American The Beautiful? by Blythe Roberson

American The Beautiful? by Blythe Roberson is a travel book across America framed by the National Parks. I picked up the book hoping that it would be similar to Bill Bryson’s work.

It wasn’t.

But what was weird is that it wasn’t really the content (she did visit sooo many Parks) or the commentary (America is weird, imperfect, and you do see contradictions at Parks), but the actual style and pace of writing.

The book was written like a series of TikToks or YouTube Shorts…but in text form. There was no space to get any context or background. I wish an editor had worked with the author to make the book longer, break in side-trips, and provide a lot more context.

That said, the book did make me want to pick up Bill Bryson’s A Walk In The Woods, In A Sunburned Country, and Paul Theroux’s Deep South.

American The Beautiful? by Blythe Roberson

$11.29

In American The Beautiful?, Blythe Roberson takes us on a road trip through America’s National Parks. I was hoping for something akin to Bill Bryson's style, but it didn’t quite hit the mark. While she visits plenty of parks and shares some interesting observations about America's quirks, the writing felt more like a series of quick social media posts than a cohesive narrative. I really wished for more depth and context. Still, it did spark my interest in picking up some of Bryson's and Paul Theroux's works, which is a win in my book.

Pros:

• The book covers many National Parks.
• The commentary highlights America's weirdness and imperfections.
• It sparked an interest in reading similar works by Bill Bryson and Paul Theroux.

Cons:

• The writing style is too fast-paced and lacks depth.
• There is insufficient context and background information.
• I wish it had been longer and more detailed.

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01/21/2025 05:51 pm GMT