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| Neither Here nor There: Travels in Europe | 
 enlarge | Author: Bill Bryson
Publisher: Harper Perennial
Category: Book
List Price: $14.95
Buy New: $1.50
You Save: $13.45 (90%)
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Avg. Customer Rating:  (166 reviews)
Sales Rank: 4540
Languages: English (Original Language), English (Unknown), English (Published)
Media: Paperback
Number Of Items: 1
Pages: 256
Shipping Weight (lbs): 0.4
Dimensions (in): 8.2 x 5.3 x 0.7
ISBN: 0380713802
Dewey Decimal Number: 914
EAN: 9780380713806
ASIN: 0380713802
Publication Date: April 6, 1999
Release Date: March 1, 1993
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
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| Customer Reviews:
 Neither Funny Nor Informative September 13, 2008
From reading the numerous glowing reviews, I guess it is just me. I was bored silly with Bryson's "Neither Here Nor There," and after just 70 pages ended up skimming the rest to see if it got better. It didn't and I cut my losses and gave up. Normally I like books by humorists, but Mr. Bryson's humor seems labored and deliberate; basically he hits you over the head with his cliche'd descriptions. I found some of his experiences unbelievable and perhaps he asked for some of the treatment by his manner, attitude, who knows?
I have read Dave Barry and howled, David Sedaris and doubled over trying not to embarrass myself in public by screaming with laughter. Mr. Bryson is not my type of humorist. I guess my impression of this book is that he took a trip back, with a chip on his shoulder and really didn't enjoy it at all. Why are we supposed to???
 The Gospel of Bill... September 3, 2008
Last fall, as a 21 year-old college student in his final year, I started pondering what to do with that ludicrous accumulation of wealth that all university students find upon graduation. Lies, actually: I scraped together the best I could and bought a ticket for London. A pair of "Let's Go" guides accompanied me for practical reasons, but Neither Here Nor There was my travel bible, my Psalms, as it were. I read it that Fall of '07 and it inspired me to take the trip in ways that no other source had. It revealed to me that even travel hardships can result in the most absurdly funny, cherished stories.
His ascerbic wit goes gangbusters on the little quirks of the Continental, from country to hilarious country. I partially molded my trip to make sure I checked out some of his destinations--they were that well-described.
Interestingly enough, I found him to be dead-on in some countries/cities, and WAY off the mark in others. One of his most memorable anecdotes comes out of backwoods Austria. I happened to find the same people to be the kindest, most hospitable of my whole 14-country trip. But the laughs I had over that chapter, and the inspiration to camp out under the Tyrolean night sky, paid dividends. So what if his descriptions aren't cookie-cutter and unfailing? No two travel experiences are the same, and God forbid they ever will be.
Read this book. You'll shoot (insert beverage here) through your nose laughing and develop an ache to see Europe. Prost, Bill.
The best of this author's many great books! August 27, 2008
Bill Bryson has written so many hilarious books that it's hard to say which is the funniest, but when I meet someone who is new to Bryson's work, again and again I find myself recommending this one.
The one-liners ("Italians park as if they've just spilled a beaker of hydrocloric acid in their laps") are funny no matter how well-travelled (or non-travelled) you are, and the prose is so descriptive and wonderful that you learn as you go along.
As far as I'm concerned Bill Bryson is the finest non-fiction writer of our time.
An Early Effort from the Master Travel Writer August 15, 2008
Reading Neither Here Nor There made me think that I won't die happy if I don't get to see Capri, and I determined that there were several other cities I don't ever wish to visit. I also learned that a certain brand of travelers' checks is terrible, and I won't be using them in this lifetime.
It is interesting to read this book in it's Communist-era, pre-Euro context. Empty shops in Bulgaria and discussion of purchasing things with dinars and schillings was very interesting. Unfortunately, reading the book even as I did, spreading the chapters out over several days, I still got that "If it's Tuesday, this must be Belgium" feeling. I began to lose track of where Bill saw the beautiful sunset, or where his pocket was picked.
I was also disappointed by Bryson's alarming views towards animals and cavalier comments about hating them and wanting them killed. Dogs hate him, and this fact has provided much humor in his writing over the years, but the tangents he went on regarding his loathing of companion animals were over the top and distinctly unfunny. So was his anti-Arabic rant during one of his many visits to queues for financial situations. I may be more sensitive to such things in light of recent world events, as comments about the guttural nature of German language or the expense of traveling in Switzerland didn't bother me, but this did.
The funniest anecdotes were the ones Bryson shared about his previous travels through Europe with his friend Katz. Katz provided a hugely politically-incorrect thread of humor in the book, and at times I thought he would have made a more interesting traveling companion. Heresy, I know.
All in all, I'm very glad I read the book, and I got many laughs out of it, but it was no Walk in the Woods.
interesting antidotes August 10, 2008
I really enjoy Bill's relaxed style in his travels. He doesn't edit out the less complimentary aspects of his travels or of his own personality. Europe has such a rich history and varied cultures as well as climates are a treat as background for his dialogue. This is my 3rd Bryson read and thus far my favorite.
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