A Walk in the Woods by Bill Bryson

Each month, someone from the Bristol Public Library participates in the Radio Bristol Book Club and in October the book was A Walk in the Woods by Bill Bryson.  For the uninitiated, Bill Bryson is a humorous writer of non-fiction, possibly best known for his travel writing though in recent years he has branched out into other areas.  His latest book is The Body:  An Occupant’s Guide. A Walk in the Woods is an account of Bryson’s attempt to walk the Appalachian Trail.  It includes a great deal of information about the history of the AT, including possible hazards (Bryson is always interested in things that can kill him on his travels) and how to equip oneself for the trail.

I had actually read the book before, but it had been a year or seventeen ago so I felt I definitely needed to read it before the book club meeting.  I remembered how very informative it was—I had known little about the history of how the AT came to be or really how treacherous parts of it can be—and that the information had been entertainingly imparted.

What I didn’t remember is how side-splittingly funny it was.  Bryson knows he needs to have someone to hike with and after an increasingly desperate search, he finds Stephen Katz.  Katz is an old school friend of Bryson’s, albeit one he hasn’t seen in decades.  Katz assures Bryson he is good shape: “Real good.  I walk everywhere these days.” (Bryson finds out that Katz’s car has been repossessed.) He also brings along provisions for the trail—a duffle bag full of Snickers bars.

After this inauspicious beginning, the two go to Georgia to start the Trail at its southern end—the most common route—and it doesn’t take long for them to realize they may be in over their heads.

I thoroughly enjoyed my re-read of this book.  Bryson has a sharp, cynical sense of humor that some people do not like, but because he can be just as cutting about himself as others, it doesn’t bother me.  He can be very critical about people and places.

What I love most, though, is all the information that’s packed into his books.  One of my most enduring impressions from my first reading of the book was Centralia, Pennsylvania.  I had heard the name of the place, but knew nothing else: I certainly didn’t know that a coal seam that ignited in 1962 is still burning today, destroying the town. Not far away, there is a mountain so polluted by a zinc mill that all the vegetation has died, leaving a bare hill.  The contrast is particular strong after the sections in which Bryson marvels at the beauty of the AT, with its dense forests and spectacular views.

The other wonderful part of the book is more difficult to describe.  It has to do with the way Bryson describes not just the forest but the effect that being in the deep woods has on him.  It’s a transformative experience.  The grandeur of the natural world is often contrasted with the man-made world which, although filled with delights like fast-food, hot baths, and vermin free sleeping, is transitory and tawdry.  Nowhere is this more evident than Gatlinburg, Tennessee where stores Bryson saw just a few years earlier are already distant memories, replaced by newer, shinier offerings.

I loved the book just as much, if not more, than I did the first time around.

In between readings, a movie was made of the book with Robert Redford as Bryson and Nick Nolte as Katz.  I saw it in the theatre when it came out in 2015 and liked it well enough, though I didn’t remember a lot of the incidents depicted.  Re-watching it after reading the book again revealed that it did follow the events in the book but it lacked the heart, the emotional resonance that I found in the book.  There were some nice scenic views, but they seemed just that:  nice scenic views.  The frame story was altered because of the casting.  In reality, Bryson and Katz were in their 40s; Bryson was interested in the Trail and its history in part because he wanted to write a book.  Katz was at loose ends and wanted to connect with a friend.  In the movie, a much older Redford is facing mortality and decides to tackle the AT as a way of showing himself that he still has it, that he will not go gently into that good night.

I have to acknowledge that part of my disappointment with that first viewing of the movie was “what might have been.”  Redford had optioned the book for a film in 2005 with the intention of having Paul Newman play Katz.  That could have been a film for the ages! But of course Newman passed away in 2008, so it was not to be.  My second viewing left me more charitable toward the film. It is very funny, even if it is formulaic, and Nolte is wonderful as Katz.  I also applaud the expanded role Emma Thompson has as Bryson’s wife, who doesn’t get quite as much attention in the book as in the film. 

I recommend both book and movie, but if you can only choose one, by all means take the book.  Your experience will be much richer.

(We have previously reviewed other books by Bryson:  Life and Times of the Thunderbolt Kid and A Short History of Nearly Everything.

Nevermore: This Tender Land, Simon Bolivar, White Fragility, I Could Pee on This, Half Broke Horses, Half Asleep in Frog Pajamas

Reported by Laura        

   Nevermore had good attendance and good spirits this week as they read a wide range of books and enjoyed most of them.

