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4.07 AVERAGE
4.07 AVERAGE
adventurous
reflective
slow-paced
challenging
funny
reflective
fast-paced
adventurous
emotional
funny
inspiring
reflective
relaxing
medium-paced
Perfect. I love Steinbeck's prose so much.
I thought this book was great. It made me want to jump in my car with my dogs and hit the road. I've always wanted to drive Route 66 to Arizona. There's not a lot of room in the Bug though. My only complaint about the book is that it was not long enough. And the lack of commentary about the Twin Cities (he was in heavy traffic while driving through and couldn't take the time to explore). I thought it was interesting that he drove through Monticello and right by my house on his way to Sauk Center, MN to see Sinclair Lewis's house. I only missed him by 56 years so it was a close call.
Steinbeck gives us a glimpse of a number of areas of the United States, and he describes his adventures and encounters with the locals wonderfully. There were some touching meetings (the Idaho stop where he talks to a young man who wants to move to NY to be a hair dresser and his dad who was against it), some that were sad (offering a ride to an African American man in Louisiana who was afraid of him) and some that were horrific (the New Orleans "cheerleaders" who shouted racists insults at African-American school children and their parents). But more often than not his encounters were with normal kind folks who instilled in the reader faith in humanity. His travel companion was an older poodle named Charley, who reminded me of my Dieter. Charley had his own adventures and misadventures. He became ill on the trip and was treated by a not-so-great vet in Seattle and a great vet in Texas who finally took care of his malady. The ever calm Charley went berserk when he viewed a bear for the first time at Yellowstone, which shocked Steinbeck. Charley's crazed reaction mirrors that of my girls' when we encounter deer on our walks.
My favorite parts were the visiting the redwoods, driving through Wisconsin, and witnessing the horrible racism centered around desegregation in New Orleans. As Steinbeck found out, the drive through southwestern Wisconsin is something. The glaciers missed flattening this section of the country during the last ice age and the hills, dells, and rock formations are something else.
This travelogue is a quick read and I highly recommend it to Steinbeck fans, dog lovers, and anyone who likes a good road trip. 4.5 stars.
Steinbeck gives us a glimpse of a number of areas of the United States, and he describes his adventures and encounters with the locals wonderfully. There were some touching meetings (the Idaho stop where he talks to a young man who wants to move to NY to be a hair dresser and his dad who was against it), some that were sad (offering a ride to an African American man in Louisiana who was afraid of him) and some that were horrific (the New Orleans "cheerleaders" who shouted racists insults at African-American school children and their parents). But more often than not his encounters were with normal kind folks who instilled in the reader faith in humanity. His travel companion was an older poodle named Charley, who reminded me of my Dieter. Charley had his own adventures and misadventures. He became ill on the trip and was treated by a not-so-great vet in Seattle and a great vet in Texas who finally took care of his malady. The ever calm Charley went berserk when he viewed a bear for the first time at Yellowstone, which shocked Steinbeck. Charley's crazed reaction mirrors that of my girls' when we encounter deer on our walks.
My favorite parts were the visiting the redwoods, driving through Wisconsin, and witnessing the horrible racism centered around desegregation in New Orleans. As Steinbeck found out, the drive through southwestern Wisconsin is something. The glaciers missed flattening this section of the country during the last ice age and the hills, dells, and rock formations are something else.
This travelogue is a quick read and I highly recommend it to Steinbeck fans, dog lovers, and anyone who likes a good road trip. 4.5 stars.
adventurous
informative
inspiring
mysterious
reflective
relaxing
medium-paced
Content Warnings
Graphic: Racial slurs, Racism
adventurous
funny
reflective
slow-paced
adventurous
emotional
funny
informative
reflective
sad
medium-paced
I'm not sure I can give a review of this book that is subjective. I read it as a kid and loved it. I read it until the book fell apart. I just bought a new copy and still love it. I feel like Steinbeck is, in this book, a kindred spirit. He's human and his views are flawed. It really is a nice view of America in the 1960s (good and bad). One of my all time favorite books.
adventurous
informative
reflective
slow-paced