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Neither here nor there
352 pages
A hilariously cranky, nostalgic romp through the absurdities and discomforts of European backpacking.
What it feels like
Reading this book feels like sitting in a pub with your funniest, most observant, and slightly curmudgeonly friend as they recount a chaotic vacation. The pace is brisk and episodic, bouncing from one European city to the next on a wave of hyperbolic complaints and sharp-eyed cultural observations. The mood is breezy and lighthearted, yet tinged with a wistful nostalgia for the reckless backpacking days of youth. The prose is conversational and relentlessly witty, turning the mundane miseries of travel into laugh-out-loud comedy. It will absolutely delight armchair travelers and anyone who has ever realized that revisiting the magical destinations of their youth usually involves a lot more foot pain and expensive hotel bills.
- Mood
- breezy
- nostalgic
- chaotic
- lighthearted
- Tone
- wry
- caustic
- self-deprecating
- curmudgeonly
- observant
- Pace
- brisk
- Themes
- absurdity of travel · nostalgia versus reality · cultural misunderstandings · passage of time · backpacking discomforts
- The writing
- Sharp, conversational, and packed with hyperbolic comedic complaints and vivid, witty descriptions.
- The arc
- Moves from eager, if cynical, anticipation to a weary but deeply fond appreciation of Europe's eccentricities.
- Who it's for
- Armchair travelers who prefer their wanderlust served with a heavy dose of sarcasm, self-deprecation, and relatable complaints.
Content notes
- mild cultural stereotyping
- mild swearing
About the book
Bill Bryson's second, achingly funny book, retracing his own steps as a student backpacking through Europe, twenty years later.Bill Bryson's first travel book, The Lost Continent, was unanimously acclaimed as one of the funniest books in years. In Neither here Nor there he brings his unique brand of humour to bear on Europe as he shoulders his backpack, keeps a tight hold on his wallet, and journeys from Hamemrfest, the northernmost town on the continent, to istanbul on the cusp of Asia. Fluent in, oh, at least one language, he retraces his travels as a student twenty years before.Whether braving the homicidal motorists of Paris, being robbed by gypsies in Florence, attempting not to order tripe and eyeballs in a German restaurant, window-shopping in the sex shops of the Reeperbahn or disputing his hotel bill in Copenhagen, Bryson takes in the sights, dissects the culture and illuminates each place and person with his hilariously caustic observations. He even goes to Liechtenstein.
Description from Open Library.
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