The Lost Continent: Travels in Small-Town America

Bill Bryson's idea of "discovering" America is driving a few hundred miles to a new city each day, and stepping no more than 25 paces away from his car. No wonder he's so bitter over everything he finds! Everything he sees is covered with concrete, greasy spoon restaurants and annoying tacky tourists. We don't get any useful information about any place he visits, only cynical commentary on the local fat people, or obnoxious tourist trap. There are a few funny moments, but most of his writing here is so grouchy and listless that the book drags on and on and on. Anyone who can turn up their nose at Yellowstone National Park, and find absolutely no flaw with Wall Drug has missed the point somewhere.

As a European who lived and travelled in the States some years ago, I must say that I was surprised by the very limited number of human contacts Bryson made while travelling through small-town America. He seems to be spending all his time driving alone, eating alone (fast food which he abhors) and sleeping alone, in a country rightly famous for the ease with which you can make new acquaintances.He makes no new friends, never gets invited into a local's house, casual conversation is minimal. Compared to his Aussie book (Down Under) which is rich in hilarious dialog, this one is almost 100% descriptive. If I am not mistaken, this is one of Bryson's first books which is perhaps the reason why his writing technique is not as good as in his later works. Nevertheless, if you are a Bryson fan, by all means buy this book!

I don't think this book really deserves hate, but...

Okay, well, I just went on a three week long trip, much of it through small town America, so when I came home and saw this book lying on the coffee table, abandoned by my sister, I snapped it up because I was interested in what Bill Bryson would have to say about the trip I just took. I expected to laugh and to repeatedly nod along in agreement about how, yes, that's EXACTLY what Jeffery City, WY is like.

I was sorely disappointed.

Not so much about the laughing. There was some of that to be had. My issue is that, even in 1989, this book didn't describe how things were. It didn't even come close. This book is catered to the exact opposite of people who see things through rose-colored glasses - it's catered to those people who see things through turd colored glasses that are also rather opaque. It's like he just took every stereotype that ever was and wrote a book on that. I partially doubt that he even went on the trip.

It's not just because of all the judgmental/prejudice/whatever crap that people have already complained about (and, I have to tell you after having sat around as a bunch of Wyoming ranchers explained to me exactly what went on during the Tang dynasty and all the physics behind launching rockets, I will never assume small town America is full of dumb people again). It's because he was just plain wrong. It was like he didn't research anything. People don't live in national parks? Uh, well, someone lives in the middle of Dinosaur AND they lease the land to ranchers. People live in the Grand Tetons and even Yellowstone. Also, I find it highly unlikely no one was hiking or biking in Great Smoky Mountain when he was there. The hiking areas there are packed and have been that way for a long time. I don't think it's possible to hike at GSM without running up someone else's butt. Not to mention all the horseback riding. No more billboards with cheesy poems and interesting cut-out pictures? Every small town was littered with fast food chains and malls? What road was he driving down? I drove 250 miles and through three towns before I even found a non-diesel gas station. I'd have killed for any sort of real restaurant or diner.

I'm not going to list everything that was factually incorrect or off, but there was a lot, which I really picked up on as I'd just driven to a lot of the places he went to (or I live near them) and I know it hasn't magically changed in 20 years (or even 50 years, for that matter). It really put me off. I could deal with all the petty stereotypes (anti-Southern much?) because they made me laugh (as did all the comments about Southerners), but it was all so... fake. Like he flew to the America on another planet or the America in a really bad British angstfest, written and produced by people who'd never seen America or Americans and only knew them through parodies or soap operas or their mother's best friend's uncle's father-in-law's brother. I couldn't relate to it and so I was disappointed and will look elsewhere for my hilariously deprecating fiction on America.

I could not get through this book. What I think is supposed to be humor comes across as mean, nasty remarks about anyone who doesn't think or look just like Bill Bryson. Also, when I read the part about Philadelphia, which is where I'm from, he led me to wonder how accurate any of the book was because a lot of the things presented as facts about that area were just plain wrong. For instance, he says the houses are brownstone, which is what the buildings in New York are, not Philadelphia. There were several other points that were inaccurate, too. I've enjoyed other books by Bill Bryson, but this one was a big let-down.

When I first started reading this book I thought it was great. I'm American but I certainly think America can be very culturally barren. When Bryson went to town on America and it's people I thought it was hillarious. He is very funny, honest, and mean. And I loved it. The problem is that all this book does is have him drive to a small town and make fun of people there and then go to another town and do the same thing. When I was about halfway through the book I realized that I could choose any chapter at random and it wouldn't matter. I quit halfway through because the book was going nowhere. There doesn't seem to any real point to his book other than that he thinks Americans are stupid and that their towns suck. He doesn't develop anything about that such as why this is the case, what it means to the world, or even what's so great about living in Britain. Overall this book was just an exercise in being a .... I do that everyday of my life but you don't see me writing a book about it.

I've read and enjoyed other Bryson books, but this one was just not that funny. I feel sorry that some people who have never visited the US might read this and think we are a nation of Crudvilles. Bryson cracks on Beaufort SC because it's made up of retirees and military. So? I didn't know he disliked military families so much. I can tell by his anti-conservative attacks early on, but I don't understand this. He keeps telling us how cheap his father was, but he rants at the admission fees and evidently stays at cheap motels (pool tables with sheets for beds). The book has Small Town in the title but he visits Dearborn, New York City, DC, etc. It has its funny moments but overall I was left at the end thinking, "What DOES he like?"

Bryson was born in Des Moines, and moved to England in his early twenties, marrying and settling down there. This book documents a trip by car around America, starting and ending in Des Moines, after many years in the UK. The ostensible theme of the book is a search for the perfect small town; a sort of Ray Bradbury idealization of fifties America. There's no such town, of course, but Bryson just uses the theme as a springboard for some of the funniest descriptions, stories, and digressions I have ever read.
When I started reading this book, I laughed so much my wife wouldn't let me read it in bed. Then she picked it up and discovered how funny it was, and wanted to read it before me. Eventually we compromised, and kept it in the car; the rule was that whoever was driving had to read it to the driver. Several times, however, the reader was laughing so hard that they couldn't get comprehensible words out, and the driver had to pull over to the hard shoulder and grab the book for themselves.
Yes, he's a curmudgeon, as other reviewers here have noticed. That's just his style. He's not deep, either; his occasional ruminations aren't negligible, but he's no Mark Twain. But he has an acidly sharp eye for inanity and stupidity, and his anecdotal technique is flawless.
His other travel books are along much the same lines, but to me this is the funniest, though "A Walk in the Woods" does show he is capable of good introspective writing. "The Lost Continent" is sharp, satirical, acute, and unkind--wickedly funny in every sense of the word.

I picked this book up after reading "A Short History of Nearly Everything" and "Mother Toungue," both amazing books that broadened my appreciation for life and nourished me with laughter. This older book was not up to par with his newer writing. I won't re-hash the premise and mechanics of this book (it's already been done well), but I will say that I laughed through the first third, smirked through the middle third, and dutifully soldiered on to the end. I got the impression that he was too tired to appreciate part two of his trip, and perhaps would have been more charitable (or at least funnier) had he put more time between the two trips. Whereas the first half was imaginative in its snarkiness, the second half read like a flight log penned by an AM Talk Radio host (Very rough paraphrase): "Went to Bilgewater, MT and found the most convenient (sic)ho el and the waitress at the only restaurant was a gum-chewing twit. What a dump. Went to Muffinthatch, KS and found the most convenient hotel and I was afraid the waitress would spit in my food." And so on...

On the other hand, the tone Bryson gradually affects in the book mimics beautifully the weary, inarticulate crabbiness you'd experience at the end of a long road trip, the kind of curmudgeonly disdain for all which we would all begin to feel after the seventeenth dive diner in nineteen days of a roadtrip across the American West.

Bottom line: Don't pay full price for this book. Find it at a library or bargain bin, read the first half for painfully frequent bouts of laughter, and then set it aside before it gets tedious.

A final note: one should not search for great small towns in America by aimlessly traveling the interstate. The sort of small towns that might have uplifted Bryson were probably lurking on nearby state and local roads. For anyone considering a great American roadtrip who is looking for a shade of De Toqueville, try looking up cities that have won various civic awards like "All American City," and "Most Livable City." I think you'll have better luck.

Bill Bryson, a child of the 50s, used to spend each summer with his family on one of those all-American vacations that consisted of endless driving, sweltering heat and the inevitable destination that was, due to his father's preference, free and educational. He always longed for the chance to buy tacky hats with plastic crap on them and other tasteless souvenirs, and now that he's an adult, he finally gets that chance when he embarks on a nation-wide odyssey in the hopes of getting to know the country he left behind in The Lost Continent: Travels in Small Town America.

Although he was born in Des Moines, Illinois ("Someday had to," he explains on the opening page), Bryson's heart was elsewhere, and he spent most of his adult life living in England. Some 30 years after those summer journeys he's back in the states, and with no specific itinerary or time constraints, he leisurely passes from town to city, looking for the perfect place that survived from his childhood in this travelogue.

Of course, America has changed since Bryson's childhood days, and instead of finding Perfect Town, U.S.A, he encounters a deluge of faceless shopping malls, unremarkable villages and far too many gas stations. His hilarious observations usually come at the expense of the people he talks to and places he visits, which almost seems to suggest an air of British snootiness that he picked up from his years living abroad. Still, there are plenty of irreverent comments ("I only ever knew one journalist with a truly tidy desk, and he was eventually arrested for molesting small boys. Make of that what you will; but just bear it in mind that next time somebody with a tidy desk invites you camping") that are just so outlandishly amusing, that it's easy to forgive him for his treatment of the occasional small town citizen.

Traveling across America and being disgusted with the over-commercialization is hardly groundbreaking material. John Steinbeck, the quintessential American, did exactly that in 1962 with Travels with Charley: In Search of America. While Steinbeck is a folksy, talkative guy, Bryson instead bares his teeth. He travels alone and all along the way he doesn't strike up many conversations aside from brief chats with a plethora of waitresses and moronic country folk. He does meet up with a friend, and later a niece, but they're pushed into the background and the surroundings become the main characters. The closest we get to travel companions is when Bryson vividly describes what the past trips with his family were like. His mom says nothing other than "Would you like a sandwich, honey?" and "I don't know, dear."

Much of Bryson's journey on both coasts, and everything in between, brings up plenty woeful places, yet he does find some attractions worthy of his admiration. A rare few of the stops on his trip nostalgically remind him of his youth, from the sheer scope of the Grand Canyon ("Your mind, unable to deal with anything on this scare, just shuts down and for many long moments you are a human vacuum") and the "sleepy" college town of Bloomsburg, Pennsylvania ("You feel at first as if you should be wearing slippers and a bathrobe"). Bryson covers so much ground (38 states) and visits so many similar towns, that at times, his travelogue almost read like a list. Even the memorable places are often described as simply "pleasant," and after a paragraph, it's off to the next destination. Like the long road trip that Bryson embarks on, The Lost Continent captures the vastness and monotony of driving across America. Because of the now-famous Bill Bryson humor, for most of it works well and there are plenty of laughs, The Lost Continent becomes more than another lackluster expressway town.

By his own calculation, Bryson traveled over 13,000 miles across America. He complained through every one, and logged those complaints in this book. Sometimes it's funny. After he says he is colossally disappointed by Yosemite, you may think "Isn't he EVER happy?" I'm not sure if it's the British lack of exposure to sunshine that eroded his optimism, but he complained about the South, the North, the East, the West and the Midwest. My recommendation: Skip this book and read "Walk in the Woods", which is laugh-out-loud funny without the constant bellyaches.

Bill Bryson is one of the funniest authors around. I recently finished Lost Continent, one of his earlier books, and found it very enjoyable. Bryson is able to have a unique perspective on America, being both a native Iowan - but one that has been away from America for many years. Bryson's commentaries on many of the changes in America were very insightful. Overall, I found this book much more rough around the edges than some of his more recent books, but still a very funny read.

This book is typical Bill Bryson, ie one very funny book. One of the downsides of reading Bryson in public is people look at your strangely when you break out laughing. Bryson, an Iowan by birth but currently living in England, drives around the USA through 38 states commenting on life in mostly small towns. He has a lot of good things ,and not so good things to say about us. Not a very deep read, but definitely an enjoyable one.
And informative, too. For instance I didn't know that the Mennonites in Lancaster, PA are named after a well known brand of speed-stick deodorant

This reads like a book the author wrote to fulfil some contractual obligation.

The 'plot' can be summarized as follows: Drive a car into a small town, check into some hotel, make disparaging comments on a few people and then do it all over again. There are some genuinely funny moments in the book but at times it does feel like the author is trying too hard to be funny. Also, a place is pretty or ugly depending on the author's mood.

IMO, other reviewers who are offended by the author are missing the point as I don't think he was being serious (I thought this was a dead giveaway when he makes jokes on his parents). But then again, am not an American who grew up in a small town, so its easier for me to feel that way.

All in all, a harmless little book which can (will) be forgotten the moment you turn the last page.

Bryson has travelled through small towns of thirty-eight states of US, and has depicted a picture of the life in "small-town America" with warmth and humour. He saves the monotony by making wisecracks, and his percentage of successful wisecracks, though not 100%, is fairly high. If you're hurt by his sometimes sarcastic tone, remember that he makes fun of everybody - including his parents, and above all, himself. Overall, a book I'll highly recommend.

I do not write many reviews, but I just completed this book and really felt the need to share my thoughts since the book was so much less than I expected. And it seems like many others share my opinion.

