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The Lost Continent: Travels In Small Town America Audible Audiobook – Unabridged

William Roberts (Narrator), Bill Bryson (Author), Audible Studios (Publisher)
4.0 4.0 out of 5 stars 5,089 ratings
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Hardly anyone ever leaves Des Moines, Iowa. But Bill Bryson did, and after 10 years in England he decided to go home, to a foreign country.

In an ageing Chevrolet Chevette, he drove nearly 14,000 miles through 38 states to compile this hilarious and perceptive state-of-the-nation report on small-town America.

From the Deep South to the Wild West, from Elvis' birthplace through to Custer's Last Stand, Bryson visits places he re-named Dullard, Coma, and Doldrum (so the residents don't sue or come after him with baseball bats). But his hopes of finding the American dream end in a nightmare of greed, ignorance, and pollution. This is a wickedly witty and savagely funny assessment of a country lost to itself, and to him.

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  1. Listening Length
    10 hours and 12 minutes
  2. Author
    Bill Bryson
  3. Narrator
    William Roberts
  4. Audible release date
    December 22, 2005
  5. Language
    English
  6. Publisher
    Audible Studios
  7. ASIN
    B000E10YPG
  8. Version
    Unabridged
  9. Program Type
    Audiobook
  10. See all details
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Product details

Listening Length 10 hours and 12 minutes
Author Bill Bryson
Narrator William Roberts
Whispersync for Voice Ready
Audible.com Release Date December 22, 2005
Publisher Audible Studios
Program Type Audiobook
Version Unabridged
Language English
ASIN B000E10YPG
Best Sellers Rank #18,573 in Audible Books & Originals (See Top 100 in Audible Books & Originals)
#12 in North America Travel & Tourism
#27 in Travel Writing & Commentary
#58 in Travel Writing Reference

Customer reviews

4 out of 5 stars
5,089 global ratings

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Customers say

Customers find the book enjoyable and relaxing to read. They praise the writing quality as terrific and easy to read. However, some find the pacing unfeeling and insipid. Opinions differ on the humor, insight, and wit - some find it funny and lighthearted, while others find it mean-spirited and boorish.

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EnjoymentWriting qualityHumorInsightWitReadabilityStory qualityPacing
121 customers mention "Enjoyment"95 positive26 negative

Customers enjoy the book. They find it an interesting and relaxing read, with many laugh-out-loud moments. The author is praised for his writing style and descriptions of life in Des's world.

"I am giving this book five stars because it is very enjoyable and at many times laugh-out-loud funny...." Read more

"...the other one I mentioned, he does really enjoy this one and still loves reading it." Read more

"...In summary, I really enjoyed this book. I would call the audiobook and "easy listen" that I could listen to on a speaker while driving...." Read more

"Love this author, bought it for someone else. Hopefully they'll like this book too!" Read more

37 customers mention "Writing quality"26 positive11 negative

Customers praise the writing quality of the book. They find it easy to read, entertaining, and blending humor with imagery. The author is described as one of the best writers today.

"...I would call the audiobook and "easy listen" that I could listen to on a speaker while driving...." Read more

"...and know that obviously the guy is very smart and a talented, entertaining writer...." Read more

"...This is not an eloquent travel journal. Instead it is Bryson's rant about how he perceives the people he meets during his travels...." Read more

"...I found the book well written and very witty...." Read more

148 customers mention "Humor"101 positive47 negative

Customers have mixed opinions about the humor in the book. Some find it amusing and witty, with a promising start with an amusing description of life in Des Moines and rural Iowa. Others find the book offensive, boorish, and negative at times, with repeated jokes and snide commentary.

"...book five stars because it is very enjoyable and at many times laugh-out-loud funny...." Read more

"...He is often critical, often amusing and sometimes very flattering. Many people think that Bryson is too critical. But this isn’t fair...." Read more

"...He really came off as an unpleasant person in this book, just complaining and mocking small town people. I would not recommend this book for anyone." Read more

"...His descriptions of Des Moines are so hilarious I almost wanted to go there and see it for myself...." Read more

38 customers mention "Insight"26 positive12 negative

Customers have different views on the book's insights. Some find it insightful and informative, with great observations about American life. Others feel it lacks depth and is not particularly informative, lacking value as a social commentary on small towns.

"...But this isn’t fair. I find him to be quite open and honest. Like any country, America is not perfect...." Read more

"...I just read In A Sunburned Country, and it is well researched, thoughtful, and, in many places, laugh-out-loud funny...." Read more

"...But it certainly has no value as a social commentary on small towns, and what amusement I occasionally got was not worth the effort." Read more

"...Southern California 30 years ago, I found this book to offer a deeply introspective, yet hilarious, look at my childhood travels with the family...." Read more

16 customers mention "Wit"6 positive10 negative

Customers have mixed opinions about the wit of the book. Some find it lighthearted and heartwarming, with a lively sense of humor. Others feel the book is too negative and angry, lacking Bryson's usual sense of humor.

