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hjswinford's review against another edition
5.0
I haven't read a Steinbeck book in a while and this experience reminded me why I need to read him more often, either new reads or rereads. I just adore the way this man works the language. And this memoir piece was so raw and real...and funny, too! I loved it.
kthibeault's review against another edition
5.0
As an English teacher, I am very familiar with “Of Mice and Men,” but I have only read two other Steinbeck books. This book was recommended to me and I put off reading it for years, and that was a mistake. It is a delightful and informative journey of an man and his dog traveling across the United States -and even though it is decades old I was shocked by how much of what he discovered about the American people and how we are still very similar despite decades of educational, political, scientific, and technological achievements that have been made-we haven’t changed much. And there are phenomenal stand alone quotes and revelations made by Steinbeck that really make you think and consider your role in this/any country.
tessjvl's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
inspiring
lighthearted
medium-paced
4.75
dwimblim's review against another edition
4.0
4.5. I thought this was a cute sweet book. Easy to read, conversational. Recommended :)
samstillreading's review against another edition
adventurous
funny
reflective
medium-paced
5.0
John Steinbeck writes brilliant fiction, but this was my first foray into his nonfiction. I am pleased to say that Travels With Charley is just as well written and topical for today as it was written it was written in 1960.
It’s an older Steinbeck who decides to travel America coast to coast and back again to see what the country is like now. He feels a bit out of touch with what the American people are thinking and takes his ute with a caravan on the back and his dog Charley on a trip. He aims to stay off the huge highways and away from the big cities, exploring the back roads and talking with everyday people. Of course, sometimes he deviates (for example when he’s just wanting to get home or when Charley is ill) and sometimes he stays in highway motels. What Steinbeck aims to do is to take the temperature of America politically and culturally. He somewhat succeeds, finding that the differences between the states is becoming less and less from news to accents. The people are generally becoming a homogenous mix and the radio and newspapers state the same thing. But he perseveres and meets some interesting characters, with views that vary from the old to the modern. His descriptions of the landscape are phenomenal and his joy in finding out that Wisconsin is the cheese state would bring joy to anyone’s face! (As an Australian, I did not know that).
Steinbeck arrives in his old stomping ground in California and the mood turns melancholy. Everyone is older, some friends are no longer around and things have changes but in Steinbeck’s head, they are still as they were during his youth. It’s there that the narrative and the author are ready for home and the familiarity that goes with it. He moves on to Texas and Thanksgiving with his wife and friends (I have no idea if his comments about the state have truth to them, but they are amusing at times). He then travels to New Orleans to see for himself the ‘cheerleaders’ – women who yell abuse at the desegregation of schools and the Black children who attend. It’s a sobering experience for both Steinbeck and the reader and the book closes relatively quickly after that.
I feel that Steinbeck’s writing captures the issues of today just as well as those of yesteryear. People are over politics, full of hate or genuinely trying to do their best in a world that is change. His writing is just as eloquent in Travels With Charley as in his novels, capturing the mood and painting the scene clearly as if it was the modern era. It’s full of wit but also doesn’t sugarcoat the country’s problems. I recommend it just as highly as Steinbeck’s novels.
http://samstillreading.wordpress.com
It’s an older Steinbeck who decides to travel America coast to coast and back again to see what the country is like now. He feels a bit out of touch with what the American people are thinking and takes his ute with a caravan on the back and his dog Charley on a trip. He aims to stay off the huge highways and away from the big cities, exploring the back roads and talking with everyday people. Of course, sometimes he deviates (for example when he’s just wanting to get home or when Charley is ill) and sometimes he stays in highway motels. What Steinbeck aims to do is to take the temperature of America politically and culturally. He somewhat succeeds, finding that the differences between the states is becoming less and less from news to accents. The people are generally becoming a homogenous mix and the radio and newspapers state the same thing. But he perseveres and meets some interesting characters, with views that vary from the old to the modern. His descriptions of the landscape are phenomenal and his joy in finding out that Wisconsin is the cheese state would bring joy to anyone’s face! (As an Australian, I did not know that).
Steinbeck arrives in his old stomping ground in California and the mood turns melancholy. Everyone is older, some friends are no longer around and things have changes but in Steinbeck’s head, they are still as they were during his youth. It’s there that the narrative and the author are ready for home and the familiarity that goes with it. He moves on to Texas and Thanksgiving with his wife and friends (I have no idea if his comments about the state have truth to them, but they are amusing at times). He then travels to New Orleans to see for himself the ‘cheerleaders’ – women who yell abuse at the desegregation of schools and the Black children who attend. It’s a sobering experience for both Steinbeck and the reader and the book closes relatively quickly after that.
I feel that Steinbeck’s writing captures the issues of today just as well as those of yesteryear. People are over politics, full of hate or genuinely trying to do their best in a world that is change. His writing is just as eloquent in Travels With Charley as in his novels, capturing the mood and painting the scene clearly as if it was the modern era. It’s full of wit but also doesn’t sugarcoat the country’s problems. I recommend it just as highly as Steinbeck’s novels.
http://samstillreading.wordpress.com
lizkocher's review against another edition
adventurous
informative
reflective
slow-paced
2.25
Content Warnings
Graphic: Racial slurs and Racism
funktious's review against another edition
funny
informative
inspiring
lighthearted
reflective
medium-paced
4.0
Thoroughly enjoyed this - funny and thoughtful in equal measure. I enjoyed Steinbeck's musings on various topics and was impressed that he could recognise his own prejudices and opinions as no more valid than anyone else’s.
robertwhelan's review against another edition
3.0
Interesting snapshot of a time in America shown through Steinbecks eyes. The piece about the South was especially interesting.