... an undeniable immediacy, as though readers are spending the day hiking right beside him ... There are humorous missteps as well, bringing to mind Bill Bryson’s A Walk in the Woods, although Offerman’s descriptions of the glorious trails will leave readers ready to make a beeline to Glacier ... Laced with humor, intellect and fierce passion, Where the Deer and the Antelope Play is an entertaining getaway to a variety of unexpected American vistas.
Offerman shares observations from the road with wry humor and sarcasm and an understanding of the privilege that allowed the Parks and Recreation actor to make these journeys ... Offerman’s narrative thread is peppered with tangential discussions that are almost always entertaining and informative, aside from somewhat overdone references to Aldo Leopold and Wendell Barry ... A great mix of wit and perceptive observation from travels in the United States and the United Kingdom just before and during the COVID-19 pandemic, with a surprising amount of history, nature, and ecology thrown in.
Offerman entertainingly chronicles his travels in the Montana Rockies ... Offerman’s forays into social criticism are sometimes sharp but never elitist even as he professes disdain for the Jan. 6 crowd and its 'batshit mouthpiece,' the pillow king ... A hoot and a half for fans of sometimes-hapless wandering.
Some readers may detect a slight whiff of smugness, and as the pages turn (there are more than 300 of them) they may soon conclude that Mr. Offerman can be far more political than pastoral. He vigorously lashes the infidels, including Brett Kavanaugh, Kit Carson, the country singer Lee Greenwood, Donald Trump and Trump’s red-capped followers ... Yet at other times he’s a font of nondenominational wisdom ... Not that all Mr. Offerman’s lashes fall on the backs of political adversaries. He engages in gentle self-flagellation, confessing to white privilege and even calling himself a 'racist' due to environmental factors...perhaps affirming that self-effacement can be the sincerest (and subtlest) form of flattery ... A book without a bit of socially conscious moral flashing, condescension, smugness and the denunciation of sinners would feel out of step. It might even be totally ignored ... most people have a hard time reading when they’re rolling their eyes.
... painfully woke and often misfiring memoir ... Unfortunately, his labored jokes are overshadowed by fulsome rants ... The result is a preachy, stridently unfunny travelogue.
