Have you ever found yourself in a situation where you’ve pulled through a hardship? Bill Bryson’s memoir, Walk in the Woods, faces countless hardships and it’s up the Bill and Katz to think on their feet.
The Walk in the Woods tells an adventurous story where Bill and his old friend Katz, traverse through the Appalachian Trail together. Reading this book actually felt like I was there and It felt like I was tackling these hardships with them together. This story will take you through vast forests, the harshest of winters, and the toughest of terrain. It tells the story of survival and pulling through the toughest of moments.
I really loved Bill Bryson’s use of imagery in the book. I could feel myself being in every situation of the trail, and also feel every moment of hardship. I’ve learned that even with the long journey ahead of them; stay persistent toward the end goal, and never give up. I did feel like some moments in the book were only based around description and it felt boring. Also, there were moments of things being very repetitive, making the story at the moment very bland. But most of the time, the memoir was very engaging and interactive. If you love nature and learning about your surroundings, then this is the book for you.
Bill Bryson uses very descriptive nouns and verbs to capture the scenery around so you feel like you're actually walking the trail with Bill. You can see on page one, I was instantly hooked on his description of the appalachian train. “Running more than 2,100 miles along America’s eastern seaboard, through the serene and beckoning Appalachian Mountains, the AT is the grandaddy of long hikes. From Georgia to Maine, it wanders across fourteen states, through plump, comely hills whose very names -- Blue Ridge, Smokies, Cumberlands, Green Mountains, White Mountains -- seem an invitation to amble.” In my opinion, this passage from the book was very inviting. You could picture the vast terrain of the trail and it grabs my attention to read this book.
If you love exploring nature, this book is for you. I enjoyed the book and it has taught me to persevere in the hardest of situations. I give this book 4.5 out of 5 stars.