"...It's far too negative and angry, and I missed Bryson's usual sense of humor and the joy he typically finds in small personal encounters and places...." Read more

"...A lot of what he says has a lot of truth to it though and he is brave to be so blunt. Definitely a good read." Read more

"...it gets pretty dreadful...." Read more

"...He comes across as sour and unfair in some of his critical commentary." Read more

12 customers mention "Readability"7 positive5 negative

Customers have different views on the book's readability. Some find it an easy, fast-paced read with humor and interesting facts. Others feel it's dull and biased against conservatives.

"...Nice that one of our funniest authors will just let you go with him. Not boring!" Read more

"...In one edit, pages and pages are skipped and, in some cases, this means the entire visit to a town is skipped...." Read more

"...I like the sarcastic attitude towards rural America. The book read smooth...." Read more

"...this book kind of crosses the line into a bitterness that is not enjoyable to read...." Read more

11 customers mention "Story quality"6 positive5 negative

Customers have different views on the story quality. Some find it engaging and informative about historical places of interest. Others feel the book lacks focus and skips over important parts.

""The Lost Continent" is an early non fiction travel tour story, by Bill Bryson, about the "Lower 48" of the United States...." Read more

"...Some of my favorite passages are completely skipped. I listened to a bit of the audio with the book in hand...." Read more

"I am a big fan of Bryson: Short History of Everything was wonderful. At Home was interesting and informative. This book was more insult than insight...." Read more

"...He timed his destinations in seasons of bad weather and missed so many opportunities...." Read more

12 customers mention "Pacing"0 positive12 negative

Customers find the pacing of the book unengaging and unappealing. They describe the author as unfeeling, cynical, and self-absorbed. The book is described as complaining and filled with crude humor.

"...The book is mostly critical and made me uncomfortable as he chops away at Americans and their towns...." Read more

"...Not funny, not relaxing and not worth the $ I paid for it." Read more

"...The book came out a while ago so some of it feels a bit dated but its that good kind of dated, like hearing a song from your childhood on a car's..." Read more

"...numerous articles, love the history and culture of these places, but it rambles. And Bryson is, as usual, condescending...." Read more

Bad Printing
1 out of 5 stars
Bad Printing
The book itself is excellent. However- the printing quality is shockingly bad. It looks like they printed it on an ordinary printer, rather than on a book printer, so the text is all low resolution and fuzzy and very annoying and difficult to read
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Top reviews from the United States

  • Athenany
    5.0 out of 5 stars Highly recommended, but not without flaws
    Reviewed in the United States on April 17, 2015
    Verified Purchase
    I am giving this book five stars because it is very enjoyable and at many times laugh-out-loud funny. But despite the five-star rating, I can't say that it is "perfect."

    The weaknesses: I am not easily offended, but after awhile I have to admit that Bryson's mocking of obese people became... old. We get it; the tourists were overweight. Comedy is comedy, and nothing should be off limits. But boring your readers should be off limits, and I got tired of reading descriptions of people's weight problems. I also got tired of Bryson's mean-spiritedness toward the local people he interacted with, making fun of their accents or basically ridiculing them to their face.

    Okay, all that said - the book is at its best when Bryson is making comedic observations about the nature of American culture or the places he is driving through. I burst out laughing so many times that my husband thought I was crazy. Having done a few road trips through the heart of America, the majority of his remarks are dead-on accurate. I wish he had spent more time in the west because that section could have used some fleshing-out. But in any case, I highly recommend this to someone interested in a laugh, American culture, or both.
    6 people found this helpful
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  • Andrew Desmond
    4.0 out of 5 stars A Jaunt Through Small Town America
    Reviewed in the United States on September 27, 2021
    Verified Purchase
    Over the years, I’ve read most of Bill Bryson’s books. Indeed, in the case of “The Lost Continent”, this was a re-read after an absence of about thirty years.

    Bryson is an amusing writer. I admit to openly chuckling on a number of occasions reading “The Lost Continent”. Here, Bryson takes a long road trip largely through small town America. He is often critical, often amusing and sometimes very flattering. Many people think that Bryson is too critical. But this isn’t fair. I find him to be quite open and honest. Like any country, America is not perfect. There is much to criticise as well as much to praise. Bryson gets the balance about right.