This is the third Bill Bryson book. I have previously read "In a Sunburned Country" and "A Walk In The Woods." I doubt I would have read either of these if I read "the lost continent" first. While there are some "laugh our loud? passages, I felt the book was mean spirited. I understand this is a satire, but a good satire is not so negative. I suspect if Mr. Bryson was writing the book today, it would have the charm of his later books.

On my way to collecting and reading all of Bill's books, I almost let myself make an exception for this one, upon reading its negative reviews on the store. Finally I reasoned that wouldn't have wasted much money if I happened to agree with the critics after reading it, and so I bought it.

I must say that I see why some people didn't like the book. I would hazard a guess that most of them are residents of one of the places Bill so acerbically critiqued. I realized this when Bryson lit into the fat, ugly people of the south. By some estimates, I may fit either or both of those descriptions, but not as much as the people he was talking about, and he's right. I'm a southerner, proud of it, but just about as turned off by the typical hicks and ignoramuses that waddle everywhere around me. The South is really a diverse place. We aren't all alike, and Bill did acknowledge that fact, though his description of deep-South southerners was mostly negative. It was those realizations of the friendliness, simplicity and beautiful traditions of the South that reveal that Bill Bryson, while earning his book sales on his caustic wit, is not hopelessly prejudiced against everyone outside his small circle of perfect friends in his little perfect world.

What many readers don't realize is that Bryson has cut out for himself a niche in the travel log market that no one else occupies: where all the rest show us phenomenal photographs and describe every place they go in glowing prose that sounds like ad copy (and may well be), Bryson shows us the flip side. He describes the irritating underside, and makes us laugh at it.

That's probably part of the problem some of this book's critics have with it: they got irritated at the parts that hit too close to home, and they refused to laugh at themselves or even accept the truthfulness of the criticism graciously.

With the exception of a general feel of less maturity than his later books, The Lost Continent is a wonderful little volume that shall now occupy my growing shelf of Bryson's works. I'll look forward to his next one.

I might even try to read the one that was published only in French.

I enjoy travel, mainly for the opportunity it gives me to add to my own travelogue. I was tipped off to Bill Bryson by another the store member and sought out this book because it was closest to my own interest. I was assured that it would be witty and revealing.
The only thing it reveals is that Bryson has no wit.
He searches for America's small towns (What an original idea for a traveler!), only to become disappointed in every single small town he visits. The entire book is one scathing review of small town America after another. His caricatures of small town citizens are insulting. There's nothing quaint about his observations. That Bryson can call himself a traveler may be the only amusing thing about the book. The man shows no joy for the process in any chapter at all. He takes a few stabs at Jimmy Swaggart (Never heard THAT before!) and movie theaters in some attempt to paint himself as Jean Shepherd.
He recalls feeling uncomfortable as a long-haired hippie draft dodger visiting Mississippi on the way to a beach vacation in Florida during the Veitnam war. Apparently, the way the people sitting in one diner stared at him forever left him with the impression that the South is full of inbred homicidal maniacs. Looking at his picture on the back cover and trying to imagine that face on a long-haired hippie teenager, I'd be forced to side with the Mississippi freaks.
The liner notes also reveal that he spent two decades living in England. From what I can tell, this was not nearly enough time. I emplore the man to return to London where his criticisms of true Americana may be more fashionable.
I propose that his time across the pond has left him completely out of touch with life in rural America. He admits to feeling uncomfortable around blacks, snobbish around whites and generally disheartened that things didn't remain a sterile, Ward Cleaver environment in his absence.
And throughout his journey, what is the one thing he discovers that makes it all worthwhile? Des Moines - his hometown. It might have been a touching revelation if this guy didn't come across as such a jerk and the Des Moines gimmick didn't come off as such a ....gimmick.
This one goes into the garage sale.

I honestly cannot put Bryson's books down. They are good reads - I've just ordered three additional Bryson books and can't wait to recieve them.

This being said - I need to re-read this book and keep a running total of just how many places he starts to go to and doesn't - because of a steep entrance fee, because of traffic, because of a plethora of reasons. I'm guessing the tally on the 'intended to' side might be greater than the tally on the 'actually experienced, as a bona fide ticket holder / road traffic warrior'. Yes, I understand what he's trying to say about Americans being easily parted with their money. However, the 'lesson' becomes annoying, and comes off as an excuse he uses to just not see many important sites first-hand.

Also, try to develop a tough skin before reading this book if you are a resident of the South - or any small town anywhere in the country that could with any stretch of the imagination be considered 'backward'. My conclusion of Bryson's absolute distain for certain places, primarally but not limited to the South, is that it is so much easier to pull comedy out of the negative than the positive. Also, people are, by nature, inclined to notice the bad before the good. Bryson, especially but not limited to this earlier work, goes with the easier cliche slam against whole peoples.

Don't get me started in his bizarre anti-elderly people stance. He goes on rants about Americans not recognizing national treasures. He's referring to architecture and landscape for the most part. And shows complete distain to the elderly. It reflects either a genuine over-zealous dislike, or an attempt at humor gone too far and repeated much too often.

All being said, I'm still gonna read his work. It's entertaining!

Not my cup of tea. This book was so negative and whiny from beginning to end. I'd have hated to travel all of those miles with Mr. Bryson. This is the first of his books that I've truly hated. His other works are some of my favorites.

Mr. Bryson confirmed for me a lot of things I had suspected ! I love to travel in the U.S. and this book has made me look at the country and it's inhabitants in quite a different way.
What a joy to read !
It has greatly influenced the way I write my own trip-reports.

Love to see his articles in National Geographic Magazine.

As a part-time Anglophile I enjoyed his 'Notes From A Small Island' as wel

I'm sorry I didn't read all the reviews on this before I got the audio book from the library - I would have learned more about this horrible audio book. Bill Bryson usually reads his own books and that's really the only way it can be with Bryson's books, because his humor doesn't translate well in other people. Kerry Shale, the fellow reading the book, reads very quickly (too much caffiene that day?) and while his change in voices is good, the overall effect is very bad. I listened for about 20 minutes and since the story was slow in developing I had to turn it off. If you read this one, read the actual book and don't listen to it!

Except for the Little Brown Church in the Vale, it is hard to find anything of consequence to put on a viewmaster slide of Iowa, Bill Bryson's native state. Directions are important to Midwesterners. There is an absence of landmarks in middle America.

At Pella there is a tulip festival every May. Speech in southern Illinois is more southern than midwestern. The author drives to Oxford, Mississippi. The students at the university there look serene, and it is impossible to imagine their parents rioting against the entrance of James Meredith. Tupelo is thirty miles east. Columbus, Mississippi is a jewel. In Columbus, per the COMMERICAL DISPATCH, the police don't have crimes, they have activities. Next, passing through Alabama, Bryson is in Tuscaloosa, Selma, and Tuskegee. In Auburn Bryson wonders why there isn't a decent bookstore since it is a college town.

The Little White House of Warm Springs, Georgia is of interest. The cottage is snug and appealing. At Lafayetter Square in Savannah there are brick paths, trickling fountains, and Spanish moss. There are two hundred year old houses. There is perfection. There are one thousand historic buildings in Savannah. Beaufort, South Carolina has mansions, too, and a little parrk and an marina. At Charleston there is detailed Victorian ornateness.

In the Great Smoky Mountains the author stays at Bennett's Court, and old-fashioned motel. The Great Smoky Mountains National Park is the most popular national park. In Gatlinburg Bryson goes to the Ripley Believe It or Not Museum. Mount Vernon is genuine, educational, interesting, unlike Williamsburg. Delaware is the most obscure of all of the American states. After visiting friends in Philadelphia and enjoying a view of Fairmont Park, Bryson has a good time touring the Eisenhower farm near Gettysburg. He states a long bus ride in America resembles a prison stay. He leaves his car in Bloomsburg with friends to go to the Big Apple. Later he hits New England and proceeds westward to return to the midwest, Clevemland. He drives to Toledo on the Ohio Turnpike, and then to Dearborn, Michigan.

The Henry Ford Museum is in Dearborn. It is enthralling and the scale is breathtaking. No cars or motorized vehicles are allowed on Mackinac Island. In Nebraska the author looks for Winterset, birthplace of John Wayne, and Red Cloud for the Willa Cather connection. Dropping down to Kansas to Russell, (Bob Dole), he finds that Dodge City is West. Holcomb, IN COLD BLOOD, is beyond Dodge City. Bryson dubs the Clutter murders grisly and sensational. It seems that IN COLD BLOOD had been banned from the public library in Holcomb. People hated the book.

Cripple Creek and some of the other famous places in Colorado now cater to tourists. He visits St John's campus in Santa Fe, New Mexico to see his niece. Nothing prepares a person for seeing the Grand Canyon. Nevada is the state with the highest crime rate. California yeilds recollections of television watching in childhood. Sequoia National Park is an exciting prospect, an opportunity to drive through a tree.

Sun Valley, Idaho was built in the thirties, it seems, by the Union Pacific Railroad as a ski resort. Yellowstone is the oldest national park in the world. Bryson believes Custer was an idiot and a brute. There wasn't much to the Battle of Little Bighorn. Bryson tries to eat in Sundance and discovers the restaurant has been comandeered by Shriners. He travels to South Dakota to Mount Rushmore, seeing it is free, and moves next into Minnesota and Iowa, to his relief. After Storm Lake, another college town, the trip is completed.

Parts of the book are very funny.

Curiously, for someone overweight and old, he seems obsessed with evaluating and judging the female body--with his commentaries on women and their daughters. His work is a series of well worked tropes, typical of an old and bitter man. Skip if you like insight instead of cliche.

Bryson, an American who has lived for many years in England, sets out alone, in a Chevette! (maybe he should have taken a Camry), from his mother's house in Des Moines to re-live the family vacation car trips of his youth and search for the perfect small town. He travels through thirty-something states and finds a lot of nice, dotty people and endearing tackiness. As the Russian comedian Yakov Smirnoff is fond of saying, "What a country!" I've spent a lot of time on the same by-ways, and drawn similar conclusions. Always perceptive and entertaining, often offensive, and a lot of good laughs.

Originally published on SensiblySassy.blogspot.com
Lost Continent:
Well a couple years ago I read Bill Bryson's book Neither Here nor There and it was a hilarious guide through Europe. So when I saw Lost Continent on the shelves I instantly wanted to read about Bill's road trip through the U.S. Within the first five pages I was chuckling to myself and out loud. (Luckily Jon was the only one sitting next to me on the plane as I read) By the time the hour and a half flight touched back down on the ground I had polished off quite a few pages.

As the book went on I began to feel less enamored with the book than I initially had. The tone shifted from funny to cranky as the trip/book wore on. Now I wonder if it is the fact that the trip began to take its toll on Bryson or if he felt that crotchety was a good tone for him to switch to-we may never know. Overall if you were to sample some of Bryson's work I would absolutley recommend Neither Here nor There over Lost Continent . Neither Here nor There gives you a hilarious and personal guide through Europe whereas Lost Continent really helps you remember what it was like to take loooong car rides with your parents-the good and the bad.

I was out in Philadelphia - a very fun and interesting city (if you ignore this book)- when I read this book. What an incredible disappointment. "Razor sharp wit" is too kind of a description of Bryson's wit. Bryson is down right mean in this book. This is a man who made a conscious decision not to live in the United States who returns to supposedly find his "roots" in Iowa. Hey, keep your eyes open. Bryson was more intent on beating it as fast as he could across America to get a book to print for his editors. Although I do agree, the Midwest can be "heavy" even from the perspective of this home-grown Illini, the Midwest also has the most genuinely nice people, pork as a main food group, the best county fairs, little league and every rib fest known to mankind. He seems to have overlooked the POSITIVE aspects of Americans by only reaching for the surface. A Walk in the Woods is a much more enjoyable and funny read than this book. Obviously, putting one foot in front of the other makes one look closer at one's surroundings. Don't waste your time with this one.

I am a fan of Bill Bryson. I simply loved his Short History of Nearly Everything and In a Sunburned Country. Just awesome stuff. Reread both several times. I liked several other of his travel books, as well.

But this...this is just...bad. I mean seriously bad. He makes fun of darned near everything from his youth from his family on, and not in a funny, teasing, but affectionate way like Gene Shepherd had the sense and talent to do, but in a really nasty and distateful way. And it's just not funny. Nasty satire can be a guilty pleasure...like the old National Lampoon magazine managed from time to time (remember the Teddy Kennedy Volkswagon ad?), but this stuff is just...bad and boring.

I guess Mr. Bryson is just not talented as I thought, and hoped, he was.

After reading only half of this book it's clear Bryson is bored. Perhaps he should just put away the typewriter, go work at Walmart as a greeter and work on his social skills.(Acually, I would buy that book!) Or maybe he should go out into the middle of a lightening storm so he can almost get hit by lightening. Maybe that would jolt some life back into his writing.
I'm used to, and can enjoy, Bryon's quasi-European thumbing of his nose on small town America and its inhabitants. But, I've read my computer manual with more facination. A day in the life of Bryson on the road: Get up, eat breakfast at lowlife cafe, drive under grey skies, look at stupid plaque denoting historical significance of area, eat lunch at a lowlife cafe, drive, reflect on childhood with father, eat dinner at lowlife cafe, get a hotel, watch the local access channel and ponder how it reflects stupid Americans, go to bed, repeat past day all over again.
...and again, and again.
I'll read his Austrailian book due to all the great reviews. It may sound crazy, but I actually feel a little bit bad for Bryson. He seemed very sad as he drove...and sadly missed...a great country.

Bill Bryson's account of his journey through America leaves much to be desired in terms of wit, creativity, and respect for his subjects. In "The Lost Continent," Bryson fails to share any insight on the United States or its citzens, but rather manages to bash both categories in a totally unobjective way that belies his overrated essence.
While missing or barely grazing some parts of the country that are essential to its being (Boston, Texas, and Florida are just some of the subjects that are not mentioned), Bryson relates his depressing story of a nation apparently defined only by its dying downtowns and moronic diner waitresses (the dozens of inane conversations with the former that the author relates are each a spectacle of his lack of both creativity and civility.) In fact, the only region on which he passes high judgment is his home state of Iowa.
Furthermore, Bryson's heavy-handed discussion of race relations and his consistent objectification of women seem more appropriate for a book written in 1959, not 1989.
Bill Bryson is clearly writing for an audience that already disdains America and gets a kick out of his belittling of its residents. This book is worth reading only to further one's understanding of why ex-patriates should remain that way.

After reading A Walk In the Woods (during which I laughed so hard I cried more than once), I was expecting a similar journey around Small Town America. What I got instead, was a mean-spirited, spiteful, disappointing ride around 14,000 miles of America. Bill, can you honestly expect me to believe that in 14,000 miles you didn't find one town, that could make you happy? I often hoped the tone of the book would change, but it never really did. I did enjoy your re-telling of your travels with your father. He sounds like a much more interesting traveller than you have become.

I'm glad I read Walk in the Woods first...no one would have been able to convince me to pick it up had I read this book first.

If you are looking for a true book about Small Town America I would suggest Travels with Charley by John Steinbeck or my perennial favorite, Blue Highways by William Least Heat Moon.

I picked this up because it looked like a fun read of a time gone by in Middle America. I expected a lively rolicking tale.

I got into the first chaper, flipped thru, read random paragraphs and the book is now in my Goodwill pile.

This was my first Bill Bryson book. A friend was raving about A Walk in the Woods and Bryson's writing. I stopped her and said I wasn't going to waste my money. I cited my experience with this book. "Oh. Ah. Yeah." She said. "Yeah. I wouldn't've read anything else by Bryson if that were my first book of his either."

That pretty much sums it up. The author comes across as a petty, mean-spirited, prejudiced SOB with a crude sense of humour. I really wish I could get my money back.

This gem from Bryson remains the funniest travel book ever published. At least one of the funniest books I have ever read. It is one of those rare books that will elicit deep belly laughs. Bryson spares no one with his barbs as he travels the U.S. (by the way, he also does not pull any punches when commenting on Europe in "Neither Here Nor There"). The book is loaded with interesting trivial americana asides. Those who think Bryson is too mean or negative should relax and get a sense of humor. After all, can't we all agree that Cairo, Ohio (pronounced "Kay-ro" in Ohio) probably is a dump.

The publication of the new Bill Bryson boom is now a landmark in my calendar, but this is the book which set it all off. It's simply one of the funniest books I've ever read.
However, the book was published some years before A Walk In The Woods, and made Bryson very popular in the UK well before the latter book broke him in the USA. I'd always wondered what US residents would make of his observations on their country, and it's fascinating now to see how varied the reactions are below. These range from the ecstatic to the 'how dare he have a go at the US when he hasn't lived here for 20 years'.
So, I'd simply say this. The writing is first class and witty throughout. If Bryson seems a little jaundiced at times, I think this simply shows that he's lived in the UK for 20 years, and that he's illustrating how different the US and British sense of humour can be. But I don't think he's bad-mouthing his country of birth. If anything, the book is affectionate about the country, warts and all. In fact, since the day I read this book, I've wanted to emulate his journey - I only need 3 months off work!

A friend gave me this book for Christmas and I just recently took the time to read it. I'm glad I did. Bryson's descriptions of the people he met in his travels seem to hit the nail on the head and made me say "I know that guy". On the other hand I couldn't understand why it was that Bryson made this trip alone. (Maybe the rest of his family was mad at him.) I found his comments about his father to be distasteful. Most of the places he visited he wrote about negatively, finding fault at the least little thing, with very few exceptions. It was as if he expected them to jump with joy upon his arrival. He apparently ran into some trouble in the west as he spent a lot of time denigrating their way of life as compared to the mid-west, and then to top if off he moves to Hanover, N.H.?? There is no doubt that there is a lot of humor, or just plain funniness in his writing, but at the same time there seems to be a lot of "put downs", the waitresses, the bar tenders, the gas station attendents, etc. I wouldn't recommend this book as a travel guide because I think Bryson missed many of the really interesting places in the U.S. He seemed determined to visit the little out of the way places that are just trying to survive. Anyway, I did find the book entertaining, mostly because of his descriptions of people, i.e. the breakfast waitress was really and accurate description of what most of us have experienced, but we must also remember these are usually young people trying to earn enough money to go back to college in the fall...Bryson seems to ignore this. Probably he would do better as a stand-up comic. I would recommend this book if somebody wanted something to just plain laugh at, but not to find a true description of the America that I know.

I love Bill Bryson's books. Love the way he writes. But in "Lost Continent" (and also "Neither Here Nor There", his European travel account) he tirelessly complains about everything. Towns aren't pretty enough. Towns are too prettified. Too loud. Too quiet. The people are fat. The television programming is terrible. The awful food. The expensive prices. On and on and on.

The irony is that Bryson himself is fat and slovenly, and in "Lost" drives, of all cars, a Chevette. How is it that Bryson can complain about American's lack of cultural appreciation and yet for every hotel he stays at in America (and Europe, in "Neither here nor there") the one thing he's sure to comment on is the television and/or the TV programming at the hotel, as if that were a reason a person travels.

In short, Bill, you are yourself the embodiment of the fat American traveler from Des Moines that you take such pains to deride throughtout both of these books. It's no wonder you always travel alone - you'd be an excrutiating travel companion.

Let me start by saying that I love all things Bill Bryson. I have laughed until I've cried at ceretain parts of every book he has written, and regularly relisten to "A Short History" on audiobook. Anybody that can make that much science that interesting is next to godliness in my book.

However.

I got "Lost Continent" on audiobook to listen to while working on a project in my studio. I had only read a blurb about what it was about, and loving Bryson, I picked it up sight unseen. I only got about halfway through before I just gave up, came home, and immediately deleted the whole set from my iPod. I don't know if it is his age at the time of writing, or some superiority complex from living abroad or what, but this is HORRIBLE.

There is almost none of his characteristic wit. He is insulting, degrading, and flat out crude for large parts of this tale. As far as I can tell, he did nothing but complain about how terrible everywhere he went was. In listening to 4 hours worth of storytelling, I can safely say he only found about 25 minutes worth of good stuff to talk about.

Frankly I was shocked at how overtly negative the whole tone is through the story. It was just so unlike anything else I had read of his. At one point I even stopped to wonder if there just happened to be another author out there with the same name and I had grabbed someone else by accident. I stopped listening partly to prevent my opinion of him from dropping any lower - everything else of his has been so wonderful and I usually recommend him to all my friends!

On an audiobook sidenote, I did not care for the reader either. While he had a pleasant enough voice to listen to, he did not speak in the manner that Bryson does (when reading audio books at least) and really added to the overtly sarcastic and degrading tone of the story. Yikes.

A friend gave me this book for Christmas and I just recently took the time to read it. I'm glad I did. Bryson's descriptions of the people he met in his travels seem to hit the nail on the head and made me say "I know that guy". On the other hand I couldn't understand why it was that Bryson made this trip alone. (Maybe the rest of his family was mad at him.) I found his comments about his father to be distasteful. Most of the places he visited he wrote about negatively, finding fault at the least little thing, with very few exceptions. It was as if he expected them to jump with joy upon his arrival. He apparently ran into some trouble in the west as he spent a lot of time denigrating their way of life as compared to the mid-west, and then to top if off he moves to Hanover, N.H.?? There is no doubt that there is a lot of humor, or just plain funniness in his writing, but at the same time there seems to be a lot of "put downs", the waitresses, the bar tenders, the gas station attendents, etc. I wouldn't recommend this book as a travel guide because I think Bryson missed many of the really interesting places in the U.S. He seemed determined to visit the little out of the way places that are just trying to survive. Anyway, I did find the book entertaining, mostly because of his descriptions of people, i.e. the breakfast waitress was really and accurate description of what most of us have experienced, but we must also remember these are usually young people trying to earn enough money to go back to college in the fall...Bryson seems to ignore this. Probably he would do better as a stand-up comic. I would recommend this book if somebody wanted something to just plain laugh at, but not to find a true description of the America that I know.

I love Bill Bryson's books. Love the way he writes. But in "Lost Continent" (and also "Neither Here Nor There", his European travel account) he tirelessly complains about everything. Towns aren't pretty enough. Towns are too prettified. Too loud. Too quiet. The people are fat. The television programming is terrible. The awful food. The expensive prices. On and on and on.

The irony is that Bryson himself is fat and slovenly, and in "Lost" drives, of all cars, a Chevette. How is it that Bryson can complain about American's lack of cultural appreciation and yet for every hotel he stays at in America (and Europe, in "Neither here nor there") the one thing he's sure to comment on is the television and/or the TV programming at the hotel, as if that were a reason a person travels.

In short, Bill, you are yourself the embodiment of the fat American traveler from Des Moines that you take such pains to deride throughtout both of these books. It's no wonder you always travel alone - you'd be an excrutiating travel companion.

Let me start by saying that I love all things Bill Bryson. I have laughed until I've cried at ceretain parts of every book he has written, and regularly relisten to "A Short History" on audiobook. Anybody that can make that much science that interesting is next to godliness in my book.

However.

I got "Lost Continent" on audiobook to listen to while working on a project in my studio. I had only read a blurb about what it was about, and loving Bryson, I picked it up sight unseen. I only got about halfway through before I just gave up, came home, and immediately deleted the whole set from my iPod. I don't know if it is his age at the time of writing, or some superiority complex from living abroad or what, but this is HORRIBLE.

There is almost none of his characteristic wit. He is insulting, degrading, and flat out crude for large parts of this tale. As far as I can tell, he did nothing but complain about how terrible everywhere he went was. In listening to 4 hours worth of storytelling, I can safely say he only found about 25 minutes worth of good stuff to talk about.

Frankly I was shocked at how overtly negative the whole tone is through the story. It was just so unlike anything else I had read of his. At one point I even stopped to wonder if there just happened to be another author out there with the same name and I had grabbed someone else by accident. I stopped listening partly to prevent my opinion of him from dropping any lower - everything else of his has been so wonderful and I usually recommend him to all my friends!

On an audiobook sidenote, I did not care for the reader either. While he had a pleasant enough voice to listen to, he did not speak in the manner that Bryson does (when reading audio books at least) and really added to the overtly sarcastic and degrading tone of the story. Yikes.

This is Bryson's first travel book. He takes a road trip round a large number of Continental US states, visiting a lot of out of the way, less known places.

It is a moderately entertaining book. The first sections have some very funny prose - such as his description of childhood trips to visitor attractions, excitement mounting to a frenzy as each sign marking down the distance appeared, only to discover a derelict shack in the final stages of solvency.

There are plenty of descriptions of motels, junk food, bland landscapes, people with minimal levels of cultural sophistication and underwhelming travel experiences. The travelogue is funny at first, but becomes repetitive after a while. One senses that by the second part of the trip which takes in some of the Western states, Bryson had rather lost his verve for the trip.

This book was mean-spirited, misanthropic, and cruel--I loved it. I think most of the negative reviewers of this book would benefit by lightening up a little and getting a sense of humor. If you're a blind, gung-ho, flag-waving, patriotic America-booster then this book will deflate your bubble. I think America is the greatest country the world has ever seen and I love it, but if you sincerely love your country then you will be able to criticize it and laugh at it sometimes. Bryson's hilariously sharp eye catches all of middle America's absurdities, but what saves the book's harshness is that he doesn't forget to target the biggest absurdity here--himself (yes, the [sad man] who whines about how boring everybody is around him but spends most of his time alone in a motel room drinking beer and eating candy). For me the main joke of the book is that Bryson spends most of his time trying to escape from somewhere rather than looking forward to his next stop. Yes, perhaps some of his targets are a little too easy, but still hilarious. As a travel book: 1 star. As a comedy: 5 stars

I read this after having been through and in a few of the places Bill Bryson mentions in The Lost Continent : Travels in Small-town America, so at the time I found parts of it highly entertaining. Accounts of Nowheresville, USA are not going to be too interesting if you get lots and lots and lots of them, though.

Having traveled by car when I was a child, I know how tedious this can be. I have never laughed out loud reading anything before I read this book. With tongue firmly planted in cheek, Bill Bryson wends his way down memory lane mixed with the bite of present day reality. This is one hilarious story. I liked it so much I bought the audio version and had to stop and cringe when the narrator refered to Nehi pop as "Neh-hee" rather than "Nee-high" - who edits these things? Aaaaarghh. Nevertheless, the story came across vividly and Mr. Bryson should be thanked repeatedly for inviting us along and making our sides ache.

I ran into this book in a bookstore in The Hague (NL) on my way to buy a new Lonely Planet for my upcoming trip to The States. Indeed I am a great fan of the USA. Until that time I had never heard of Bryson but reading the back cover in the shop the first sentence of the book ('I come from Des Moines... somebody had to) directly caught my attention. That must be fun to read!!

