A Walk in the Woods

Bill Bryson's “A Walk in the Woods” is as hilarious in 2018 as when I first read it in 1997. This book is the perfect blend of travelogue, history, humor, and memoir.

There is something I find so relatable about Mr. Bryson, perhaps because he is an anglophile, a nerd, and quite silly. And, frankly, who doesn't want to hear about a pair of middle-aged men hiking the Appalachian Trail, both largely unprepared for the monumental physical and mental task in front of them.

Many members of my book club had not read the book before and found it delightful for January, when the Chicago area is cold and snowy. One member had the following comment: “Confession: I now understand why my sister likes Bryson, who I have avoided for years.” That, I think, should be reason enough to give this now-classic a shot. One member recommended “The Last American Man” by Elizabeth Gilbert (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/23202.The_Last_American_Man)

Fans may enjoy the following interview and reading by Mr. Bryson on CSPAN from 1998: https://www.c-span.org/video/?105484-1/a-walk-woods

In addition, the movie version starring Robert Redford (older and fitter than Mr. Bryson at the outset of the novel) and Nick Nolte (hilarious as the bumbling Katz) is really worth a watch; I was hesitant because the book is so lovely and, I thought, too difficult to film.

I pulled the following questions together from LitLovers.com and other sources for use in the group's 01/27/18 discussion: