Reviews

It took some time to get into this book. Well, maybe it just took me some time to figure out what it was about... It reads like a collection of snapshots for the longest time. The descriptions are great! Kerouac really catches the essence of a physical location and conveys the mood that it embodies. I love his description of dolphins "with their Mona Lisa smiles." This book is full of poetic passages and, finally, at the end, I discovered that it has a real message about modernity and a lost generation. It really resonates to read it now (2010) at a time of cultural upheaval, war and general disillusionment.

Of course, the book is heavily influenced by a basic machismo which is annoying. The female characters are definitely secondary, but then, in his world that's how he saw it and we are borrowing his perspective...

I was shocked to find that I liked this book as much as I did. I'd recommend it to others looking for a thought provoking novel. This was not quick and easy reading for me, though.

jwwiii1982's review against another edition

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adventurous challenging dark emotional funny hopeful inspiring reflective relaxing sad tense slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

Kerouac's The Town and the City is my favorite Kerouac book. It is less stream-of-conscious writing and more of a straight-forward narrative. Town/City is the precursor to On the Road, and follows the early life through college through his character Wesley Martin.

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