Reading this book during the last weeks Bryson really surprised me with his very nonconformistic way of writing. His observations are very sharp and really refreshing!! Never a dull moment for the neutral, not 'over-americanized' reader. Normally I don't laugh out loud when reading something funny in books but this one was a cracker and during the 350 pages of this book I did it over and over again. And hey there all you Americans out there who feel offeded by Bryson or find his observations offensive for the people of the Midwest and all the other (obesive)Americans Bryson discribes: don't be too proud on your country and your compatriots. When travelling in Europe you can expect the same from the Dutch, the Germans , teh French and Italians for instance. Dont we all make a laugh at our curious habits! Just see it as a wink Bryson gives to the life he lived (and obviously still lives). And remember that there is a huge difference between cynical (but humourous!!)memoirs and abusive stories! I enjoyed it a lot and love the country side of your country even more! But yes, not everything in America is something to be proud of but is'n't that the same for every country...;-))). Conclusion: a very good buy! And I will definitely buy another book (Walk in the Woods should also be fun as I read the reviews) of Bryson in the coming weeks. And come back to the US over and over again for LA or NY, 'Amalgam', your National Parks and all the places in between.

I've thoroughly enjoyed several other books by Bill Bryson, but this one has to be considered a sad disappointment. Virtually all of it comes off sounding vicious and mean-spirited, in spite of the author's intention of being humorous.
He travels across America in his mother's Chevette (doing damage to it and never exhibiting any sign of remorse), eats at dumpy, greasy diners so as to have plenty of bad food to complain about, stays at roach motels in order to whine about the lousy accommodations, gripes about the dumpiness of poor, small towns in the U.S. and then has the unmitigated gall to say that Lady Bird Johnson's campaign to remove ugly billboards from the interstate highway system was a colossal mistake. Yeah, Bill, your appreciation for the beauty of billboards shows what an eye for culture you've got.
He spends fifteen seconds passing through some small town and has the amazing ability to know exactly how everyone there wastes their lives. Whatever tiny sliver of some state he sees is somehow, to him, indicative of the entire state. And if he meets one person in a town that he isn't impressed with, it means that every single person in that state is somehow ugly, uneducated and overweight. Oddly enough, if he happens to encounter somebody who is well-educated, that doen't mean that everyone else is, too. No sweeping generalizations allowed if it would mean that something was good rather than bad. And his repetitious negative comments about the weight of everybody he encounters get awfully tiresome. That appears to be the absolutely, positively most important thing about all Americans in Mr. Bryson's eyes.
This entire book sounds patronizing and so, so smugly superior. Mr. Bryson probably pats himself on the back at frequent intervals for being so much smarter, wittier, better educated than anyone else in the entire nation. And the meanest remarks he seems to reserve for his own parents, who must have been more than glad to see him take off for Europe.

Like the author, I grew up in Iowa. And that's primarily why I read this book. Bryson returns to the USA after working for years in Britain and takes a nostalgic roadtrip through small town America. Yes, some of his humor and observations are sarcastic, but that's part of the fun. The reader has to understand the need for us to laugh at our idiosyncracies and inconsitencies. It's apparent that some reviewers here took offense instead of smiling, and a writer always runs that risk when using satire as a comedic device. Some folks are too insecure or just plain dull to enjoy it. If you have a sense of humor and don't feel threatened by the occasional parody, then you'll enjoy this book. If you can only take everything literally, stick to the newspaper.

I bought the book because I read Bill Bryson's "A Walk in the Woods" on a plane, some years ago. I laughed so hard my seatmate scootched as far away as possible, worried for my sanity--and the cola spurting from my nose. Passengers three rows back peered over their seats to view the commotion.

By contrast, "The Lost Continent" seemed small and mean-spirited. It was filled with stereotypes of southerners (lazy, prejudiced, unkempt, talk slowly and unintelligibly), tourists (fat, dressed funny, were consumately rude, especially the older women), the Amish, any quaint town, big city, shopping mall, fast food joint--too crowded, greasy, unfriendly--or the one that was friendly seemed suspiciously so--they were probably from outer space and were going to take him back to their planet, though, by then, I didn't know why they'd want him. Motel/hotels were too expensive-dirty-small. Tourist attractions, too full of tourists, weather, too warm or cold.

He didn't like much except the baseball hall of fame at Cooperstown, and the Grand Canyon for the thirty seconds the fog lifted; was impressed with Las Vegas.

Mr. Bryson had little good to say about people, though his contacts seemed limited to getting out of his car, being disappointed with whatever, or not wanting to stand in line, and huffing back to the vehicle, driving off and getting lost--again. Not much chance to get to know a feller, that way.

I was puzzled as to why this talented man continued his trip and why when he was in such a snit, he wrote a book that was bound to irritate most of the people of his natal land. No wonder he and his family moved to London.
I hear it's clean, never rains, has capatious hotels, great food and service--HA!

I love Bill Bryson. I love to listen to his narration of his books during my long commute to work. I didn't even notice that someone else was reading this audiobook until I started to listen. No bother, it'll still be great, right? Wrong. Kerry Shale narrates this at high speed, making you wish "slow down" was an option on the cd player. He's overly sarcastic, making Bill's subtle jabs sound down-right mean. It's only 2 discs long, but I can't help but wonder if it would have been 3 or 4 if Bill had read it in that wonderful way he has. I had to stop listening after about 5 minutes.

I should have taken note of the reviews for this book. He gets weary and critical from the get-go and never lets up, even after a winter break! I know many of the places and agree with many of his observations but he could have "lightened up" a bit! A better read for a third of the price!

Book-Most-In-Need-Of-A-Map Award Winner. Sorry, had to get that out there. I'm a hundred pages in and I'm writing the review. I've read much of what he's written; he hooked me with A Brief History. But this writing is even better; my favorite so far. Hilarious, out-loud laughing has happened three times already, and every time I pick up the book, I start smiling. But, seriously! Two more pages, and you've got yourself a book here.

I LOVED a Walk in the Woods, and looked forward to reading this book as well, however, it was a great disappointment.
During Bryson's childhood, his father and mother set out on annual family road trips. His father was thrifty (as were almost everyone's parents then), and they often visited free attractions during these long trips.
Many years later, Bryson, without his wife or family, sets out on a journey through America's small towns. He decides to do it as his father did, about as inexpensively as it can be done.
Bryson visits great American locales with historical attractions, but often will not spring for the admission to those great sites, complaining that they should somehow be free. This means that he's unable to comment about what these places represent-- he misses many opportunities to reflect, for better or worse, on American history, culture, and life.
Bryson spends his time instead visiting one local diner or restaurant after another, making fun of a waitress' accent or the others in the diner, but not really giving meaningful insight into America, or its small towns and the people who live in them.
Bryson was clearly lonely and depressed on this trip. He should have piled his wife and kids in the car as his father had, and set out, with a more reasonable budget.
Read this book if you want to hear the rants of a depressed guy who would rather have been home with his wife.

I purchased this based on a friend's recommendation even though several people claim the book is full of complaining. This book is actually really entertaining, I found the small towns he traveled to to be interesting and some gave me a good laugh. There are few small towns in my own state and this book definitely reminded me of them. I think anyone who has traveled by car can sympathize with boring landscapes and getting lost using a road map. I really like how he describes the people and places in this book, and I am looking forward to reading his other books.

This book was not my first read by Bill Bryson and I will move on to other authors after this read. As I was reading this book I wondered why I had read as much of this author as I have.
Bryson tends to look down his nose at people and things that do not meet his obviously cultured standards. His anger whether displayed or passive aggressive has gotten old.
An example of my disappointment in this book is the author's report of New York City. Bryson couldn't find anything interesting within the 5 boroughs of the city.
His politically correct self contentment is no longer of interest to me.

Bryson, an expatriot from London, comes to America for a swing through 38 states. He whines, through sarcastic humor, about what a terrible place most of america is, with its strip malls or dead country towns. Then he hits historical places, and he whines that it is too expensive to visit the place, so he doesn't; never mind that it is expensive to run these places. He whines about how terrible the food is and how we americans don't like to walk. The billing of the book is an expat who views america after having been gone for many years. I would have rather he just stayed away and not written the book!!! If you want to read a good travel book, see Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas, Hunter S. Thompson or On the Road, Jack Kerouac.

In keepin' with some 'o the otha remarks on this hear review page, I'd jus' like ta say that Mr. Bill Bryson is condasendin' of 'Merica, condasendin' of 'Merican values, and - above all - condasendin' of 'Merican small towns and the fine folk and farm animals who inhibit them. How he could live on some depressin', foggy lil' island like England (which we dun saved durin' WWII and protected during the Cold War, lessin' it become some Soviet satellite) for two whole decades and then return to the good ol' US of A and NOT APPRECIATE the value of strip malls. clogged highways, and fried chicken joints is beyond me. This book may be funny to them there thinkin' folks, but what Mr. Bryson's got to realize is that thinkin' folks like him is the overwhelming minority, and to that I say good riddance. An' heck, if someone actually listened to his whinin' and criticizin', then 'Merica might actually start changin'; it might start listenin' to the people, and imagine what where that might lead. The glasses in England may be half empty Mr. Bryson (and I reckon they's plenty smudgy, too), but the ones hear in the Land of the Free are ALWAYS half full. So, why don't you saddle on up and ride on back across the Pacific to yer' beloved Britain. What's that? You did? Well, good!

PS: I really enjoyed your 'A Short History of Nearly Everything.' 'Mother Tongue' was enlightening too.

Billy-Joe Barndoor, author

Certainly not Bryson's best. But I still love his ever present cynicism. I felt he was a lot more negative in this book than in "I'm a Stranger Here Myself" . Which deals with some of the same topics.
If you are an avid Bryson reader, then yes do take the time and read it. However do not expect for it to live up to some of his other works.

I was very disappointed in, and angered by, this book. Having lived in a couple of the small towns that Bryson skewers I was unpleasantly surprised at the arrogant, belittling tone he takes. If all you know about small towns is what you read in this book, you'd assume that all small-town residents fit the stereotype of being backward, country bumpkins who are a bit slow on the uptake and clearly can't match wits with such a pithy author. He insults both the towns and the residents. He mocked one town for being in his drive-thru view little more than a series of strip malls. Having lived in that particular town, it's obvious that he didn't venture a block or two off the main street, where beautiful scenery is plentiful. And I would also add that this town is the friendliest place I've ever lived. If Bryson's intention was to come off as a big city elitist he succeeded.

I gave this book one star only because the store doesn't allow the option to select zero stars.

My husband and I have read and enjoyed many of Bill Bryson's books. In the past, we considered him one of our favorite writers. After reading this book, it will be a long time before I open another of his works.

Mr Bryson's petty criticisms of the small towns through which he drove and his obvious contempt for all things Southern will leave any American who loves her country feeling a deep disdain for all things Bryson. While reading this book, there were many times my husband and I would look at one another and ask, "What could have happened to him to make a man from the Midwest develop such a negative view of all things American?" and "Do you think this book was REALLY written by 'our' Bill Bryson?" (BTW, we no longer consider him 'our' Bill Bryson.)

I mentioned that Mr Bryson 'drove through' small towns in America because that's exactly what he describes in the book. After a quick, judgmental glimpse of a town, he bypasses it altogether as totally unworthy of his time, money, or attention.

Bryson didn't bother to visit many of the historical attractions along the way. Apparently, he was on a very tight budget. He DID, after all, borrow his mother's old Chevette for the journey. The cost of admission to these sites require him to cut back on his beloved beer and chicken-fried steak.

Last, but definitely not least, Mr Bryson showed himself to be a bigot. His contempt for 'all things white and all things Southern' along with his propensity for revisiting every bit of negative racial history every recorded during his BRIEF drive through the deep South demonstrated just how out of touch he is with the country of his birth and his, obvious, disdain for truth. He chose to ignore any progress made in race relations during the past 40 years. He chose to see, and share, his view that America is, and will always be, the country he would most like to see in 'his rearview mirror'. I, for one, welcome him to return to his country of choice and not bother to darken the doors of the home I love. The last thing the United States of American needs is one more person to describe our country in such negative terms.

Having lived in the States for two years during the early eighties, I snorted my way through this all too familiar landscape. Anyone who has ever tried to buy a ticket at Cincinatti airport and been treated to a lecture on the merits of the death penalty by the person on the other side of the counter or ever eaten at an 'International' House of Pancakes will laugh too. Though his voyage is random, he experiences enough of America's cultural diversity to form his conclusions, many of them justifiably harsh. It would be unfair to say that Bryson relishes this critique. There is the distinct sense that he is sitting behind the wheel of his car for much of the journey in aghast disbelief, quite unable to understand what has become of his own country and unsure of where it's headed. The Lost Continent is informative and for the most part, objective and it contains much of the hallmark deadpan irony with a fiesta of wisecracks throw in for good measure. Whatever you're feelings about Mr B's conclusions, you won't be bored.

