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4.07 AVERAGE
4.07 AVERAGE
adventurous
reflective
slow-paced
Not my style of book, but definitely a must read for Steinbeck fans.
EFelt a kinship
Enjoyed his tales of this trip with this dog. Remind me of my husband and my trips with our dog in various parts of this country. Being from Alabama, the account of his experiences and the South was very disturbing. I hope we're past all that now.
Enjoyed his tales of this trip with this dog. Remind me of my husband and my trips with our dog in various parts of this country. Being from Alabama, the account of his experiences and the South was very disturbing. I hope we're past all that now.
Excellent commentary and very human interactions with people across America. One interesting observation was that whether northeast, midwest, western, Texan, we all have more in common than the Welsh, for example, do with the English. Part about the south was disturbing.
4 stars
Let me start by saying that after a month of exploring the adventure/travel/survival genre, the travel genre is not my favorite, partly because I do better when there is a definite plot. However, that said, I really enjoyed this book! This is my first foray (as an adult) into John Steinbeck and I can easily say it won't be my last. He is a great writer, and whatever the complaint about this not being truly nonfiction, I don't care. This is a great tale. I loved the little stories that were told over each of his "encounters" and it gave you a glimpse into the state of mind of Steinbeck at this stage of his life. Some of my favorite "scenes" included his bureaucratic snafu at the Canadian border, when Charley was being groomed, Charley's encounter with the bears, his meeting with the immigrant family, the visit with the redwoods (I really want to visit them now!), and his little "conversations" with Charley. In the end, so what if this book is more fictional than nonfictional. It allows you to see how Steinbeck saw our country at the time, and where he thought it could be headed if we didn't stand up and do something to change that course. He called out injustice where he saw it, but he also saw the ability of Americans to change.
I listened to the audiobook and thought that Gary Sinise was the perfect narrator. I have always liked him as both an actor and a person and when I think of what it means to be an honorable American, I think of him. I thought he brought the stories alive and I was able to picture some of those encounters. I'm am now looking forward to listening to Of Mice and Men, also narrated by him!
Let me start by saying that after a month of exploring the adventure/travel/survival genre, the travel genre is not my favorite, partly because I do better when there is a definite plot. However, that said, I really enjoyed this book! This is my first foray (as an adult) into John Steinbeck and I can easily say it won't be my last. He is a great writer, and whatever the complaint about this not being truly nonfiction, I don't care. This is a great tale. I loved the little stories that were told over each of his "encounters" and it gave you a glimpse into the state of mind of Steinbeck at this stage of his life. Some of my favorite "scenes" included his bureaucratic snafu at the Canadian border, when Charley was being groomed, Charley's encounter with the bears, his meeting with the immigrant family, the visit with the redwoods (I really want to visit them now!), and his little "conversations" with Charley. In the end, so what if this book is more fictional than nonfictional. It allows you to see how Steinbeck saw our country at the time, and where he thought it could be headed if we didn't stand up and do something to change that course. He called out injustice where he saw it, but he also saw the ability of Americans to change.
I listened to the audiobook and thought that Gary Sinise was the perfect narrator. I have always liked him as both an actor and a person and when I think of what it means to be an honorable American, I think of him. I thought he brought the stories alive and I was able to picture some of those encounters. I'm am now looking forward to listening to Of Mice and Men, also narrated by him!
I really enjoyed this book and it was fun to break up my normal reading of historical and political books. I did lose interest a little over half way through but my interest picked up once the book picked up talking about social issues that we face today.
An excellent book and a great examination of a specific time in the last century.
The thing about this book is it's not a completely engrossing story yet you never want to stop reading. It's kind of a journal of his trip around the country with his pup. I found myself smiling so many times. I had to keep reminding myself how long ago this was written because his writing is timeless. Even the racism he encountered in parts on the country is still real today. Over all it was a very sweet story that will stick with me.
No sé por qué no había leído nada de Steinbeck todavía, pero me ha gustado descubrirlo con Viajes con Charley, desde ya una de las mejores lecturas del año. No solo describe bien los paisajes que recorre y sus habitantes sino que muchas reflexiones suenan visionarias leídas 60 años después.
I would say 4.5 stars. Because it's Steinbeck, I rounded up.