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3.59 AVERAGE
3.59 AVERAGE
Jack's book is a series of essays on his travels as a Beatnik across Mexico, America(New York, Frisco and other places), Paris, London, Morroco in the 1950s via roads, railroads, ships and the good old feet. The essays embody the tenets of the Beat generation. There is experimentation with drugs, sex, liquor, meditations in mountains, wild little haikus and plenty of odd jobs. The jobs are on the railroads and ships where there is little pay and a lot of work and frequent insults by the bosses showing capitalism is a system that survives on the exploiting people who are at the bottom(Indians doing the hard labour on fruit fields). So, there is a need for an alternative which Jack believes, is living as a hobo who rejects being a slave under capitalism. The hobo rejects a consumerist life, travels around and cultivates inner freedom by following tenets of Eastern religion like Buddhism. Hobos are diminishing fast in America and Europe given the increased police surveillance which doesn't let them travel, sleep and live on the roads( "The woods are full of wardens"). They are stigmatized as criminals. This alternative is not without its critique such as the sole focus on individual rebellion via changing the mind without a collective political fight against capitalism.
Jack sees Mexico as a land of gaiety as a stark contrast to the "civilised" America. He understands the world from an Indian perspective- " The earth is a indian thing".
The writing style is spontaneous prose that takes a while to understand and relish. I particularly enjoyed his focus on the sounds of objects and the quirky language used by the people. He keenly and goofily observes people and landscapes. His love for literature, paintings and food is delicious.
Jack sees Mexico as a land of gaiety as a stark contrast to the "civilised" America. He understands the world from an Indian perspective- " The earth is a indian thing".
The writing style is spontaneous prose that takes a while to understand and relish. I particularly enjoyed his focus on the sounds of objects and the quirky language used by the people. He keenly and goofily observes people and landscapes. His love for literature, paintings and food is delicious.
Jack Kerouac. Ti-Jean. Jacky Duluoz. The french-canadian writer who didn't learn english till he was 6.
A stunning achievement with kerouac's rambunctious style on full display.
A stunning achievement with kerouac's rambunctious style on full display.
All great people are bums, Kerouac is one of them, i want to be one of them.
Enjoyed this. The writing is so good - literal poetry. Particularly enjoyed the New York chapter. You deffo need full concentration to read this.
I think I expected this to be like Orwell's down & out in Paris & London, which it was in part. The first half of the book is really repeatative and boring. Reading about one train was enough for me but there was the odd beauty of a sentence that pushed me on. This is really short but has taken me a little while probably due to the first half. The second half was exactly what I wanted! I have a total literary crush on Jack and I love to read the romance he sees in the everyday. His travels were great to read about and I can't wait to read some more of his stories.
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
inspiring
reflective
sad
medium-paced
Content Warnings
Graphic: Racism, Sexual content, Alcohol
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
N/A
I know, I know. Why do I keep reading Kerouac if I find his so boring? Probably waiting for something amazing to happen.
I understand why he is so loved and had such a groundbreaking presence in the literary world. But I was drifting on and off of consciousness while reading this. (And, admittedly, skipped a few parts).
2 starts because I really liked the European part of this book - maybe I'm biased? Also, you can't tell me that if you would be to meet this man in real life, in today's world, he wouldn't be completely unbearable to talk to. Be honest!
I understand why he is so loved and had such a groundbreaking presence in the literary world. But I was drifting on and off of consciousness while reading this. (And, admittedly, skipped a few parts).
2 starts because I really liked the European part of this book - maybe I'm biased? Also, you can't tell me that if you would be to meet this man in real life, in today's world, he wouldn't be completely unbearable to talk to. Be honest!
Makes me want to pack up a bag and see the world and all that it has to offer. Kerouac mingles in dreamy prose, for which he described as being, "simply poetry or natural description" whilst travelling through America, Mexico, Morocco, Paris and a hidden mountaintop. He focuses on the human experience and the realities of solitary travel, importantly, without all the fancy, literary BS which he famously rejected - sometimes it's just not needed! A great read.
See my full review here: https://violetdaniels997.com/2020/04/26/book-review-lonesome-traveler/
See my full review here: https://violetdaniels997.com/2020/04/26/book-review-lonesome-traveler/
Content note for drug and alcohol abuse, dated language.
I think I liked this better when I used to drink, take drugs, and make irresponsible decisions. Or maybe then I just liked the idea of being someone who liked Kerouac. It made me glad I'm none of those things anymore.
It still made me laugh out loud.
My partner said while I was reading it - "I can't tell whether you think Kerouac is a good thing or not." Neither can I.
I think I liked this better when I used to drink, take drugs, and make irresponsible decisions. Or maybe then I just liked the idea of being someone who liked Kerouac. It made me glad I'm none of those things anymore.
It still made me laugh out loud.
My partner said while I was reading it - "I can't tell whether you think Kerouac is a good thing or not." Neither can I.
“After all this kind of fanfare, and even more, I came to a point where I needed solitude and to just stop the machine of 'thinking' and 'enjoying' what they call 'living,' I just wanted to lie in the grass and look at the clouds...”
A conversationalist and sensationalist style is presented in this book making it an interesting read. It is notoriously vivid how you can be a part of his adventures, with a long description of the scene, it almost makes you grab a backpack and go on a trip forever. It portraits a way of living almost unthinkable in the XXI century, but it's good to imagination, how he jumps from job to job, just to get enough money to travel to another city and tell us his new adventures.
My main issue with the book itself, relies on the writing itself as the grammar and narrative construction are not perfect had we are accustomed in other books, this makes it hard to stay addicted t the book, but despite this fact, there are moments within the book that makes it worth your while.
A conversationalist and sensationalist style is presented in this book making it an interesting read. It is notoriously vivid how you can be a part of his adventures, with a long description of the scene, it almost makes you grab a backpack and go on a trip forever. It portraits a way of living almost unthinkable in the XXI century, but it's good to imagination, how he jumps from job to job, just to get enough money to travel to another city and tell us his new adventures.
My main issue with the book itself, relies on the writing itself as the grammar and narrative construction are not perfect had we are accustomed in other books, this makes it hard to stay addicted t the book, but despite this fact, there are moments within the book that makes it worth your while.