    “The Lost Continent” is now more than thirty years old. Like most books, the passage of more than a generation means that some parts are dated. However, this is inevitable. It’s not a particular fault of Bryson’s; rather it’s the changing mindset of his readers. Most likely, if Bryson wrote the book today there would be different nuances. Nonetheless, he remains an often funny and insightful travel writer.
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  • Marcus White
    3.0 out of 5 stars An interesting road trip, but he sure does complain a lot
    Reviewed in the United States on September 28, 2023
    Verified Purchase
    So, I first read "A Walk in the Woods" and loved it. I enjoy hiking so I have been planning hiking the Appalachian Trail one day after reading it. This was my first Bill Bryson book and I decided to read another.
    Another activity I have done a little of and want to explore more of is a road trip across the United States. I drove from Atlanta to For Drum in Norther New York in 2019, stopping along Chattanooga, Nashville, Gatlinburg, Washington DC, Atlantic City, and then Fort Drum itself. Having read other books on road trips, I was hoping this one would be entertaining with all the sites and annoying things you find on road trips.
    So, he must have done this road trip in more than one year. In some places, it says the places were closing up for the season like he was driving in fall. Then in the last part he says it was in May. That was confusing, then he basically just complained about everything. I can say from road trips, finding a place that sells sandwiches and stocking up in case restaurants are closed or full is essential. He was alone on this road trip and I would be bored out of my mind if I was driving over 13,000 miles alone. He also stopped at tourist spots, then complained they catered to tourists. I may read the other book where he is traveling with the same guy he traveled with in "A Walk in the Woods," but I do not think I will read any more of his books after this. He really came off as an unpleasant person in this book, just complaining and mocking small town people. I would not recommend this book for anyone.
    7 people found this helpful
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  • Jessica
    5.0 out of 5 stars My fiance loves it
    Reviewed in the United States on August 12, 2024
    Verified Purchase
    I bought it for my fiance as he previously read "A Walk in the Woods" by the same author and he loves that book. I'm just about 6 hours he's already about halfway through this one and he said while it's not as funny as the other one I mentioned, he does really enjoy this one and still loves reading it.
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  • Frank Donnelly
    4.0 out of 5 stars A Really Funny Book... Although I Had To Laugh At Myself
    Reviewed in the United States on December 14, 2018
    Verified Purchase
    "The Lost Continent" is an early non fiction travel tour story, by Bill Bryson, about the "Lower 48" of the United States. The book was written in the 1980s. As understand it, Bill Bryson was born and raised in Iowa. He then moved to England. As a resident of England, he returns to America, and embarks upon a one person travel tour of the continental United States. He does not drive through every state. He then writes this book, I think his target audience is Europeans.

    Bill Bryson combines a description of the areas he drives through and additionally adds stories about his own youth and other stories about America and Americans. As an American, I did find some of his observations and commentaries to be completely uproarious. However at times his sarcasm went too far and I found the book momentarily offensive and boorish. Mostly I found the book really funny and I completely enjoyed it. I do wish to add there were states that the author did not drive through and did not comment upon.

    In addition to reading this fine book on Kindle, I listened to the audiobook, narrated by William Roberts. I found William Roberts to be particularly effective in conveying the comedic aspects of is work. I found myself repeatedly laughing out loud at the reading of William Roberts. But there is a LOT of sarcasm and one needs to keep one's sense of humor.

    In summary, I really enjoyed this book. I would call the audiobook and "easy listen" that I could listen to on a speaker while driving. I found the book mostly very humorous, at times boorish, but on the whole very funny. I am glad that I read the book and intend to read another book by Bill Bryson. Thank You....
    16 people found this helpful
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Top reviews from other countries

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  • Amazon Customer
    5.0 out of 5 stars Bryson never disappoints
    Reviewed in Canada on November 28, 2023
    Verified Purchase
    Not quite as good as his Australian adventures nor his English escapades, nevertheless Bill Bryson's return to the land of his birth gives rise to plenty of laughs. The east coast is to the author decidedly more interesting than the rest of the country. Bryson's preferences for old-timey colonial ways are well-known, but his commentary on social issues prove insightful when read at a remove, such as the then racial reality of the Deep South.
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  • Damian Halliwell
    5.0 out of 5 stars A funny read!
    Reviewed in the United Kingdom on September 16, 2024
    Verified Purchase
    Bought this to take on holiday and thoroughly enjoyed it! Bill Bryson has a sharp observational wit and sums up people and places in a way that had me grinning from ear to ear! Will definitely be reading more of his travel books!
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  • ana
    5.0 out of 5 stars Muy bueno
    Reviewed in Spain on October 22, 2021
    Verified Purchase
    Me encantó
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  • rohit
    5.0 out of 5 stars Amazing quality and writing
    Reviewed in India on February 26, 2020
    Verified Purchase
    Book quality is amazing considering its printed in 1990s.
    Bought in second hand but its almost new and no wear and scribbles.
    Overall more than satisfied with pages quality font size, binding and one of the funniest books to read
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  • Amazon Customer
    5.0 out of 5 stars Lost Continent
    Reviewed in France on August 21, 2016
    Verified Purchase
    A really enjoyable book from beginning to end.

    I love all Bill Bryson's books and this is no exception. He writes with authority and with great humour
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