Reviews tagging 'Medical content'

On the Road (Penguin Classics) by Kerouac Jack (2002-12-31) Paperback by Jack Kerouac

3 reviews

kdz08's profile picture

kdz08's review against another edition

5.0
adventurous dark funny inspiring lighthearted reflective tense medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven: Plot
Strong character development: Yes
Loveable characters: No
Diverse cast of characters: No
Flaws of characters a main focus: Complicated
I did a reread 12 years later, after I first read it in a class for college, and it's still my favorite book! I remember how much I loved the writing style. It was just so unique and I had never read anything like it. Perhaps it just hit me at the right time. Reading it again made me remember how much I enjoyed it. I really love Kerouac's use of language to vividly portray what the main character sees and feels. It's poetic and immersive. The fast-paced, speaking-style writing makes it an interesting read that keeps me turning the page. I can see how, for the time period, it was a crazy and influential book.

The story really connects to my adventurous spirit, so I think a deeper part of me could relate in some ways. I long to travel and experience the world, just as they did. Though the characters are all pretty unlovable, you can't help but feel for them. They are real and raw. I love that it portrays a story of life's many ups and downs and that people aren't perfect, but it shows that you just have to keep on going forward and experience life. 

Still my favorite book, and I definitely suggest people give it a try and keep an open mind when reading it, especially given the time it was written.
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sophiajkessler's review against another edition

4.0
adventurous dark funny lighthearted reflective medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven: Character
Strong character development: Complicated
Loveable characters: No
Diverse cast of characters: Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes
The main takeaway for this book for me was something I already knew: straight men are more in love with each other than they could ever love any woman. It was quite obvious to me that Sal and Dean love one another and this is to an extent a love story. Hence why Sal overlooks how bloody annoying Dean is which we as the readers have to suffer through, whilst Sal gushes about how great he is. Cognitive dissonance much? Other readers have commented ( and I agree) that although this book has beautiful prose it is plot deficient and there are precious few actually likeable characters. To me this didn't detract from the book though as it helped develop the sense of loneliness and isolation that an itinerant lifestyle engenders no matter how freeing it might be. People who aspire to this kind of lifestyle should look at the endings of the protagonist and deuteragonist to find the moral of the story:
Sal makes his way off the road and finds his happiness. Dean never does and seems unable to do either. We leave him to an uncertain fate, having lost all the friends and lovers of his journey and also Sal, his probable soulmate.
A cautionary tale about the dangers of a lifestyle many idealise even if its simultaneously a love story, both to the road itself and between its main characters. Best enjoyed if you yourself are actually on a roadtrip! At times I could practically see and feel the emotioms and scenery described. Beware of the content warnings though. 
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wretchedtheo's profile picture

wretchedtheo's review against another edition

adventurous challenging reflective medium-paced
Strong character development: Complicated
Loveable characters: No
Diverse cast of characters: No
Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes
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