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4.07 AVERAGE
4.07 AVERAGE
Very funny. I liked it so much more than his fiction.
This book came to me just when I needed a good travel book. But the section about the Deep South in the 60’s is worth all the time you put in even if you don’t enjoy the rest.
Amazing how timely the issues of yesteryear are. Entertaining and fun
adventurous
funny
lighthearted
reflective
sad
medium-paced
I've had this on my to-read list for quite a while. I had forgotten what a skillful writer Steinback was. I enjoyed his observations as he toured the US in his camper with his trusty Poodle, lamenting the loss of regional dialects and inviting people over to chat and imbibe. I can only imagine what he would find if he were alive today!
read right after east of eden, definitely not as good!
I really wanted to like this. I wanted it to be the thing that proved my 16 year old self wrong. I wanted it to turn me on to Steinbeck, who I've said I hated since high school when I was forced to read a few of his gems. Turns out I still hate him. I thought there was wonderful nuggets in there ... I LOVED the beginning so much that I convinced J to read it with me and nearly went ahead and told my dad to read it too. But it quickly went down hill. His writing is very obviously good .... but I didn't like the way the book was organized and I found myself bored more than a little. I respect him as a writer, but I still don't really want to read anything else of his.
The end portion is the strongest in California and the South. Unfortunate that it ends just when it feels like it's going somewhere.
Like he alludes to, there is no grand message found in his journey and the book. Some nice insights and fun stories from a guy travelling around with his dog in a country too big and varied to understand.
Like he alludes to, there is no grand message found in his journey and the book. Some nice insights and fun stories from a guy travelling around with his dog in a country too big and varied to understand.
adventurous
emotional
relaxing
medium-paced
One of my favorite books. Steinbeck--after time spent abroad, in Europe--feels like he needs to reconnect with the United States, and see if his suspicions are confirmed: that he will find a world he once knew changed, by the advent of television, and the continued expansion and ease of travel and access to once remote places. So, Steinbeck tricks out a truck with a stove and other amenities, packs up his poodle, Charley, and heads out on one of literature's most interesting road trips across America.
Steinbeck's style is at it's best, his ability to hone in on the details of the experience; to describe both the stunning landscapes and the mundane. Steinbeck fans won't be disappointed!
Steinbeck's style is at it's best, his ability to hone in on the details of the experience; to describe both the stunning landscapes and the mundane. Steinbeck fans won't be disappointed!