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4.07 AVERAGE
4.07 AVERAGE
A joy to read. Travel, history, geography, people. loved it
"A journey is a person in itself; no two are alike. And all plans, safeguards, policing, and coercion are fruitless. We find after years of struggle that we do not take a trip; a trip takes us."
Once in a while you come across a statement, a quote, a quip, from a writer with whom you have only ever read their "fiction" and suddenly you understand why you like their body of work. Such is the case with Steinbeck's "Travels with Charley." Steinbeck writes with perception and precision that plumbs the depths of the American psyche and reveals much, not about America, but about himself, about how he moves through the world or how the world moves around him. Time and again I found myself nodding and saying "Yes. I feel that way." And if my acknowledgment of the truth in these statements, nearly 50 years old, bears anything, it is that my love of Steinbeck is rooted in a similar world view. There are, however, several predictions Steinbeck makes on the future of America, while he rolls across its vastness, and it is remarkable how right he was, how much he saw would come before it actually did: the loss of regional dialects, the ease of travel on "super highways" which allow us to criss-cross the country but never see it, etc. If I had any doubt about Steinbeck, and I do mean if, then this short book has removed that doubt and I am inclined to read the remainder of Steinbeck's cannon, even the texts that I read years ago but have since faded from my memory. What a treasure he was, and a lover of dogs to boot.
There are better road trip books than this one. Steinbeck has a few interesting parts and observations, but the message is not extraordinary.
adventurous
funny
slow-paced
absolutely nothing has changed
Héérlijk, van die reisverhalen waar je zo doorheen vliegt. Top!
adventurous
funny
inspiring
reflective
medium-paced
I read "Of Mice and Men" in high school English, thought it was fine. I never read "Grapes of Wrath" (probably should). I went on to ignore Steinbeck for all of my twenties (as one probably should) and then quite enjoyed this lil piece of pseudo-nonfiction (personally, I could care less if parts of a memoir are fictionalized or not, seeing as that's not the point). It turns out Steinbeck has a pretty good sense of humor and lots of timeless, banger one liners about American like:
"If this people has so atrophied its taste buds as to find tasteless food not only acceptable but desirable, what of the emotional life of the nation?"
"For it is my opinion that we enclose and celebrate the freaks of our nation and of our civilization. Yellowstone National Park is no more representative of America than is Disneyland."
"Again it might have been the American tendency in travel. One goes, not so much to see but to tell afterward."
"What I am mourning is perhaps not worth saving, but I regret its loss nevertheless."
Plus an excellent dog character really rounds this out. I enjoyed this and it made me want to go on a roadtrip. He spent too much time on Maine but that was fine by me.
"If this people has so atrophied its taste buds as to find tasteless food not only acceptable but desirable, what of the emotional life of the nation?"
"For it is my opinion that we enclose and celebrate the freaks of our nation and of our civilization. Yellowstone National Park is no more representative of America than is Disneyland."
"Again it might have been the American tendency in travel. One goes, not so much to see but to tell afterward."
"What I am mourning is perhaps not worth saving, but I regret its loss nevertheless."
Plus an excellent dog character really rounds this out. I enjoyed this and it made me want to go on a roadtrip. He spent too much time on Maine but that was fine by me.
The audio was great with Gary Sinise. What a talent.
I wish I could ask Steinbeck about this journey he took across the U.S. How he journaled, how he mapped his route & why he went alone? Would he ever do it again?
Knowing he kept a journal, I'd like to hear more about the different encounters in different places. Why he chose to put in the book the people he did.
After hearing about each place, I'm itching to travel. I've always wanted to see the Sequoias. After his description, I want to see them even more. I also want a pet like Charley.
I wish I could ask Steinbeck about this journey he took across the U.S. How he journaled, how he mapped his route & why he went alone? Would he ever do it again?
Knowing he kept a journal, I'd like to hear more about the different encounters in different places. Why he chose to put in the book the people he did.
After hearing about each place, I'm itching to travel. I've always wanted to see the Sequoias. After his description, I want to see them even more. I also want a pet like Charley.
Written in ‘61 and not a whole lot has changed in this place. A must-read. It is Steinbeck after all.
This is my favorite Steinbeck book. I haven't read it in years, and really enjoyed this audiobook. Still as good as I remembered.