This is the sort of book that prompts one to ask, "what is the purpose of travel writing?"
Should it inform us about places we will never go and people we will never meet? Amaze us with tales of grandeur and exotica? Must travel writers seek out and celebrate the remaining pockets of difference and distinction in a world all too quickly tending toward homogeneity? Or should they seek to unite us, teasing out threads of common human experience from beneath the misunderstanding and fear that so often blanket us when we contemplate The Other.
Of course, good travel writing -- from the journeys of Herodotus in a Mediterranean-centered world to Eric Newby high in the Hindu Kush or Redmond O'Hanlon deep in Borneo -- does all of these things, and entertains us in the process.
Not, alas, Bill Bryson -- his highest aim is to entertain, and this he manages to do roughly on the level of an extended fart joke.
In this book, Mr Bryson - an American who lives in England - goes on a car journey across the continental United States. He travels alone, staying in motels and eating in restaurants. Some evenings he finds a comfortable bed or an acceptable meal. These times, he is happy and he says nice things.
Much more often, however, Bill Bryson isn't happy. He dislikes the big cities, which he finds very big. He also dislikes the small towns, yes, for their smallness. He despises equally the conveniences of tourist towns and the inconvenience of towns that do not cater to tourists. He finds the East is too industrial, the West too cold and empty; the South is unpleasantly hot; there is too much corn in Iowa. On and on he goes. Everywhere, he finds stupid people.
When Bill Bryson is unhappy, which is most of the time, he vents his spleen on whatever town or city happens to disappoint him. Occasionally, his invective is amusing; more often, it is predictable and juvenile. A sample of the Bryson wit, picked more or less at random: "... his name wasn't Mr Toerag, of course. It was Mr Superdickhead."
As a humorist, Bill Bryson specialises in easy targets. Overweight Americans are particular favourites, as are those with regional accents. Here is a conversation between Mr Bryson and a Mississippi police officer, both of whom are in their cars, stopped at a stoplight:
... he said, "How yew doin'?" This so surprised me that I answered, in a cracking voice, "Pardon?" "I said how yew doin'?"
Bryson responds that he is fine, and the officer asks if he is on vacation.
"Yup." "Hah doo lack Miss Hippy?" "Pardon?" "I say, `Hah doo lack Miss Hippy?'" I was quietly distressed. The man was armed and Southern and I couldn't understand a word he was saying to me. "I'm sorry," I said, "I'm kind of slow, and I don't understand what you're saying." "I say" - and he repeated it more carefully - "how doo yew lack Mississippi?" It dawned on me. "Oh! I like it fine! I like it heaps! I think it's wonderful. The people are so friendly and helpful." I wanted to add that I had been there for an hour and hadn't been shot at once, but the light changed and he was gone, and I sighed and thought, "Thank you, Jesus."
So Bryson escapes from his brush with the law, but not from his stereotype of the South (or from any of the many other stereotypes of Americans). The above conversation, almost the longest in the book, is one of the few times Bryson talks to someone who isn't a waitress (another group he delights in mocking).
Perhaps we should feel pity for Bill Bryson as he drives around America, completely failing to engage with its people or to penetrate beyond the its service industries and, occassionally, museums. But he gives us very little reason to do so. Bill Bryson appears no deeper than his own shallow lampooning.
For a part of this book, Bryson is retracing the family vacations of his childhood. But in bringing these earlier adventures to life, he relies on more of the two-dimensional caricaturing that so fails to animate the rest of the book: his mother, says Bryson, spoke only to feed the family ("Another sandwich, dear?"). His father, more fully characterised, manages to be both the most interesting and the most sympathetic person in the book. Every summer, it seems, Bryson senior would load his wife and children into the car and drive off across the continent in search of history, beauty or adventure.
Although rudely depicted by his son as a skinflint, barely able to read a map, Bill Bryson's father appears to have been a man who was passionate about his country. In one scene, he is described spending an entire afternoon pacing off troop movements on some historic battlefield (much to the boredom of his son, of course). And, we are told, he frequently engaged in long, involved conversations with the strangers he happened to meet. Bryson senior was, in other words, a pretty good traveller.
Too bad he didn't write a book.

Since I had read a couple of other books by the author, I expected to laugh out loud a little and chuckle a lot, but I didn't expect to learn so much about America as I did. This is a very enjoyable book. You can't have thick skin if you read it though. Bryson is pretty critical of some of the places he visits.

We all know what big cities are like, but how about small towns? Of course Bill Bryson did not (& obviously could not) visit all small towns in his home country, this book satisfied my curiosity towards small towns in America.

I guess there's always irresistible charm of overland travel, and Bryson described his overland trip with hilarious writing style.

One suggestion: if the editor could add a route map at the beginning of book showing Bryson's itinerary, it would be even better.

Having been to many of the places Bryson visited in this book, I find myself wondering how he could possibly have had such an apparently unpleasant time. Bryson's wit in this volume is not just biting, it's acidic, even heartless. This book will make you chuckle, but even most of the laughs leave a bad taste in the mouth. I have greatly enjoyed three other Bryson books, but I can't really recommend this one.

The first page is enough to set you up for what it is to come. The author's accounts of recreating the journeys that he made as a child around various parts of the USA strike up such clear and hilarious images. Well written and the best of his whole output so far IMHO

This is the book that introduced me to Bill Bryson, and I will forever be grateful to my old neighbor for lending me his copy.
As a person who, as a child, was trapped not once, but twice, in a cross-country trek with her family, I can relate to many of Bryson's experiences. His anecdotes concerning his childhood trips brought to mind the stories my own father would tell about his family vacations in the 1950s.
In "The Lost Continent," Bill Bryson holds up a mirror to America, showing both the good and the bad with a wonderful sense of humor. This is a book that reminds us not to take ourselves too seriously. Bryson doesn't get much credit for the amount of research he puts in his books; he drops informational tidbits as he pokes fun, and you learn while you laugh.
I've read his travel narratives about the UK and Europe, and neither have had the same impact on me as "The Lost Continent," simply because I know my country's foibles better. For those who love America, warts and all, this is the book for you.

As an American living abroad for the past 12 years, I feel Bryson's book took the words out of my mouth! You have to be an American revisiting your own country after years away before you can truly understand the absolute brilliance of his writing and observations

Bryson's travel books, of which I've read several, don't require you to actually travel for enjoyment. I'm fairly certain this is the first of his travel adventures put into novel form, and although not as enjoyable as his later commentary on the U.S. (I'm A Stranger Here Myself) it's quite funny nonetheless. Buy it, read it, and then read his later works. You'll get a kick out of it.
For what it's worth, I gave it 4 stars because it's a very funny book -- but if my review does not sound like a typical four star review, that's because his later works deserve 6 stars on the five star scale.

Bryson's one of my favorite travel writers. Hilarious. A Walk in the Woods is my favorite of his. This one is about his travels around small-town America, which isn't as interesting for someone who knows what small-town America is like. And I thought Bryson's sarcasm was a little snotty and mean in places, but pretty enjoyable.

In many ways your typical 'i went here and did this' travel book, but with one major exception...this is actually very, very funny. What basically adds up to a series of stories connected by the mythical search for Amalgam, USA and the author (and America's) lost youth and inocence. I have no idea where Bryson finds some of the hilarious historical annecdotes but the really memorable moments are snippets from HIS past life. A real classic.

This book was recommended as one to read if I wanted to understand the people who would vote for Donald Trump.Well really I will be travelling in the States in a few months time so it was a book I thought would further enlighten me. However,I found it boring and sour. I won't say more because it has all been said in other low rating reviews of this book.I would recommend Blue Highways by William Least Heat Moon as a superior read on similar travels in the States and in that similar time period of the 1980's.I haven't read any other of Bill Bryson's books but after reading this book I wouldn't bother.

not a review really but when Bill reprints could he possibly insert a MAP!! Living in Australia and not knowing the U.S. well I had to keep running into the office where we have a large map on the wall 0- exhausting. but loved the book he can travel anywhere with me!

I loved this book. Bryson captures my many memories of family vacations stuffed in the back seat of a station wagon with my sister and brother with frugal but loving parents in the front seat. Hours spent on long highways driving through small towns before interstates were built are accurately captured with brutal reality and sarcastic humor and wit by Bryson. WARNING: If you don't have the ability to laugh at yourself you will not like this book. Bryson pokes fun at everybody, including you, whoever you are. But Bryson also pokes fun at himself. If you ever spent interminable hours staring out a car window on a cross country drive and you have a good sense of humor, then this book is for you.

I'm a Bryson fan anyway, but I'd have to say this is in a class with "A Short History of Nearly Everything" and "In A Sunburned Country." Bryson, who at the time he wrote this book (late eighties) was living in England, drives his mother's Chevette through thirty-eight states. Loosely, he's in search of the perfect American town; more to the point, it's a great opportunity to see America through Bill Bryson's eyes.

We read of his attitudes towards the south; his experiences as a child on family vacations; the difference between attitudes in the Midwest and everywhere else; and his encounter with someone who really wants to know whether they can smoke on a Grayhound bus.

His commentary is always witty and occasionally acerbic. Bryson appears to have written the book for an English audience (or at least have been influenced by living in England for so long), and occasional lapses into English English (as opposed to American English) may distract occasionally. Overall, though, the book is well-written and provides a laugh and a half a page.

Bryson is a very good travel writer and a clever social critic, but people expecting a book on par with A Walk in the Woods might find themselves a bit disappointed. Bryson is very funny, but I think he employs an English sense of humor which tends to run a bit more biting than the American brand. He's clever, he's more accurate than many of us want to admit, but it gets tough to read a couple hundred pages from someone who sounds an awful lot like a cynic. Like the back of the book says, he's as observant as de Tocqueville, but he's less optimistic. A good book from a good writer, but be warned.

This is a poor book, for the most part. Bill Bryson is a good writer, as his other books prove. However, I found myself quickly tiring of his whining and negative attitude as he recounts his travels through America. This book is repetitious and a little too cynical for my taste. I much preferred A Walk in the Woods. Though Bryson has a lot of amusing tales, for the most part, the attitude of his writing made me feel a little dark, soiled and depressed at the book's end. I'm glad I only borrowed this book from the library and didn't waste my money on it.

Bill Bryson drives aimlessly around America by himself and complains. Not his best work. Anyone who tucks into chicken fried steak every night doesn't get to critique restaurants. If he bothered to study about any culture other than Anglo-American, he might enjoy some of the areas he traveled through. He manages to use racial terms I honestly have not heard in three decades.

As hilarious as when I read this book several years ago. Bill Bryson's wit and verve comes across on every page - there is not a dull moment in this travelogue. There are many "laugh out loud" moments in this book, which can be somewhat embarrassing as I read a lot in public places - such as metros, buses, parks...

And not only laughter - Mr. Bryson can penetrate through to the lost soul of America with his sly observations - on consumerism, language, modes of travel... Not much escapes the vision of Bill Bryson. His perceptions range at different levels and he is able to turn the humour over to himself as well.

After twenty years from publication date there is still much that is valid and real in these pages - and laughter is ever so important!

So unlike his other books. The Lost Continent seems written by a man who has such low self-esteem that he has to cut down everything around him. He is clearly trying to let us know how much better he is than anyone or anywhere else. He tries at humor, but it is just a dismal, depressing, mean-spirited, not to mention, boring and poorly written accumulation of complaints and misinformation. I quit it three times before finally giving up on it for good about half way through. A waste of money and time.

I read this book several years ago...this was my first of many Bill Bryson books in fact. I was on a flight from Ireland to the USA, sitting in the middle of the plane, next to a kindly American Catholic Priest from Rhode Island, and two middle-aged American women. I giggled and laughed out loud so many times that they all kept asking me 'Why...What...' I attempted to read to them from the book. I'm not sure that they found the humour as funny as I did...and I kept giggling as I read. I think this book is well worth a read. I am an American living in Ireland for 10+ years...and it IS healthy to have a laugh about our great, quirky, interesting and mundane all at the same time, country!

I was a big fan of Bryson's book, A Walk In the Woods, which detailed his (somewhat truncated) journey along the Appalachian Trail. So it was with a sense of optimism that I opened his much older tome, The Lost Continent, seeking some insight as to life journeying through small-town America.

That is how the book bills itself, but it's very misleading. I've identified several problems:

(1) The book really does not discover small-town America or describe it at all. I found myself hopeful at several points when Bryson encountered odd small-towns in far-flung locales, but he never gives this anything but superficial treatment. This would have been much better if the focus of the book was Bryson's awkward interactions - say, at a little league game, or at a church fundraiser - with locals. I can't recall a single instance of that, except for his half-misogynistic descriptions of coffee-shop waitresses and the cheap banter between the two. In short, I didn't learn much about small-town America at all.

(2) As to point (1), the book really focuses on a lot of big cities or obvious tourist attractions (e.g., downtown Philadelphia, Mt. Rushmore????) with superficial descriptions that could have been lifted from an encyclopedia. This was not what I expected or paid for.

(3) Bryson traveled...alone. Is it me or is this just plain weird? In A Walk In the Woods, Bryson's interaction with his hiking companion made the book. Here, Bryson comes across as a fat, angry, loner recluse who talks to no one in the 38 states he visited. Sorry. The weirdness factor irked me.

(4) I'm not sure there was a point to the book. Like I mentioned earlier, if this was a book about trying to find the perfect small-town in America (and eventually, say, finding it), then the book would be compelling and interesting. As it stands, the book is little more than a sarcastic version of a Mobil Travel Guide from the late 1980s.

The only reason I give this two stars is that Bryson is funny. He delivers a few one-liners and zingers that are ones I'll remember. Many people, though, will find his humor arrogant. However, even this is not enough to make up for a book that is little more than one man's random (and increasingly angry) dictations along America's highways.

Bryson is a pretty good writer. His prose is flowing and very easy to read. This book is 300 pages and I read it in 3 days.

My complaint is his lousy attitude toward people. He made fun of just about everyone but gave his most scathing comments to overweight woman. Plus, this is a book about traveling across America. I don't mind Americans complaining about what's wrong here. I do it myself occasionally. I don't mind people in other countries criticizing the USA. I make judgments about other countries, some unflattering. But there is something grating about Americans living in other countries coming back to travel the USA and taking potshots at our way of life and poking fun at the working poor. Stay in England if it's so bad here.

