'I come from Des Moines. Somebody had to' And, as soon as Bill Bryson was old enough, he left. Des Moines couldn't hold him, but it did lure him back. After ten years in England, he returned to the land of his youth, and drove almost 14,000 miles in search of a mythical small town called Amalgam, the kind of trim and sunny place where the films of his youth were set. Instead, his search led him to Anywhere, USA; a lookalike strip of gas stations, motels and hamburger outlets populated by lookalike people with a penchant for ...
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'I come from Des Moines. Somebody had to' And, as soon as Bill Bryson was old enough, he left. Des Moines couldn't hold him, but it did lure him back. After ten years in England, he returned to the land of his youth, and drove almost 14,000 miles in search of a mythical small town called Amalgam, the kind of trim and sunny place where the films of his youth were set. Instead, his search led him to Anywhere, USA; a lookalike strip of gas stations, motels and hamburger outlets populated by lookalike people with a penchant for synthetic fibres. He discovered a continent that was doubly lost; lost to itself because blighted by greed, pollution, mobile homes and television; lost to him because he had become a stranger in his own land. Bryson's acclaimed first success, The Lost Continent is a classic of travel literature - hilariously, stomach-achingly, funny, yet tinged with heartache - and the book that first staked Bill Bryson's claim as the most beloved writer of his generation.
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I lent this book to a friend who didn't return it and then I moved. This is my 2nd copy because I liked it so much, I want to keep a copy in my bookshelf and I won't be lending this one out.
Gordon P E
Aug 29, 2014
ANOTHER GREAT BRYSON.
I've been steadily working my way through the Bryson output and have yet to be disappointed. This man could make Antarctica sound like a "must go" place to visit.
His descriptions of the places, faces and attitudes of his birth-country are fascinating - and with a 'laugh out loud' style of writing that is irresistible.
Totally recommendable!
Sharon
Oct 25, 2012
Good travel book
I felt like I was a passenger in the back seat of Mr. Bryson's car...a very good travel book....and I've actually been to many of the same places. He has some wonderful insights into the back highways and byways of America. If you happen to get a copy of the book with the coffee stain on the cover, don't panic (as I did), because that's actually the cover!!!
CaraBee
Aug 23, 2008
Enjoyable from cover to cover
Like all of Bill Bryson's books Lost Continent is filled with funny and apt commentary. How I wish I could be along for the ride on his forways across the country! I envy his unique descriptive storytelling.
