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3.27 AVERAGE
3.27 AVERAGE
The writing is really not that good, except for a few immortal quotes. Let's just say no reader has ever been surprised to learn Kerouac wrote the whole thing straight in a fever of days with few revisions (except to deflect censorship concerns). However, the Sal/Dean relationship is I think one of the more archetypal relationships I've encountered in literature. It has certainly manifested itself a lot in my own life. Doesn't each of us have a few Dean Moriarty's in our friend group?
Really 2.5 stars, from me. I certainly see the appeal of this book-- It contains vivid scenes of Americana, and it gives readers fantasies of wild road trips. However, aside from the scenery, I hate everything else about this book. Dean Moriarty is probably one of the most annoying characters in literary history, aside from being completely psychotic. The book captures the vacuous and contemptuous feelings of the generation after WWII, but only because Sal Paradise is so easily emotionally manipulated and dependent on Dean. Apart from that, you can definitely tell that the book was written in one sitting, and subsequently heavily edited. Certainly not a book I would recommend if you want a good or cohesive story line.
adventurous
funny
inspiring
lighthearted
reflective
fast-paced
dark
medium-paced
I loved this book-loved the characters. I was sad to see them leave my life...like so many other travelers
The way I feel about this book is similar to the way I feel about This Side of Paradise: I didn't really know how to feel about On the Road right after I finished it, but after mulling it over for a good ten minutes or so, I suddenly liked it. Can you really like a book if it takes you a moment to realize it? I think so. This book isn't as gripping as the latest mystery--since basically nothing is happening in On the Road--but it's good. I never thought this book would be an "easy read." I expected challenges, in other words, boring parts where I started to fall asleep. But there were other parts that were so cleverly crafted that I couldn't just disregard them when rating On the Road. These parts ended up balancing out the not-so-exciting parts. Plus, I realize now, it took a while to get into the rhythm of the whole book. But once I felt it, I could read a bunch of pages and not realize how much I had actually read. It swept me up, like how Dean sweeps up Sal and drags him across the country several times. I love that feeling, and therefore, I know for sure that I love this book.
an absolutely terrible novel. even if you somehow ignore the novel's furthering of the most poisonous of american mythologies, it's still nothing but a kind of dull story told by an aging father who, if it were a movie, would be played by an early-80s pre-reaganomics jack nicholson, like the dad from the shining
medium-paced
adventurous
funny
lighthearted
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No