This is the book that introduced me to Bill Bryson, and I will forever be grateful to my old neighbor for lending me his copy.
As a person who, as a child, was trapped not once, but twice, in a cross-country trek with her family, I can relate to many of Bryson's experiences. His anecdotes concerning his childhood trips brought to mind the stories my own father would tell about his family vacations in the 1950s.
In "The Lost Continent," Bill Bryson holds up a mirror to America, showing both the good and the bad with a wonderful sense of humor. This is a book that reminds us not to take ourselves too seriously. Bryson doesn't get much credit for the amount of research he puts in his books; he drops informational tidbits as he pokes fun, and you learn while you laugh.
I've read his travel narratives about the UK and Europe, and neither have had the same impact on me as "The Lost Continent," simply because I know my country's foibles better. For those who love America, warts and all, this is the book for you.

Bill Bryson was the perfect author for me and may be the perfect author for a lot of people. He has a humorous perspective and always has interesting descriptions of places he visits and can connect to the reader wonderfully.

In this book, he travels around America in a car in his journey to find the perfect town, nicknamed "Amalstad." Along the way he meets interesting people and places. Nothing escapes his commentary as he drives all around America discovering quaint, small towns and also sharing with us the story of big cities.

Bill Bryson has an uncanny knack for connecting to the reader. His writing is similar to a conversation written down. He relates many of his examples to many things that ordinary people have experienced.

This book is a must read for anyone. You will be surprised as you learn new things and also laugh at old, all through the eyes of a funny author.

I admit that I did not read this book in its entirety - about 1/4 of the way through the pages, I could no longer fight my urge to throw the book across the room. When the book met the floor, the spine crushed under the weight of Mr. Bryson's negativity.

If you are interested in (and/or originally from) small town America, be prepared to sit through the most random set of cynicism that I have come across in recent years. It is clear that Mr. Bryson has not one, but instead has multiple chips on his shoulder. One wonders why he even decided to tour small-town America when he obviously could not get over his apparent distaste for anything mildly different than he had previously experienced.

When he wasn't making fun of the 'locals', he was snidely commenting on their economic status, their history (none of which appeared to be relevant to the book)or their accents.

I am originally from the Midwest, and even though I have determined that it is not the place that I wish to live for the rest of my life, I see far more that is positive about the area than negative. That's the thing about perspective, which is typically what moving away from a location will give you. Unfortunately the author offers nothing in terms of perspective, and instead only hoists the antagonistic prose down the reader's throat.

I can't tell how much I laughed while reading this book. I discovered this book by accident in a B&N store, just after reading 2 pages I had to get it. Don't listen to all the -ve reviews here. Obviously these people couldn't laugh at themselves. Trust me I lived in a small town in Illinois and I know what it is like. I do agree that sometimes he is little too frank, but thats his style and thats the beauty of the book. He not only makes fun of small town America, but he laughs at himself. This is the first book I have read by him, and I am already reading his other book on Europe. Just give this rib-tickler a read within an open mind.

The short version: I love Bryson's other books, I hated this one.

Why?

#1. Mean-spirited whining about how he hates everything. That got old real fast.
#2. Not much in it that's funny. I don't think I cracked a smile the whole way. It lacked the wit of Bryson's other books, and so was stale and boring.
#3. Gratuitous use of profanity. I'm not some old church lady, so spare the "Prude" comments. I just don't see that the profanity added anything at all. It wasn't funny, it was out of place--like he just threw it in hoping it would make the stuff around it funny. It didn't.

If you've never read Bryson's work, skip this one and start with anything else he's written. If you like Bryson's work and want to read everything he ever wrote, still, don't buy this one. Maybe borrow it from your library, because you won't be reading it again.

Other the store reviewers have touched on most of what I would say about this book (leaves one prone to extended periods incapacitated by laughter, brings on violent urges to read it aloud to any available form of animate life). Bryson induces these symptoms with his ability to let us see the world through his insider/outsider perspective. He turns the obvious over and shows us the idiocies, idiosyncracies, and illusions of everyday life. Best of all, he takes nothing, especially not himself, too seriously, and yet doesn't lose sight of what is really important

Funny, but Mr. Bryson tries too hard making the book funny for his English audience. Most of his preconceptions are outdated. Since the book is 10 years old, some of that is understandable. It would have been better had he compared his actual experience against the preconception rather than telling of the foreboding preconception and then fitting the experience to it. If you're from the UK and love this book -- great, but it's not an actual depection of reality in the USA.

This book is hilarious and I am very disappointed in some of the poor reviews I have read. Just because Bill Bryson pokes fun at some aspects of americans doesn't mean he hates america. Who could write a whole about a country they couldn't stand? The guy even moved back to the U.S. after leaving overseas for many years. Get a sense of humor. If you want a boring travelougue that will put you to sleep then go read something else. By the way, read Fark.com daily and you'll see what kind of nuts live here in the U.S. Laughing is the only to dull the pain!

I love car trips and also have memories of childhood back seat adventures, so I looked forward to this read. I made it about half way through and gave it up as a depressing waste of time. For a much better look at regional quirks and differences I recommend another mid-westerner, Calvin Trillin. In ALICE, LET'S EAT, for example, he visits places with people much different from himself...and writes with great wit about what he sees and does. If he makes a bit of fun of his adventures it is infused with a fondness for the people he meets and a delightful self deprecating attitude. Quite the opposite of Bryson's arrogant attitude.

As has been pointed out by everyone else,
Mr. Bryson whines and complains through the
whole book. BUT, it still has a lot of laugh
out loud moments, getting me strange looks from
everyone several places where I happened to be reading it.

An absolute gem of a travelogue! The author effectively weaves his early memories of traveling across the U.S. with the journey described in this book. The narrative is informative, witty, and peppered with an occasional sarcasm that is an absolute joy to read.
This is one of those rare books that makes you laugh out loud. Sort of Monty Python, Groucho Marx, and William Least Heat Moon all together!

I read the reviews before I actually read the book. The reviewers who claim that the author comes across as a angry, hateful jerk could not be further from the truth. While there is the occasional put down of a overweight tourist here and there, the book is laugh out loud funny. What ever happened to peoples sense of humor? Come on people, the man is funny and some of his observations are spot on as he exposes some of the absurdities of american small town life.

I have experienced many of the places Bryson described in this wonderful book. With each stop, I enjoyed reliving the journey. Bill wrote in a way that made me laugh... often. I was sorry to finish the book.

As has been pointed out by everyone else,
Mr. Bryson whines and complains through the
whole book. BUT, it still has a lot of laugh
out loud moments, getting me strange looks from
everyone several places where I happened to be reading it.

An absolute gem of a travelogue! The author effectively weaves his early memories of traveling across the U.S. with the journey described in this book. The narrative is informative, witty, and peppered with an occasional sarcasm that is an absolute joy to read.
This is one of those rare books that makes you laugh out loud. Sort of Monty Python, Groucho Marx, and William Least Heat Moon all together!

I read the reviews before I actually read the book. The reviewers who claim that the author comes across as a angry, hateful jerk could not be further from the truth. While there is the occasional put down of a overweight tourist here and there, the book is laugh out loud funny. What ever happened to peoples sense of humor? Come on people, the man is funny and some of his observations are spot on as he exposes some of the absurdities of american small town life.

I have experienced many of the places Bryson described in this wonderful book. With each stop, I enjoyed reliving the journey. Bill wrote in a way that made me laugh... often. I was sorry to finish the book.

The Lost Continent, by Bill Bryson is a hilarious book. It talks about his trip across the country and back.
Bryson is from Iowa, and some of the book is spent making fun of his own people.
Bill starts his trip in Des Moines, where he has lived for his whole life, retracking the trips that his father had taken the family on. His father's death is what initiated his whole trip.
Bryson is a great writer especially if you like funny stories. I can't remember laughing out loud at a book before I read this. He is also very descriptive when he writes. I could visualize every aspect of the book. I have no trouble relating to this book either; it really seems like he is a "normal", (if you will), type of guy.
The setting may be the most important part of the book because Bryson is contsantly describing where he is and what it is like. I feel like I am "there" when he describes the towns, roads, and people.
It is easy to make a plot like this quite boaring, but with the comedy and descriptiveness, Bill Bryson does a wonderful job of keeping your attention.
Enjoy Bill's trip through America. This is really a must read.

This book was given to me by a friend who knew that 1) I enjoy this style of sarcastic humor, and 2) I'm from Iowa. Bryson perfectly captures that strange mixture of fondness and boredom that I experience when I think of the Midwest and of those family vacations to someplace else. Forget all those comments that Bryson spent too much time in England; his perspective is uniquely American. My only regret about this book is that he didn't spend more time skewering my adopted state of California. I'm looking forward to reading Bryson's other books.

After spending most of my life seeing the rest of the world, I just completed a spectacular 11-month drive on the two-lane roads of America. Although I agree there are plenty of warts, such as fast-food restaurants in embarrassing numbers, I chalked those up to "progress" in a country that is otherwise truly magnificent, and I'll never stop being grateful that it's mine. Am just glad I didn't depend on Bryson's opinion before the trip, or I'd never have realized the dream of a lifetime! His writing style is clever and witty - too bad America-bashing is how he employs it.

I thoroughly enjoyed Mr. Bryson's book about his journey through small town America. Several times I was laughing out loud and had to read aloud to my husband. If you are from a small town, you will be able to relate to the author's observations and experiences. Yes, he does at times seem a bit cruel in his comments but take it with a grain of salt. His genuine love for his home country is obvious. I recommend the book for several good laughs.

This book represents the best of Bryson's work to-date. He completely captures the heart and soul of towns throughout America. Bryson has an amazing talent of bringing you with him to these towns such as Pella, Iowa or Springfield, Illinois. He offers a unique perspective on Americans within each place he visits on this journey. Bryson inspires you to want to drive across America and experience each little thing like eating in a small diner or talking to locals throughout the country. Great book filled with detailed description about the place he visits and the people he mets along the way.

In recounting his journeys through small-town U.S.A., Bryson provides some hilarious episodes and some insights - particularly about the over-commercialization of the landscape and careless destruction of natural and historical treasures. But this book is marred by too many complaints about bad food and lodging as well as careless generalizations, especially about the South. He also appears to have made almost no meaningful contacts with the locals in his travels. Compare this book to William Least Heat Moon's "Blue Highways," and you will see that Moon is much, much better.

Many here have it wrong. It is not the book that is depressing. Or repetitive. Or plain. Or lacking in grand history (meaningless "historic markers" occur a-plenty). It is driving through Small Town America that is all those things. So why did someone of Bryson's intelligence not pretty it up? Why not throw in enough "redeeming" nuggets here and there? As some reviewers here suggest it would have made him more "quick bucks".

The answer, of course, is the answer to that age old question - why does a writer need to be true?

You picked up a book subtitled "Travels through Small Town America". What did you expect? Small Town America, especially of Bryson's sampling, primarily reveals itself to the traveler through its strip malls, and its sale of cheap calories. Conversation is whittled down to the stock oft-repeated phrases of service indifferently provided. And Bryson gives it to the reader in all its repetitive and bland glory, redeemed only by the spice of his cynicism. Not strong enough, this spice, one feels as one reads the book. But having finished it one realizes that had the spice been a lot stronger it would leave a bitter aftertaste. I think Bryson pulls his punches appropriately while being completely honest. I think he pays a bigger price for this honesty than the most dissatisfied reader. Isn't happy denial an easier state to be in when driving 6000 miles through Iowa, Illinois, Missouri, Alabama...? Why constantly remind oneself that this is not fun? That one's childhood memories cannot be recovered or are disappointing when they can? Why does a writer need to be true?

This is not a great book, the subject matter would not allow that. But it is a unique book. It is clear that the writer who undertook this 6000-mile drive is a dedicated traveler. I shudder to think of those 6000 miles. And I thank Bryson for doing it and sharing his journey. I don't have to.

I couldn't get past the first few pages and wish I had taken the time to read the reviews of this mean spirited, pompous, derogatory spew from this writer before spending my money. With the daily partisan hatred being flung from the halls of Congress, I didn't need to read it when I was trying to "unwind" with what was falsely marketed as a "hilarious account of one man's rediscovery of America." Hilarious?? Rediscovery of America?? Nothing funny about it. Go back to England, Mr. Bryson!

This is a very funny book, which certainly made me laugh. The fact that some readers have disliked Bryson's very mild criticism of his own country just goes to prove how well aimed Bryson't wit is. I have but one negative comment, which applies to all of Bill Bryson's books: he knows that his main market is Great Britain and goes out of his way to reassure his British readers that, oh, they are so lucky to be British! But you can't blame the man for protecting his source of income...

Fortunately this is not the first book from Bill Bryson I ever read or I would have given up. It is very insulting to Americans, especially small town people. Although his humor is at times funny it's also offensive (to me anyway). Even though he was born American, he was living in the UK and flew over to write this book. He portrays the heart of our nation as a bunch of idiots basically. Skip this one and get "In a Sunburned Country" instead.

While author Bill Bryson was a child in Iowa, his family took many road trips to other places by car. Bill, now a 36 year old expatriate, decides to retrace these trips to recapture the whimsical, nostalgic memories of his 1950s childhood. Bill's narration is definitely funny and spot-on. I couldn't help but hold my breath until he got to towns I'd been to or knew of, to see how his brain interpreted it.

