampshire, I happened upon a path that vanished into a wood on the edge of town." So begins Bill Bryson's hilarious book, A Walk in the Woods. Following his return to America after 20 years in Britain, Bryson decided to reacquaint himself with his native country by walking the 2,100-mile Appalachian Trail, which stretches from Springer Mountain in Georgia to Mount Katahdin in Maine. The AT, as it's affectionately known to thousands of hikers, offers an astonishing landscape of silent forests and sparkling lakes - and to a writer with the comic genius of Bill Bryson, it also provides endless opportunities to test his own powers of ineptitude, and to witness the majestic silliness of his fellow human beings. But A Walk in the Woods is more than just a laugh-out-loud hike. Bryson's acute eye is a wise witness to this fragile and beautiful trail, and as he tells its fascinating history, he makes a moving plea for the conservation of America's last great wilderness. An adventure, a comedy, a lament, and a celebration, A Walk in the Woods is destined to become a modern classic of travel literature.

©1998 Bill Bryson (P)1998 Bantam Doubleday Dell Audio Publishing, Bantam Doubleday Dell Audio Publishing, A Division of Random House Inc.

Laugh out loud

I am planning the same hike in 2025 and I live in NH. The book on bears and his description had me belly laughing while I was working. The honesty of the 100 mile woods is true to life and should be heeded. If I was to take my adult children into the outfitting story…I would be given the same verbal warnings to not cuss at the prices…and who needs a waterproof pack anyways…

Every single thing about this audio book was flawless and remarkable.

Bill Bryson has always intrigued me as a reformed and serious person. That was before I read A Walk in the Woods. Now I understand that he has a sense of humor unique to everybody, standing out with formal description and modern dialogue, as well as his hilarious tone and subtlety in his voice. I absolutely recommend this book for anyone, (nay the occasional adult humor and language) whether you want to hike the Appalachian Trail, or just looking for a good laugh. I will definitely continue reading Bill’s amazing novels in the future.

The narrative was very dull

Liked the story but the narrative was very boring and little emotion but a really good story

I laughed so hard ...

... I shook the bed and woke my husband! If you need a giggle download this book! The story of a couch-potato writer who decided to "discover" America by hiking the Appalachian Trail. I've got all the other Bryson books on my audible wish list.

A great trip

Vintage Bryson, loaded with laugh out loud moments and crisp writing from one of the best in the business.

Easily one of my favorite audible purchases of all time. You will NOT be disappointed.

Story runs out of steam

Bill Bryson fans, please don't hate me. I'm actually one of yours. However, I grew as weary of this book as Bill must have felt slogging across the Appalachian Trail. The story starts out strong, as Bill prepares for the adventure by a hilarious visit to his local sporting goods store. It builds nicely in momentum as he and his less than stalwart companion travel to the hinterlands of Georgia and embark on the Trail. They immediately encounter the eccentrics that populate Bryson's books, and Bill makes the most of his raw material. But all too soon the narrative deteriorates into the usual "man against mountain" (or ocean, jungle, outer space, or whatever) story, with the usual overwhelming circumstances, narrow escapes from the jaws of death, etc. Some people like reading about this kind of thing. I do not. As the book loses its strength (along with the hikers' resolve), and similar scenes seem to reoccur (bad weather, impossible terrain, psychological weariness), Bill interrupts his trip to take a break. He should have realized there and then there wasn't a complete book to be had from the experience. It's always a pleasure to hear Bill Bryson read his books. I imagine he's the kind of guy you'd like to hang out with for a beer or two (or three), soaking up his quirky sense of humor and basking in his overall bonhommie. But not this book, for this reader/listener, at least not after the first few chapters.

Very Good Book

I have been a member for over a year. This has been my favorite book so far. I would be riding down the highway laughing out loud. What more can you ask for?

All around good reading for a wide audience

After having already 50 books from audible.com, this book still stand out as my best read to date. Bryson not only make you laugh out loud about his Appalachian backpacking experiences, he also includes a quite a bit of political history and environmental insight. Bryson's reading of his own work rivals that of a stand-up comedian and makes this book especially enjoyable in audio format.

An enjoyable listen

I got this because I was hooked on "A Short History of Nearly Everything" and wanted to hear more by the author.

I was pleased to hear Bryson himself reading-- to hear him read HISTORY requires getting the abridged version. Bryson's turn of phrase is unique, and his reading is excellent. I think I could listen to Bryson read and comment on a phone book.

This is not a "substantial" book, like HISTORY. I learned a little, sure, but I didn't come away feeling "enriched." But don't let that stop you, because you will come away feeling like your time was well spent. Bryson's observations and commentary on people and history is compelling and charming, and it makes you sort of wish he'd ask you to hike with him.

It loses score because it is Abridged. If an unabridged version were to be made available, I would cheerfully spend another credit.

Recommended, but. . .

Imagine a rodeo performer whose animal refuses to buck or kick. Without that recalcitrant animal to play off of, the rodeo rider is pretty boring. Bill Bryson is like such a rodeo rider with his chosen subject matter the animal to be ridden. When first reading Bryson, all we see is the bucking and whirling of the topic at hand under Bryson’s acerbic wit. After awhile however we begin to notice that the material, like a tired old bronc, isn’t really bucking all that much, but the cowboy has to keep on throwing spurs, and waving his arm in an attempt to convince the judges of his riding skill.
So it is that Bryson can barely hoist a backpack over his soft, flabby shoulder in the beginning of the book, but a little while later he’s self-righteously ripping on Americans for not walking more in their daily routines. At one point he’s complaining about the disruption of nature by America’s crass consumer culture – all the while being an enthusiastic participant – and the next he’s complaining with equal vigor that America’s parks ought to be more like Europe’s where there’s more civilization interspersed with the nature trails.
And on and on. Any one of his points can be taken at face value and be found to have some merit. But it’s like our hypothetical rodeo cowboy. After awhile you realize that he’s doing more hand waving and kicking of spurs than the ride really warrants. When read and considered as a whole one finds Bryson often contradicting his criticisms with his own behavior, and most of his critiques of America readily apply to any developed, affluent society.