The road trip you're dying to take

I won't be the first person to tell you that Bryson is smart, funny, and has absorbed British sarcasm by osmosis so seamlessly that it almost trumps us when narrated in the velvety American accent of the actor on this audiobook. Small town America is pulled apart, examined forensically by each of its cast of stock characters and institutions, and then put back together with a new-found affection by both you and the author. This book is like dismantling an old Chevy, finding that it still works, restoring it and then driving it around proudly. You'll feel both the European distaste for anything nouveau that Bryson has adopted, and the universal pull towards Americana. Brilliant.

22 people found this helpful

Cringeworthy in places but still fun overall

Bryson’s works from a different time betray attitudes I do not like- particularly regarding both women and weight. On occasion, this caused me to turn the book off. However, these anachronisms aside, his words can light my day- and the actor who voices them really brings the work to life!

9 people found this helpful

Cynical and occasionally unpleasant

I’m usually a fan of Bill Bryson, and I had thoroughly enjoyed ‘A Walk in the Woods’ (also read by William Roberts), so my hopes were high for ‘The Lost Continent’. Unfortunately, I did not enjoy this very much for three main reasons: firstly, what is it about? With a title like ‘The Lost Continent’ I was expecting a more interesting exploration about what it means to be ‘American’. Not so: instead, this is a long road trip through small towns and large cities with no clear objective and therefore rather episodic and less compelling than ‘A Walk in the Woods’. Second, the book is dated in a bad way: references to Mexicans and ‘homos’ make you wince. But the third and biggest reason I struggled to enjoy this was because of the exhausting, unrelenting cynicism: while undertaking the kind of road trip most of us can only dream about, Mr Bryson does almost nothing but complain - at length - about the places he visits. While this is sometimes amusing, after a while it becomes monotonous. It even gets rather snobbish at times, with sweeping personal comments about people who live in ‘the South’ or in a particular place. He hates 95% of the food, the people and the places he visits, and so the ending - in which he gets sentimental about the trip coming to an end - rings false. If you like the idea of an 80s Karl Pilkington driving around America moaning about stuff, you may enjoy this much more than I did.

9 people found this helpful

Really enjoyable road trip...

If you could sum up The Lost Continent in three words, what would they be?

I've long harboured the idea of a road trip across America, so I'm very jealous of Bill Bryson!
His account of this trip around his home country is very enjoyable. Must say that this stage that the narration from William Roberts makes this adventure even better. He perfectly captures Brysons personality, and that shines within this book.
Starting in his home state of Iowa, Bryson first heads East, visiting the deep south and up the eastern seaboard. After a very brief stop at home, he's off west, visiting the Grand Canyon, Vegas and many more places that he's wanted to see but never got around to. All the time, he's looking for the idyllic place that he's led to believe exists somewhere in the US.
Even if you're not interested in the road trip itself, the insight into Bryson is just great, and well worth having a listen and many laughs to.

11 people found this helpful

I think I've listened to enough Bill Bryson

I was excited about this as I'd enjoyed other books by Bill Bryson until I realised these books are very similar so I gave up before the end but it only cost me £1.99p so I wasn't too disappointed

5 people found this helpful

A terrible book

Not a journey through America but instead an incoherent rant of a what appears to be grumpy bigoted mans random thoughts. He lugs around a load of preconceived perceptions and stereotypes types of small town America and sees them everywhere he looks, mostly in strangers he doesn't know. I don't understand the point of this book

5 people found this helpful

Mr Bryson does it again.....excellent.

Once again another great listen from a Mr Bryson book. His trip around nearly all the US states has it all, pride, shame, fear about his homeland but above all it's really funny. You certainly cannot accuse Mr Bryson of being completely (and typically) gung-ho about his country and compatriots and he does tell it how it is. I certainly would recommend having a map of the country handy too so you can try and follow his progress.



As for the Roberts vs Bryson debate that other reviewers mention, I think they are both great narrators. So there!

11 people found this helpful

Bill Bryson

Have listened to this book and found it brilliant,very well written by Bryson and great narration by William Roberts. Fantastic wit, some informative insights into rural American small town life, and great when he throws in the odd 4 letter word. I will be downloading all Byrson books in the near future but only the ones with Roberts narrating, he does a wonderful job.
They make a great team. If you are like me and have looked at these books and were not sure if you would like them, just listen to one.

13 people found this helpful

Fantastic!

Where does The Lost Continent rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far?

This is without doubt the best audiobook i have listened to thus far.

Who was your favorite character and why?

The only real character in the book, the man himself, Bill Bryson!

Have you listened to any of William Roberts’s other performances? How does this one compare?

This is the first time i have listened to a William Roberts performance, the man is an absolute genius. I found myself still sitting in my car long after i had parked up, still listening to him. I couldn't tear myself away!

Did you have an emotional reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?

Apart from laugh most of the way through it, the book also brought feelings of nostalgia and that heart warming feeling you get from remembering the good times when you were a child.

Any additional comments?

I would highly recommend this audiobook to anyone i know, and everyone i don't! It is expertly read and a joy to listen to from start to finish. Another gem from Bill Bryson.

8 people found this helpful

Worth the subscription on its own ..

What a gem! Tasked with a new routine that involved more bus journeys, I popped this on my 'pod to accompany me to work. Bad idea. I find very few things make me laugh out loud in public but this is most definitely an exception. On more than one occasion I found myself biting into my fingers to suppress a snort of laughter when all else was calm. He writes like blokes in the pub talk; with honesty and vivid descriptions of events where you can actually see them without being there. There's the occasional expletive thrown in but used in such a way as to reveal his true feelings in certain situations. The narrator Roberts is perfect, I'm sure Bill approves.

12 people found this helpful