Neither Here nor There: Travels in Europe
by Bill Bryson
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Book Summary Information
Author: Bill BrysonEdition: Paperback
Audio: English (Unknown); English (Original Language); English (Published)
Published: 2001
ISBN: 0380713802
Number of pages: 245
Publisher: William Morrow Paperbacks
Product features:
- ISBN13: 9780380713806
- Condition: New
- Notes: BRAND NEW FROM PUBLISHER! 100% Satisfaction Guarantee. Tracking provided on most orders. Buy with Confidence! Millions of books sold!
Book Reviews of Neither Here nor There: Travels in Europe
Book Review: A review from someone who actually lives in Europe!! (nearly)
Summary: 5 Stars
Ok, let me make some things clear for some readers.
a) This book does not (well, the version I read 12 years ago did not) present itself to be some sort of travel guide to Europe. If you want a recommendation for the best coffee shop in Rome or the nicest phone both in Hammerfest, buy a Lonely Planet Guide or something like that.
b) Mr Bryson whilst raised in Des Moines, Iowa, lived in the UK for 20 years, latterly near Settle in North Yorkshire, where I oft saw him leaning over dry stone walls, swinging on gates, or drinking a quiet cup of coffee at the Old Naked man café.
c) The above establishment, despite its name does not guarantee any sightings of old men, naked or otherwise. You have to go to the Golden Lion pub for that.
d) C) (above) was mild sarcasm, a very British trait and which is you don't appreciate or don't "get" means that no matter which BB book you read, you are going to end up disappointed.
e) This is very important. ALL OF BILL BRYSONS BOOKS TEND TO BE THE SAME SO IF YOU DON'T LIKE d) (above), YOU WILL BE VERY UPSET.
f) Points b) to e) (above) are written in the style of Mr Bryson, so if you don't like this review, you are unlikely to like the book.
So, if you are still with me, BB rambles around Europe in a hap-hazard way, making wry observations. The thing is this, and I suspect that many readers don't get it. Maybe its an English thing.
It spoils the book if you actually try and recreate it by going to see the things that he describes! It is more fun to not go there, and imagine that that's how those places and people actually are, and that amusing and gently madcap adventures follow him around. You will find that should you follow in his footsteps, madcap adventures are unlikely to follow in yours.
I think that BB explains his mindset best in his Down Under book, where he explains his best introduction to a new place is to have a cup of coffee and read the local paper. If that sentiment mirrors your own thoughts and attitudes, then I welcome you to the world of Bill Bryson, you will have a wonderful time.
For some others, I can save them some heartache by (forgive me Bill) offering you this abridged version.
"Neither Here nor There - By Bill Bryson (abridged by Pastor of Disaster) .
Chapter 1 - I visited every country in Europe (East and West even though the Berlin wall is still up and travel to some eastern-European countries can be rather difficult). All of the hotels I stayed in were really brilliant offering huge rooms with wonderful views, the food was amazing in all of them, and every restaurant and café, I had no problems at all with public transport and found every local I met totally helpful, and eager to present the fascinating cultural and historical aspects of their city/country in all of their splendour and in such a way that I could find no humour in it, just a further respect for my European brothers and sisters.
Chapters 2- 34 contains a detailed list of hotels I stayed in, the names and addresses of friendly locals and GPS co-ordinates of places I visited that have faithfully promised not to have changed in the intervening 16 years since I visited them in-case it offends your enjoyment of this book.
I thank you.
Summary of Neither Here nor There: Travels in Europe
Like many of his generation, Bill Bryson backpacked across Europe in the early seventies -- in search of enlightenment, beer, and women. Twenty years later he decided to retrace the journey he undertook in the halcyon days of his youth. The result is Neither Here Nor There, an affectionate and riotously funny pilgrimage from the frozen wastes of Scandinavia to the chaotic tumult of Istanbul, with stops along the way in Europe's most diverting and historic locales. Like many of his generation, Bill Bryson backpacked across Europe in the early seventies--in search of enlightenment, beer, and women. Twenty years later he decided to retrace the journey he undertook in the halcyon days of his youth. The result is Neither Here Nor There, an affectionate and riotously funny pilgrimage from the frozen wastes of Scandinavia to the chaotic tumult of Istanbul, with stops along the way in Europe's most diverting and historic locales.
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