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mrs_tea's review against another edition
3.0
My impression of this book after reading the jacket, was that of wild misspent youth. Parties and good times, in a sense the glory days of youth. However I found the story jumbled and dark. Touted as the novel that "defined a generation" left me thinking that said generation was sad, lost and lonely.
danielors's review against another edition
2.0
The beats sure loved their prose for prose's sake. On The Road feels like a glorified travelogue, with nice prose and little in the way than more than surface level self examination. A perfect example of a generational icon being such because it was so revolutionary against the established literary status quo and little else in the way of redeemable qualities. Allen Ginsberg's Howl remains the only beat lit that has left a lasting impression on me.
al_davies_jones's review against another edition
adventurous
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
raegan01's review against another edition
dark
emotional
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
4.75
zioale's review against another edition
4.0
In un certo senso è un libro che mi ha fatto crescere. Ottima la traduzione della Pivano, anche se naturalmente dieci anni dopo leggendo l'originale ho avuto più soddisfazioni
grunzy's review against another edition
adventurous
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.5
Frantic. Why would someone go to so many lengths like literally too many cross country trips for one crazy man. I feel bad for these women who put up with them. I wasn't exactly sure what I'd get with this book but it wasn't what I wanted.
I listened to the original scroll
I listened to the original scroll
islandofgreen's review against another edition
Definitely feel that this is a classic that hasn't aged well. I can see its appeal to some with the very descriptive and often beautiful prose, and can see how some people would connect with the main character in some ways - he's a self-proclaimed misfit and doesn't know what he wants to do with his life - he just wants freedom to do his own thing and see his friends.
I, however, couldn't get into it. I found the writing dry and the pace of Sals' adventures to be too fast with too little meaning behind them. I just don't understand what the point or the message of this book was. Not only that, but I found the characters completely unappealing - not just in terms of their views (which were racist and sexist) but also just the fact Dean is reckless and selfish and Sal just follows him around.
Really I don't think I'm the target audience for this book as a woman - in the book people of my demographic were overly sexualised and objectified, which in reading made me feel very uncomfortable.
On the topic of uncomfortable - the amount of paedophillic comments made in this book - something I could not get past and eventually made me put down this book before finishing it.
I, however, couldn't get into it. I found the writing dry and the pace of Sals' adventures to be too fast with too little meaning behind them. I just don't understand what the point or the message of this book was. Not only that, but I found the characters completely unappealing - not just in terms of their views (which were racist and sexist) but also just the fact Dean is reckless and selfish and Sal just follows him around.
Really I don't think I'm the target audience for this book as a woman - in the book people of my demographic were overly sexualised and objectified, which in reading made me feel very uncomfortable.
On the topic of uncomfortable - the amount of paedophillic comments made in this book - something I could not get past and eventually made me put down this book before finishing it.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Racism, Pedophilia, and Sexism