Lost Continent

travels in small town America

by Bill Bryson

No cover — Bill Bryson: Lost Continent (Paperback, 1992, Abacus)

Paperback, 293 pages

English language

Published May 1, 1992 by Abacus.

ISBN:: 978-0-349-10198-9

View on OpenLibrary

(33 reviews)

9 editions

hungrycat reviewed The Lost Continent by Bill Bryson

Get Lost, Bill

1 star

This book will inspire in you an interest in the small or forgotten towns across America as much as it inspires in me an interest in reading more of Bill Bryson's travel books. Meaning, it won't. And for all the wrong reasons. Bryson's humor in his depiction of some of the locations he visits may possess a kernel of truth, but he largely comes off as resentful towards the places, hateful towards the people, and unfunny in his observations of them both. There were some times where I got a laugh, but it wasn't at the fat jokes, or the women jokes, or the fat women jokes. It wasn't at the derision and disgust of homeless people. It wasn't at how boring he said everything was over and over again. It wasn't at the irony of his disdain for tourists.

Bryson is uninterested in truly discovering anything about the places …

Bryson is uninterested in truly discovering anything about the places he goes or making any truly humorous observations about them that don't rely on denigrating every aspect of those places, and that makes me so uninterested in discovering anything else Bryson has to write. What else can I say that other 1-star reviews haven't already said.

The first and only other Bryson book I read was A Walk in the Woods. Go read that, if you care to, then find another travel writer.

Asanka Sayakkara reviewed The Lost Continent by Bill Bryson

Review of 'The Lost Continent' on 'Goodreads'

5 stars

This book takes the reader across so many states of US in particular over small towns. Even through this book describes the travels in small towns of America more than two decades ago, still I enjoyed the ride. Most of the times, Bryson writes in a humorous tone however there were times where he was serious about what he was saying. At the end of the journey, not only him but I also felt like I'm going to miss this long journey when he reach his home town in Iowa. As a conclusion, I think I will read more books from Bill Bryson with the impression I got from this first book.

mothlight reviewed The Lost Continent by Bill Bryson

Review of 'The Lost Continent' on 'Goodreads'

3 stars

Wow, so much hatred for this book in the reviews on this site. It doesn't seem like his best book but I don't think it is as bad as some think. However, the mocking tone he takes at times just doesn't come off very well. And as an early book, the writing isn't as sophisticated as some of his later books.

I do recognize a lot of his bewilderment about the US. As a long term expat, the US seems to be such a strange place everything I come back to visit. Seen in that light, the book takes on different aspects that might otherwise be overlooked.

The book was quite mixed though. Some sections were quite good and some places (maybe in the deep south), he didn't seem to know what to say about things.

unicorndeburgh reviewed The Lost Continent by Bill Bryson

Review of 'The Lost Continent' on 'Goodreads'

No rating

This book was published about 20 years ago. He drives around the States, doing the tourist thing. I didn't like this book nearly as much as some of his others. It feels mean-spirited. He goes on and on about how fat and stupid everyone is. I haven't read his newer book about the States, 'I'm a Stranger Here Myself,' and wonder if he'd mellowed a bit, or learned to edit out what's not interesting. He was similarly cranky (and not entertaining) about England in 'Notes from a Small Island '.