Take a photo of a barcode or cover
3.21 AVERAGE
3.21 AVERAGE
Typical Kerouac. Stream of consciousness type writing, about a trip to Paris, in search of his roots. Lots of booze, the missing of planes and trains. Bit too boozy for my tastes, but I'm a francophile and his experience of Paris leaves me feeling melancholic....and I don't necessarily associate this city with melancholy (at least not yet, maybe I've not found the right cognac yet...). On the one hand one wonders why this was published, on the other hand, it was a perfect read for my commute on the metro.
p. 31 "Yet this book is to prove that no matter how you travel, how 'successful' your tour, or foreshortened, you always learn something and learn to change your thoughts."
p. 86 "'Ere you are, mighty.' (A pun on 'matey' there and let me ask you but one more question, reader: -Where else but in a book can you go back and catch what you missed, and not only that but savor it and keep it up and shove it? D'any Aussie ever tell you that?)"
p. 31 "Yet this book is to prove that no matter how you travel, how 'successful' your tour, or foreshortened, you always learn something and learn to change your thoughts."
p. 86 "'Ere you are, mighty.' (A pun on 'matey' there and let me ask you but one more question, reader: -Where else but in a book can you go back and catch what you missed, and not only that but savor it and keep it up and shove it? D'any Aussie ever tell you that?)"
challenging
reflective
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
The title should be "Alcohol in Paris", as Kerouac most certainly talks more about his drinks rather than "a moment of enlightment". Kerouac at his usual, messing around, drinking, travelling from place to place like a madman.
challenging
emotional
inspiring
reflective
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
N/A
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I kept thinking of Henry Miller and Colossus of Maroussi when I was reading this book. Miller's book was on Greece and the Balkans while this one was on Paris and France. Miller and Kerouac admired each other and exchanged a number of letters; while I don't think they ever met I'm sure they would've hit it off. Kerouac is a kick and I can admire the lifestyle he led but it had a price. Much of this little novelette is about his search for his origins in Bretton and his Kerouac ancestors. But his stream of consciousness writing takes you all over the place and one can only wonder at the works Kerouac would have produced had he stuck around a little longer.
My dad and I took a trip to Paris in the Spring of 2010 while I was on Spring Break from my MA program. It was lovely. Seriously. Paris in the Springtime. It really doesn't get any better than that. The weather was lovely, the sights were beautiful, and the food was delicious. What more could you ask for?
Well, a stop in the most well known book store in Paris, probably, if you're me. So after a morning at Notre Dame de Paris (which is amazing and awe inspiring, by the way), we hauled across the river to the adorable little bookstore named Shakespeare and Company. Which looks exactly like how I'd want my bookstore (if I ever own one) to look: floor to ceiling bookshelves, tables everywhere, books on every available surface (even the floor), and enough order to potentially find what you're looking for, but not enough to stop you from stumbling onto something you didn't know you wanted to read in the first place. A place where you can actually discover, serendipitously, the right book for you at the right time.
Read the rest of this review on my blog: Chaos Theory
Well, a stop in the most well known book store in Paris, probably, if you're me. So after a morning at Notre Dame de Paris (which is amazing and awe inspiring, by the way), we hauled across the river to the adorable little bookstore named Shakespeare and Company. Which looks exactly like how I'd want my bookstore (if I ever own one) to look: floor to ceiling bookshelves, tables everywhere, books on every available surface (even the floor), and enough order to potentially find what you're looking for, but not enough to stop you from stumbling onto something you didn't know you wanted to read in the first place. A place where you can actually discover, serendipitously, the right book for you at the right time.
Read the rest of this review on my blog: Chaos Theory
Z téhle knihy mě ovlivnily hned jedny z prvních slov. Kerouac se tam zmiňoval o významu slova Satori / osvícení, probuzení, záblesk náhlého uvědomění, nejpřesněji poznání / A slovo Satori mě teď provází nudnými, propršenými, prázdninovými dny. mám potřebu hledat satori a chtěla bych v noci chodit mlhavou Paříží
This confirms it for me: I'm not and never will be a fan of Jack Kerouac. Oh my, how this man does ramble. About nothing. On and on and on. And carouses. And drinks. And drinks. And carouses. And drinks.
On the Road. In Paris.
Not much satori at all.
On the Road. In Paris.
Not much satori at all.