Hardly anyone ever leaves Des Moins, Iowa. But Bill Bryson did, and after ten years in England he decided to go home - to a foreign country. In an ageing Chevrolet Chevette he drove nearly 14,000 miles through 38 states to compile this amusing state-of-the-nation report on small-town America. From the Deep South to the Wild West, from Elvis's birthplace to Custer's Last Stand, through dire places he renamed Dullard, Coma and Doldrum, he embarked on an optimistic odyssey in search of his American dream. He found only a greedy, polluted nightmare.
A travelogue by Bill Bryson is as close to a sure thing as funny books get. The Lost Continent is no exception. Following an urge to rediscover his youth (he should know better), the author leaves his native Des Moines, Iowa, in a journey that takes him across 38 states. Lucky for us, he brought a notebook.
With a razor wit and a kind heart, Bryson serves up a colorful tale of boredom, kitsch, and beauty when you least expect it. Gentler elements aside, The Lost Continent is an amusing book. Here's Bryson on the women of his native state: "I will say this, however--and it's a strange, strange thing--the teenaged daughters of these fat women are always utterly delectable ... I don't know what it is that happens to them, but it must be awful to marry one of those nubile cuties knowing that there is a time bomb ticking away in her that will at some unknown date make her bloat out into something huge and grotesque, presumably all of a sudden and without much notice, like a self-inflating raft from which the pin has been yanked."
Yes, Bill, but be honest: what do you really think?
Customer Reviews:
Avg. Customer Rating: 3.5 / 5.0
The Lost Continent:
The Lost Continent drives the reader through small town America. Told with a sense of humor and attention to detail, Bryson makes the reader feel like they are riding in the passengers seat as he drives from one town to another. As he drives into familiar towns, he shares his reflections on how life was and how it has changed over time. An interesting read for someone who enjoys long cross country road trips.
Bill Bryson finally fizzles and sputters out:
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.... more info
Side-splittingly Funny!:
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... more info
small towns, big enjoyment:
This is the third Bryson book that I've read in three months; Bill's persona has become my friend. In fact, I felt like I was in the back seat during his travels around America. I'm so old that I have been to most of the places where "we" traveled. Bryson's wit makes small town USA interesting, and sometimes sad for the "good old days" when our communities resembled our collective character. There is some disdain for big box chain stores and restaurants that dot every landscape and meld our communities into... more info
