This book received only a 2 STARS review

The Lost Continent had been lost primarily to Bill Bryson.  He returns from spending a decade in England, where he had spent a decade polishing his skill after growing up in Des Moines, Iowa. The comedy begins on the first page when he says, “I come from Des Moines. Somebody had to.” Flippant approach to comedy, and it is mostly downhill from this point.

He returns to attend his father’s funeral and decides to explore the US by driving around it. For a better approach to that plot, check out John Steinbeck’s Travels with Charley. It is a great book and perhaps was the inspiration for Byson, but the attempt at the theme is similar, but Bryson’s version is not that good.

The plot unfolds with him crisscrossing the nation, complaining, and wisecracking most of the way, visiting mainly small towns. Bryson's grandparents' Iowa house, he tells us, is merely a "shack" surrounded by "cheap little houses." Mostly he finds plenty to complain about. His attempt to be positive comes with scenes like the Grand Canyon and the baseball Hall of Fame.

Finally returning to Des Moines, he declares that what he sees are all that make this city “friendly, decent and nice.”  How convenient the only place he finds worth like that is his hometown.

Bryson may seem funnier and smoother if you have read all his books and allow him to be on the pedestal he preaches from

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