Clara’s Verdict
I spent a long weekend driving up to Scotland with this on, and I can report that William Roberts pacing through Bryson’s account of a backpacking tour of Europe is perfectly matched to the rhythm of motorway travel. Neither Here nor There is Bryson’s European travelogue, written following a journey he took in the early 1990s that revisited a trip he had made in his youth with a friend named Katz. The book covers a sweep from Hammerfest in the far north of Norway down to Istanbul, taking in Scandinavia, Belgium, France, Germany, Italy, and the Balkans along the way.
If you know Bryson’s voice from Notes from a Small Island or In a Sunburned Country, you know what to expect here: an American who has spent enough time in Britain to have absorbed the particular British pleasure in minor inconveniences and institutional absurdity, applying those sensibilities to the Continent with considerable affection and the occasional sharpened elbow.
About the Audiobook
The Audible Studios production runs nine hours and ten minutes and was first released in December 2009. This is not a new recording, and the audio reflects that period of production, though it is perfectly serviceable for listening. The book itself dates from 1991, which means some of the cities and establishments Bryson describes have changed substantially, particularly in Eastern Europe following the transitions of the post-communist years. Treating it as a period piece as much as a travel guide is advisable.
The genre sits comfortably in travel writing with a comedy register, and Bryson’s approach is impressionistic rather than systematic. He is drawn to hotels, restaurants, and the small human interactions that reveal something about a place rather than to monuments or cultural surveys. His treatment of Paris, Florence, and Copenhagen is entirely characteristic: sharply observed, occasionally unfair, and consistently readable.
The Narration
William Roberts handles the narration throughout. His delivery is measured and clean, well suited to the prose style, which requires someone capable of landing Bryson’s dry observations without overplaying them. Bryson’s humour works best when it is delivered almost as an aside, the incongruity allowed to speak for itself rather than being signposted, and Roberts understands this. The result is an audio experience that feels companionable rather than performative.
What Readers Say
The Audible ratings are modest in number, but the reader response from the broader print community is consistent: this is Bryson doing what Bryson does, and those who enjoy his sensibility find it reliable entertainment. One reviewer, writing from the perspective of someone who has travelled extensively in Europe, finds Bryson’s observations honest if occasionally caustic. A more critical voice notes that the book is better suited to novice travellers than to experienced ones, and flags that some of the material leans on familiar cliches about national characters. A third reviewer reads the book with the specific pleasure of having been a near-contemporary of Bryson’s adventure, and finds the nostalgia element a significant part of the appeal. The overall picture is of a book that delivers exactly what it advertises.
Who Should Listen?
Readers who enjoy Bryson’s other work will find this consistent with his best comic travel writing. The European setting, rather than the more exotic destinations of some of his later books, makes it accessible and relatable for UK listeners in particular. Those who prefer travel writing that engages more deeply with history, politics, or culture may find the book pleasantly superficial in its approach. It is ideal listening for long drives or train journeys, particularly if said journey has any European dimension to it at all.