Bill Bryson is rather un-patriotic, which is real fun and a real pain to those who think that the States are the most beautiful, exciting and grandiose country in the world. Well, they aren't. They can be downright boring and ridiculous and tacky; as tacky as it can get. Bryson is a sarcastic travel writer, enriched by his European experience that few Americans can grasp. A very entertaining book, harsh on the American Way of Life small-town version.

My daughter and I were in a bookstore a few years ago and the saleslady said she had just read this book. I think it's hilarious. I sent Mr. Bryson a letter in care of the publishing company and got a nice letter from England from him several months later - he said it probably came to him via "snail mail"- my daughter and I each have copies of most of his books. I haven't read the newest about Australia but I'm sure I'll add it to my collection. I understand he is now living back in the U.S.

Usually, Bryson is down right-laugh out loud funny... This book was a whiney travelogue of uninteresting places.

There are many lovely, interesting small towns throughout the US, Bryson didn't find one of them. And similarly, there are numerous unique characters in the country and Bryson didn't meet any of them. Just traveling around small towns, expecting some sort of revelation about yourself and life growing up in the middle of nowhere... could happen, but didn't.

Not a bright spot among these leaves!

One man's very funny view of America. Some readers below have critiqued this as cruel - I thoroughly disagree! Yes, Mr Bryson takes irreverant "shots" at many spots in the US (my hometown included), but always with a purpose. If you have traveled across the US in a car, this story rings true. If you like Bill's sense of humor, you'll like this. A fine accompaniment to his books on Britain, Europe and Australia.

This book is a gem, which I found after enjoying Bryson's A Walk in the Woods. His humor is indeed often sophomoric, but he spreads it around evenly on himself as well as others, and taken in the right spirit, he is truly funny. Mostly I enjoyed reading along with a U.S. map in hand, learning about towns and sites I may never visit. I wish he would travel the U.S. again and write an updated version. I would love to read it!

Think of this premise: Take a road trip, write a supremely boring book with some of the dumbest cliche jokes on the planet, and because your name is Bill Bryson, make a whole bunch of money.

I do recommend this book if you are stuck in prison doing a life sentence and its either read The Lost Continent or stare at the walls of your cell. For me, I'd stare at the walls.

To be fair and talk about the contents of the book, it is the recounting of Bill taking a road trip to attempt to remind himself of what small town America is like. He remembered it from his childhood and returned from living in England to see if his memories were what small town America is really like.

In the end, The Lost Continent is as readable as the phone book.

My overall recommendation is to read Bryson's brilliantly funny recent works, then go back to less recent works, then stop before you get to this one. As other discerning reviewers have noted (especially Amer-Aussie, whose spot-on review you really must mark as 'helpful'), Bryson looks for the worst in America and, surprise, he finds it. Sure, there's much that's funny here, but the humor gets swallowed up by the mean.

Let me add one more observation, which amazingly seems to have eluded all: one of Bryson's worst habits--even worse than his penchant for telling you where he is politically (he hates Republicans)--is his smug disdain for and ridicule of religion, particularly Christianity. Happily, Bryson's later books show a maturity absent in this one.

I snatched this up after thoroughly enjoying "A Short History of Nearly Everything", but this book has forever put me off of anything else Mr. Bryson will ever write. It's relentlessly arrogant and petty, and overall just extremely tiresome. For someone who harps on and on about the lack of civility from those he encounters, he doesn't really seem capable of displaying any himself. Particularly in his encounters with waitresses he comes off as a first class jackass.

If you want a narrow-minded journal of a pathetic anglophile's tour of the US, by all means pick up the book. Personally I think there are better ways to spend one's time and money.

Riding in the passenger seat with Bill Bryson through 38 states and 14,000 miles makes for a highly comical and riveting drive. A hoot!

Some reviewers tag the book as condescending, sarcastic and sneering. Bryson calls it as he see's it...just how things really seem.
Along with pointing out positive attributes of our country, how can one also not notice the moronicities and ludicrousness which fevers the nation, whether it be in the people we encounter, the places, etc? Bryson is a genius in this category.

In addition to his side-splitting activities from town to town and state to state, he rediscovers not only America but also his youth with many, many hilarious situations. Embellishments travel directly to the tickle-bone.

I'd read four Bryson books before I read this one, and this is the funniest of the lot. Irreverence and biting wit on almost every page. I've definitely had more laughs from this book than any other I've ever read.

I can only assume that the people who are giving this riveting work a meager one star are the kind of people who are more than happy to laugh at Bryson poking fun at anyone else, but when his inimitable humor is directed at them it ceases to be funny. Kinda reinforces some Bryson's observations in this excellent work.

Thoroughly recommended.

I've read the other reviews and they all seem to sum up the variety of perspectives I would expect. However, there is one point I feel should be addressed. I've spent much time in the town of Gettysburg as my girlfriend's family lives there. I normally wouldn't fault someone for being unfamiliar with the history or progression of the battle but Bryson is a different story. Given that Bryson himself points out the immense importance of the battle and despairs at the failure to respect the battlefield, I feel that some nitpicking is warranted. He mentions sarcastically that he could picture the Confederates advancing from the north through the town during Pickett's charge, through parking lots and tacky shops. In fact, Bryson is wholly incorrect in this description. Pickett's charge advanced from the West about a half mile south of the town across open field that has since been, and is today, open and unadulterated.

I recognize this distinction as nit-picky but as someone who feels so justified in lambasting the American education system but demonstrates his own massive ignorance about an event he considers to be of monumental importance, I can't help but be disappointed in Bryson. In fact, I wonder how accurate any of his irreverent anecdotes are, or if he even went to any of these places at all.

I will admit that he is enormously funny and his humor resonates with me. I find myself laughing out loud at some of his anecdotes. However, I can't help but be disappointed in a person so close minded as to hold everything that is different from his own personal lifestyle (even if he only gets a glimpsing look) in utter contempt.

Prepare to be:
a) offended
b) lied to and/or misinformed
c) laughing at the end of it all

I usually like Bryson...not here. Humor is non-existent...as is any real interest. I gave up at chapter 8, so I can't address this beyond that point...but that was enough. Bryson exposed himself as a pompous, bigoted hater of the Mid-west and Southern USA and those who live there by choice or circumstance. Since his frequent references to his life in the UK clearly indicate that those people are in some way superior, perhaps he should head back in that direction. To quote him in the last that I read...I believe that, at least for this offering, one might describe him as "Mr. Superdickhead."

Bottom line: Bryson is a witty bigot. A self-confessed anglophile, Bryson left the United States as a young man, spent the majority of his life in the UK, then returned to the "land of his father" to cast darts at a culture he doesn't love and doesn't want to understand. I was hoping to enjoy this book, but it oozes sarcastic condescension, smug judgment, and ignorance.

I read this book when it came out a long time ago, and just came across it now. I don't recall the details, which are extensively covered in the other reviews. I do remember, however, that it was one of the few books which made me laugh incredibly hard, and often. Bryson is a very witty guy, using understated tone to illuminate the patently absurd in hilarious fashion. That alone rates it 5 stars.

Pick up his Walk in the Woods, not as funny, but just as enjoyable recollection of his walk of the Appalachian Trail with an old buddy. Lots of good environmental insight, laced with many bits of humor.

I'd skip Sunburned Country, which i just couldn't get into at all.

This book proved to be a disappointment. Whereas Bryson was witty and entertaining in books such as A Walk in the Woods and In a Sunburned Country, he was simply profane and sarcastic in Lost Continent. His generalizations were based on first impressions and left me with the feeling that he wrote the book without taking the time to research the subject. He wrote with a definate bias. Bill should have stayed in England if he thinks so little of the USA.

I read A Walk in the Woods, and though it had a slow section in the middle I thoroughly enjoyed it. So therefore for my birthday I asked for and received the Lost Continent. What a mistake that was. I read it until he was in North Carolina. That was about 5 states too far! I literally threw it at the wall after I read yet another condescending slam on some poor American slob just like me. What an ignorant idiot this guy is (or was back then). He should have stayed in England if America sucks so bad. I buy books to read and keep. This is absolutely the first, and hopefully the last that I ever threw away, and then made sure I dumped coffee grounds on it in the trash the next morning. Take that Bryson. Stay in England!

I am a big fan of Bill Bryson, his books are great, and they always make me laugh. This book however fell short, all it could muster was a few chuckles. I liked the book, it was however somewhat repetetive with lots of talk about gas stations and grubby restaurants and Bill's harsh reviews of most of the towns he travelled through. It was an interesting book nonetheless. If you're a big Bryson fan, might as well read it.

This was the first of Bryson's books that I read and having lived in Iowa, I can appreciate where he came from. This book had a certain romance to it. It's a road book, and he did his best to describe the small communities through which he passed. It's not the best book he's written, but it's certainly better than some of his later offerings.

I loved this book. He does whine, he does offend but nonetheless he's terriby funny. His observations are uniquely his own with a mix of American brash and British dry wit. We should all laugh more. Be forewarned on the whining part and have a good laugh.

JUST READ THIS BOOK ON A PLANE GOING BACK TO FRANCE, SPEND SOME WEEKS IN THE DEEP NOWHERE FROM THE DEEP AMERICA, THIS VIEW POINT REFLECTS EXACTLY WHAT AN EUROPEAN CAN FEEL ABOUT UNITED STATES : A MELT OF LOVE (YES, REALLY !) AND IRONY ABOUT WHAT THE EUROPEAN ARE GOING TO CHANGE. C'EST A LA FOIS UNE CRUELLE SATIRE DE L'AMERIQUE PROFONDE MAIS AUSSI UNE VISION EFFRAYEE DE CE QUE SONT (OU VONT DEVENIR) LES EUROPEENS.

Bryson hiked part of the Appalachian Trail (skipping at least half) and then wrote a book about it. He turns in a similar exercise here, never traveling West of the Missouri river and yet calling his book "The Lost Continent." Where he does travel is predictable stereotyping from a "worldly" author. Steinbeck he is not.

I picked up this book hoping for the hilarity, irony and insight that I've found in other Bryson works, but was deeply disappointed. There are a few funny and keenly observed passages, but they are overwhelmed by a narrative that is predominantly shallow, repetitive and -- my biggest objection -- haughty and mean-spirited. Bryson is by and large a bracing, talented writer, but this work proves that even great talent can take a wrong turn.

I love Bill Bryson. I really do. He's quite possibly the funniest and wittiest writer out there. This was a wonderful book and second only to Neither Here nor There. I am greatly anticipating the release of I'm a Stranger Here Myself on paperback. What's interesting is his worldwide appeal--I was introduced to him when I lived in London and took his book with me when I, too, traveled all over Europe. Keep 'em coming Bill!

Save your money, don't buy this book. Too bad I can't give this book a NO-STAR rating. Bryson seems to find little to like in the US. He's surprised by the sand on Cape Cod and amazed by southern accents. I got a few laughs at the start of this book, but soon it turned nasty and cynical. Bryson wants to follow in the footsteps of Dave Barry, but Barry offers humor without the caustic bite I find in Bryson's writing. I got halfway through this book and tossed it in the paper-recycle bin.

This is another book by a smug expatriate making facile criticisms about life in America. He does this with a fraction of the wit of Paul Theroux. The book is about a road trip he makes across the United States after living many years in England. The problem is, he sticks to long stretches of interstate highway venturing off rarely for a tourist attraction, lodging or food. He then laments the boring stretches of highway, the fastfood (which he always seems to eat) and the motel rooms. He rarely talks to any people except those that work in the aforementioned establishments. He comes off as the fat, ignorant, small-minded and cheap midwestern American that he attempts to label everyone else. He travels to National Parks but doe not venture far from the parking lots. His trip is my idea of a nightmare: logging endless miles trying to hit as many states as possible, seeking out the well-received stereotypes for each area. His father whom he tries to belittle comes off as helluva guy, less smallminded than his son turned out to be.

Mr. Bryson may appeal to certain types, but I find no humour in his trashing of small town life in America. Bryson finds great pleasure in seeking out the worst in every town he "visits," then writes disparagingly about the inhabitants, even mocking the various dialects he encounters. He paints a negative image of the places he visits, often perpetuating outdated stereotypes in order to make the place seem worse. Anyone who goes looking for the worst elements of a locale will likely find them. He then exaggerates those findings. Such great talent has he.

Mr. Bryson seems to have a rather high opinion of himself, but his writing reveals that he is actually full of himself (and full of something else). He lived in England for a number of years apparently curing him of his American upbringing. Now he has returned to report back to the rest of the world how bad his native country really is.

His boorish exaggerations, intentional disparaging remarks, frequent use of vulgar language, and lack of any genuine interest in his subject matter (other than to sell books) leads me to believe he is a less decent form of life than any of the people he so mercilessly belittles in his book. For all their perceived shortcomings, those people are authentic. Bryson is a phony, and I might add, a very unattractive bloke himself.
What a shame so many readers fall for his second-rate comedy.

Please move back to England Bryson, and don't return.

This easily could have been a 5-star piece of work, and in fact it started out that way. Bryson's glimpse of America by car can be funny, instructive, wistful, and a good argument for seeing more of this country. Unfortunately, he clearly has some mean-spirited baggage to dispose of, because there are few people he encounters along his journey for whom he doesn't express outright contempt. Overweight women and gay men in particular seem to come in for the lion's share of ridicule. I lasted up through the phrase "mincing little fag" before I moved on to something else.

I got this book after greatly enjoying "A Walk in the Woods." I had been so interested with that book I wanted to hike the Appalachian Trail!

This book was just the opposite. Bryson provides a disappointing description of his travels around the United States, picking on most of the places he visits by highlighting their lowlights.

