I felt a little disappointed in this book, as I didn't really feel like it had a narrative carrying the reader forward. I felt like it started strong, sorta getting into the connection between man and city, but it become more ethereal afterwards. It became more of a David Byrne stream-of-conscious of his experiences in different cities, and it didn't seem to me he had a set of ideas in advance of writing the book that he wanted to get across. It just seemed like a notebook that he carried in his pocket as he traveled, recording his thoughts, and then published that notebook. Some people will enjoy that style of writing, but it fell flat for me. I really enjoyed this book. It was certainly not what I expected it to be (a semi-masturbatory manifesto as to why bicycling is infinitely better than transport by automobiles)-although don't get me wrong, I would have liked that a lot too. Instead this book was more of a diary and a fun little journey around the world with interesting histories, stories, thoughts and musings all in the saddle of a bicycle. The book only strongly promotes incorporating bicycling at the very end (something that I'm very much for) but is also very reasonable about that progress.All in all, it's a fun, breezy read full of insights and oddities from around the world that promotes bicycling. I recommend it!
What do You think about Bicycle Diaries (2009)?
read this on vacation.. my friends made fun of me and said I didn't really enjoy reading it but w/e
—Angela
Not my "usual" type of read, but it was well written and interesting, in many different ways.
—ivana
A bicyclist who doesn't have a particular destination is prone to wander ...
—dontavius
Like any smartass, David Byrne has an opinion on everything.
—leaahgeek