            The first book reviewed was This Tender Land by William Kent Krueger. This beautifully written book is narrated by Odie, a rambunctious orphan placed in a Native American home in Minnesota. He and his brother, Albert, find themselves the only white children at the Lincoln School, which is generally used as a place where Native American children are forced to reside apart from their families. Odie makes friends with Mose, a mute boy at the school, but due to his personality and rebellious behavior, Odie is many times taken to the “Quiet Room” where he is abused by the school administrator. During these dark times, he makes friends with a mouse in the room. When the mouse dies, Odie feels this is the sign he needs to move on and find a family. He, Albert, Mose, and Emmy, the daughter of a teacher who had treated him with kindness, escape and begin a journey down America’s great rivers searching for a home. Times are tough as this is during the Great Depression and many times food is hard to come by. At times, Odie begins to wonder if life was better at Lincoln where at least they were never hungry. The reviewer loved this book so much she wanted to reopen it and read it again.

            The next book, set in the 1800’s, was Simon Bolivar by John Lynch. This fascinating nonfiction offering told the story of the revolutionary known as The Liberator. He was responsible for freeing six countries from Spanish Rule, one exception being Peru. Mr. Bolivar crossed the Andes Mountains covering more ground than any other person. He was appointed dictator of Venezuela for two years, though refused to serve any longer as he did not believe in one person having absolute power. The reviewer described this book as excellent and well worth a read.

            I Could Pee on This was a light-hearted offering by Francesco Marciuliano, author of the Sally Forth cartoons. It includes not only hilarious poems written by cats, but beautiful accompanying pictures. The reviewer enjoyed the book and felt it was nice to read something light to distract from the chaos in the world.

            Next, White Fragility by Robin DiAngelo was reviewed. The author leads workshops on the topic and the reviewer felt a study group on the book would be beneficial. One of the areas covered was how whites respond if challenged on racism. Most go into a defensive mode, which makes the whole cycle worse. This book led to a very lively discussion on the topic of racism and the sad fact that it still exists abundantly even today. 

            Half Broke Horses by Jeannette Walls, author of The Glass Castle, was the next book reviewed. Listed as a true life novel, it is based on Ms. Walls’ maternal grandmother, Lily Casey Smith. It’s a wonderful book set in Texas in the 1900’s. By six years of age, Ms. Smith was helping her father break horses. At the age of 15, this amazing woman traveled 500 miles on a pony to reach the destination of a teaching job. Ms. Smith led a wild life, overcoming many obstacles, and the reviewer felt it was a book that all would enjoy. This book has been described as Laura Ingalls Wilder for adults.

            Half Asleep in Frog Pajamas by Tom Robbins was a disappointment to the reader. She formerly loved Mr. Robbins’ books, but felt that, though this one had clever language, it was a little too wild for her taste. This outrageous novel tells the story of a young stockbroker’s three-day weekend after the market crashes on the Thursday before Easter and it is a crazy ride.

The Favorite Daughter by Patti Callahan Henry

Reviewed by Kristin

Lena Donohue left Watersend, a small town on the South Carolina coast a decade ago when her wedding day went awry. She’s made few fleeting trips home to see her mother, her father, her brother Shane, but not her sister Hallie. With careful planning, Lena has managed to avoid Hallie, her closest confidante and her greatest betrayer. But when Shane calls to say that their father Gavin’s health is declining, Lena immediately books a flight to return to the family she left so many years ago.

Gavin is well-known in Watersend. He runs an Irish-styled pub called The Lark, expertly pulling pints of Guinness and making easy conversation with locals and tourists alike. As his memories begin to fade through the haze of Alzheimer’s disease, Lena, Hallie, and Shane must band together to help him reclaim the events of his life.

With the two sisters, Patti Callahan Henry vividly shows the sharp pain of betrayal of a family member. The characters feel real, as Lena and Hallie attempt to work together for the good of their father. Hallie has moved on and made a life with her husband and two little girls. Lena has created her own life as a travel writer in New York City, choosing to be called Colleen while having loose and fleeting relationships. When she returns home, she must make a conscious decision to remain there to be a part of a family long separated.

Although Gavin is beginning to have memory issues, he is still aware of what is happening to him, and aware that he may lose more of his past and his present. Lena, Hallie, and Shane decide to create a memory book for him so that he can look back to see his life in stories and in pictures. Of course the book must be finished quickly as they are planning a birthday celebration for Gavin. This memory book is the one part of the novel that felt contrived to me, as it seemed to be a device to carry the plot along. Inevitably, discrepancies in dates and events come to light as the siblings talk to Gavin and to the people around him, creating more questions than are answered.

While I enjoyed this novel, after finishing it I realized that it has some common themes with the other Henry novel that I have read:  Between the Tides. Coastal South Carolina? Check. A young woman who moves away and must return? Check. A father who she loves but finds that she did not entirely know? Check. Just because there are similarities does not mean that I did not enjoy both books. Sometimes it’s nice to have a book that is slightly predictable. The author made me care about the characters and that kept me reading to the end. I will definitely be checking out more of Henry’s writing.