What boring, superficial stuff! I could pick up better and more interesting and funnier impressions of a place by driving through it at sixty miles an hour than this deadbeat can by hanging around for a week!

I just discovered Bill Bryson a few months ago, and I have loved every book that I've read, but this is by far the most hilarious one yet. I was reading it while traveling in a car with my husband, and, after laughing out loud, would have to reread passages to him. I haven't found it on audio book, but would love to hear it in Bill's voice, which adds to his sarcastic wit.

Bill Brysons book 'The Lost Continent' sucks. I picked up this book from the library expecting it to be like his other novel, Bill Bryson Down Under. Instead, all I got was (as another reviewer commented) a hate trip down memory lane full of his gratuitous dislike for his home country. The book reads like an adolescent wrote it in high school. He talks about the epidemic of bloated women, calls each town boring, picks on each stereotype he can possibly comment on and doesn't offer much in the way of entertainment. You also get the sense he's a patriot for his adopted country, England, and doesn't have a mote of pride for where he was born. Apparently the grass is greener on the other side for this fellow. I enjoyed Bill Bryson's 'Down Under' as a resident Aussie, but this book has turned me off all Bryson. Trash

This book was the worst of all of Bryson's books that I have read! It is a nonstop complaint of cities and farmland alike. Bryson has absolutely nothing good to say about most of the places he visits. He writes of trying to find the "perfect" American town, yet he never ventures far enough to really find it. Instead, he rambles on about horrible food (of course the food will be bad if you don't want to spend any money), boring radio stations (cds or mixes would solve this problem), and mean americans (I would not be friendly either if you are going to complain about my neighbors and business). Please. This country has a lot to offer, and Bryson did not showcase much of it.

I'd heard many great things about Bill Bryson, so when a friend loaned me this book with gushing praise, I was looking forward to a good chuckle. The most I managed was a few sardonic smirks. Mr Bryson writes in coherent sentences, although in some cases, he should remember there is such a thing as a full stop and sometimes, it's better to say things in two or three sentences instead of endless droning. His observations aren't particularly eye opening. He thinks he's better than everyone else and that all his fellow Americans are overweight uneducated red neck trailer trash. He is in turn mean, nasty, condescending and superior. I thought maybe he was trying to be funny, but it certainly didn't come across that way.

Still, I kept plugging on throughout the book expecting it to get better, but it didn't. The way he described the America he saw made me want to avoid going there (even though I have been there and I enjoyed the country immensely). I guess what I don't like about his writing style is his air of superiority. It comes through in waves, although underneath he doesn't strike me as a particularly intelligent or interesting person. When a person becomes an expat from his own country and then comes back to write about it, you should at least expect some funny insights and fresh perspective. With this book, I found neither. Just a condescending moron who really should have stayed in England.

Overall, the whole tone throughout the book left me uneasy and with a nasty taste in my mouth. I certainly won't be reading any more of his books, let alone spending my hard earned money on buying one.

It is clear half way through this thing that the author hates, among so many other things, strip malls, fast food chains, cheap motels, tourist traps and old people. Yet he drives endlessly through America searching them out - on a good day, endlessly complaining and on a bad day - making fun of them. What starts out as a mission of discovery turns into a mission of ridicule. The beauty of America lies in its diversity. Yet if you if you were from another planet and read this travelogue first, you wouldn't even stop in for a cup of coffee. And that's really too bad.

If anyone has ever traveled by car to some far off destination, this book will ring true for you. I laughed so much at many parts that I had to put the book away because I could not see the pages. Mr. Bryson writes from the point of view of a comman ordinary person, its easy to read, understand and empathise with his experiences. I loved this book!

Unless you're one of those truely pathetic types who cannot stomach ANY criticism of America and Americans, you'll love 'The Lost Continent'. It is probably Bill Bryson's finest work, which is really saying something, since he is one of the finest writers around today.

And fair's fair: We thoroughly enjoyed reading Bryson's hysterically ascerbic and witty comments about Europe, Europeans and other people and places, so we ought to love it when he gives us the very same treatment, and the fact is he does it so much better than anybody else!

*** SPOILER ALERT ***

But here's a tip for you sad types who would call French Fries "Freedom Fries": At the end of 'The Lost Continent', in the last few pages -- the ones you didn't see because you had a tantrum and threw the book down after only making it to around page 7 -- Bryson recants, and expresses his undying admiration and love for America and Americans.

This book effectively illustrates the point that left-leaning liberals - in this case the author - can engage in narrow-minded bigotry and intolerance with the best of 'em. Bryson's broad generalizations about people, based on nothing more than geography, accent, or occupation, are at times so hateful that the book is hard to read.

Bill Bryson crosses the line between humorous sarcasm to just plain bitter, hateful commentary on perfectly lovely spots. He greedily latches on to any stereotype available and exploits it. He happily criticizes events and places he doesn't even visit. I'm sorry he had such a miserable childhood and angry relationship with his father, but I don't think that justifies trashing an entire country. To Bill, I offer sympathies for a sorrowful youth that has obviously left deep an painful scars even well into his adult years.

I'm so sad to have spent money on this book. I loved Bryson's Walk in the Woods, and hope to enjoy the Sunburned Country. But the Lost Continent is going in the trash.

This was the second book by Mr. Bryson I read and must say after reading "I'm a Stranger Here Myself" set it up really well. Bill has a way with words and I enjoy reading every nook and cranny of his books. My only complaint is I wish this title came in Kindle Addition in the United States.

This was a trip the author could have missed. He finds mostly small ugly towns without good motels, surly waittresses and mediocre meals. On the way he seems to somehow miss towns in the area that are unique and well rounded.

I got tired of reading about his misfortunes and rude treatment. This should have been a short story. JEF

This is the second book I've read of Bryson's & being from Iowa myself, understand his humor perfectly. I don't agree with all of his conclusions/assumptions of our diverse country, but it does take you on a imaginative journey. A must read for any U.S. traveller.

This just doesn't compare to his earlier two books, nor to his recent memoir. I thought Kerry Shale did a poor job of narrating and finding Bryson's pace. Bryson did a wonderful job of narrating his own memoir ("The Life and Times of the Thunderbolt Kid") and should insist upon doing the rest of his stories on CD.

I laughed so many times reading this book, it hurt my belly. I recognized many people just like the ones I grew up with back home.
This look at the foibles of small town America will have you rolling on the floor.... and sharing with your friends the devastating slices of life he so ably portrays.
Get this book for no other reason than to lend it to your best (open-minded) friends.

Just because a writer can turna phrase doesn't make what he says funny. Apparently Bryson needed to make a car payment so he cranked out this book. There clearly is not a town or a person in America that Bill Bryson cares for, so it's a good thing he lives in England. This is not a gentle joshing of small town quirks or traditions - it's outright trashing of everything he sees right down to calling the waitresses ugly and wishing he could bash an old lady's head because she talked too much. I didn't finish it, and frankly, I'm not turning it back to the used bookstore - I'm throwing it away. You want a travelogue through small-town America? Go read Steinbeck or Charles Kuralt, or plenty of others.

I usually like Bill Bryson's books - Notes from a Small Island, a Walk in the Woods, I'm a Stranger Here Myself, A Short History of Nearly Everything, all made me laugh. But not The Lost Continent. This one was one long complaint of a roadtrip; Bryson doesn't seem to find anything he enjoys until he gets to Yellowstone. There's no detail of his travels, just a repetitive litany of how bad the food is, how horrible the motel, how fat the tourists, and how dull the road. It's not worth the read.

I had hoped for a humorous look at America but was stunned to find caustic remarks instead. This reminds me Bill Kaufmann's book Dispatches from the Muck Dog Gazette. There is no affection for small towns here. For some reason, the authors of both books find it amusing to bash small towns instead of embracing them for what they are. I'm barely three chapters into the book and plan on tossing it. I will not buy another Bill Bryson book again.

re>Carbondale, Illinois
This must be a tale of fiction. The accuracy of Carbondale, Illinois is very lacking. #1 Sounds to me like he drive through the center of town TWICE and missed everything. KFC & LJSilvers are BLOCKS apart and there is no "white wall" around either forcing one to drive from one location to the next. Never has been. And neither has moved since they came to town. Mr. Bryson must have been stumbling drunk on this trip of in some other dimension because his reality is wildly off.

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So a guy takes a trip around America and finds something wrong with our country at every turn. He doesn't believe in God, hates all Republicans (especially Reagan) and disrespects war heroes like Eisenhower. If he hates America so much maybe he should move to another country. Oh wait, he did that. He just came back here to write this book and make some money.

It helps to be from the Midwest to understand this one, but it is full of belly-buster laughs...and wherever you are from, you have to be willing to laugh at yourself (or your neighbors, if it makes you feel better). Definitely worth a winter read!

While I have enjoyed other books by Bryson, especially Made in America, I found this one to me more mean spirited than funny. I, like some of the other reviewers, have been to many of the places written about here and do not recognize them from Bryson's descriptions.

I love Bill Bryson's work. This book is a bizarre slamming of America which I found, while sometimes true, quite offensive. Skip this one...he's got his knickers in a twist, & enjoy his other marvelous books.

Bill Bryson could be a fine writer if he wasnt so enamored with himself. While going on a 36 state trip for most people would be exciting and fun, Bryson makes it out to be the most boring and inane trip of all time. If he had spent a little more time telling us about the wonderful places he visited instead of the many way he can find them unappealing, he would have a fine book. I think he lived in the UK far too long.
Not only was this book a waste of time, it was a waste of his.

I very much enjoyed The Lost Continent. I have read 5 of Bryson's works, including Walk in the Woods, and I thought this was his funniest. I have lived in the West, and South, and the Midwest. I thought he was dead-on. If some people can't take the truth, and laugh at themselves, well that's their problem. Being suck out here in Sand Land, I appreciated the many laughs. Thanks Bill!

Have read a bunch of Bryson over the years; From Troublesome words to Shakespeare to Neither Here Nor There. Bryson has an amazing talent. (Although Walk in the Woods was not my cup of tea) but generally I love his travel books.

The book THE LOST CONTINENT is an amazing captivating read. Bryson is truly brilliant in his descriptions. This CD totally KILLS that. First of all the narrator reads at a mile a minute, sometimes to the point where you can't understand him. And second, they abridged the CRAP out of it, cutting some of the most interesting commentary and actually cutting the entire SECOND HALF of the book! While the book is amazing, this particular recording of it should be avoided at all costs.

I had high hopes for this book since I thoroughly enjoyed and laughed out loud while reading Bryson's 'In a Sunburned Country'. I was more than a little disappointed after finished `Lost Continent' I came away feeling more than a little disappointed.

Before I bought this book I was puzzled at the contrasting reviews here and I initially took the most of the negative reviews with a grain of salt. I figured these were written by people who mostly just took offense way too easily and were unable to laugh at themselves as Americans. I have to say though, after reading the book I find myself agreeing with some of the negative reviews of this book.

First off, as an American that has lived overseas for 3 years now, I feel I'm more than capable of looking at America with an objective eye. I'm completely aware of America's many shortcomings - ie. the propensity for urban sprawl, the seemingly declining interest in it's rich history, the ever growing dependence on technology and increasing laziness that invariably comes with it etc. etc.

Having said that, I still regard this book primarily as just one endless, tiring, repetitive rant by an unhappy man. One would be hard pressed to find more than a couple instances where Bryson spent more than three of four sentences at a time describing anything he found ENJOYABLE. As one reviewer pointed out, Bryson comes across as being exactly like the kind of people he constantly complains about in this book...rude, ignorant, and, just like Bryson himself, overweight (apparently he hasn't stepped in front of a mirror lately). One has to wonder why someone would put out a book that is so consistently sour in tone. If I had just finished such a thoroughly unsatisfying and unhappy trek as this, I would be hard pressed to come up with a good reason (other than a quick buck perhaps) to actually write a book about it. Let me get one thing straight, if this were a book about Canada or anywhere else outside the U.S. I would feel the same way. Yes, there are a few funny passages in his book, but his air of superiority along with the overuse of metaphors pretty much dampen it at times. As demonstrated in `In a Sunburned Country', his strength lies in sharing facts and history of the places he finds himself in, and the humor is always much more engaging when it isn't over the top and written as if he's trying to impress himself.

There was a span of about 12 years between the writing of `Lost Continent' and `In a Sunburned Country', and it shows. This is a younger Bryson, a man who seems to have a problem with every little detail, and it becomes increasingly tedious and irritating as the book goes on. He rarely displays anything other than contempt for the places he finds himself in. A couple of other reviewers also made valid points when they found it curious that (with the exception of his Iowa drug buddy) he never manages to engage anyone in anything resembling a meaningful conversation to actually get a handle on their mindset (as he did in "In A Sunburned Country' for instance). His interactions with locals are mostly limited to ordering food at local restaurants and asking for directions. He seems perfectly content coming to conclusions about entire groups of people based on no real substance and communication whatsoever.

In this book, sadly, he comes across as nothing more than a sarcastic, anti-social loner with a bone to pick with just about everyone and everything. Any remotely kind words he has about anything (and they are few and far between) are all but smothered by the sour tone of the book as a whole. I SO wish I could recommend this book for others to read, but I'd be lying if I said it's time well spent.

To quote Bryson himself (page 95): "It's not often that you see an idea that stupid brought to fruition."

First page is simular to the last page, as is everything in between. Bryson has as many thoughts in a whole book as a decent writer has on one page.

I have read thousands of books, and this is my favorite. It never fails to make laugh. Bryson is brilliant! Warning: You are likely to laugh in public when the recollections of Bryson's phrases hit you at the worst times!