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  • A Walk in the Woods

  • By: Bill Bryson
  • Narrated by: Bill Bryson
  • Length: 5 hrs and 58 mins
  • 4.6 out of 5 stars (519 ratings)

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A Walk in the Woods

By: Bill Bryson
Narrated by: Bill Bryson
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Summary

The Appalachian Trail covers 14 states, and over 2,000 miles. It stretches along the East Coast of the United States, from Maine in the north to Georgia in the south. It is famous for being the longest continuous footpath in the world. (Compare this with the Pennine Way, which is a mere 250 miles long.) It snakes through some of the wildest and most spectacular landscapes in America, as well as through some of its most poverty-stricken and primitive backwoods areas - 'redneck' country - Moonshine, Lil’ Abner, 'There’s bears in them thar hills.' Remember the film Deliverance?

God only knows what possessed Bill Bryson, a reluctant adventurer if ever there was one, to undertake this gruelling hike. Perhaps it was just a long-held ambition to lose weight: he has lost two stone so far. As he recently wrote from the trail to his publisher: ‘Speaking of vigorous exercise, boy have I just had some. Maine was a bitch. I want you to come back and walk it with me so that when you die if you go to hell you will be able to say: “Call this hell? Try walking across Maine in August.'"

Reared in the tradition of Mark Twain, James Thurber, and S.J. Perelman, Bryson used his many years in Britain to soak up a peculiarly English sense of irony and humour and to hone a laugh-out-loud style that is uniquely, hilariously, his own.

©2004 Bill Bryson (P)2004 Random House Audiobooks
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What listeners say about A Walk in the Woods

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My favourite book of all time

Bill Brysons finest hour. A true masterpiece.
Makes you want to put a loaf of bread in a knapsack and head off into the wilderness.

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A great listen

I love all of Bill Brysons audio book. His use of language is great and observations do impressive

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Funny, interesting book and read beautifully

You can’t go wrong with Bill Bryson. This is a funny and interesting read. Bill’s voice is so calming and soporific, that if listening at night, it’s sometimes hard to stay awake! Loved it.

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Excellent

A Bill Bryson book read by Bill Bryson is a gem. His insightful observation of the world and his fellow man is not only clever but often hilarious and had me laughing aloud. This is five stars plus.

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Laugh out loud funny, and fascinating

Bill Bryson reads his book wonderfully. The ecological troubles and the beauty of the woods are contrasted with some great dialogue and immense fun as two middle aged friends struggle to walk the Appalachian Trail.

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Annoyingly abridged...

... though I suppose this does however capture all the essentials, but it would have been lovely to hear Bryson read through the entire book.

Enabled me to vividly imagine such a venture, which I could scarcely bring myself to do. Well, maybe one day I might do something of an enduring trail.

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Escape to the wilderness without leaving your chair!

Brilliant story made all the better by Bryson’s narration.
Entertaining and funny.
One of my favourite books ever!

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Fantastically witty

What a great example of what an audiobook should be - Whereas some work translates far better to the written page and others are let down by poor vocal performances, A walk in the woods - Narrated by Bill Bryson is perfect. Well written, engaging and an ideal length for an audiobook. thank you

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simple story telling

Enjoyed it, not a demanding listen very easy going. not a complicated plot in any way.

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Sensational

Laugh out loud, gripping and enjoyable. Highly recommend, even if you have no interest in hiking.

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2 people found this helpful