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A review by readingoverbreathing
Travels with Charley in Search of America by John Steinbeck
adventurous
reflective
slow-paced
4.0
My fiance gave this two stars. I thought it might be a solid three for me, so the four I am awarding here is certainly a pleasant surprise. (I've talked extensively in my other reviews about how my curiosity usually supersedes my anticipation of any pleasure; this ends up applying to a lot of white 20th-century male writers, even Steinbeck, who is one of my favorite among them.)
I've read my fair share of Steinbeck at this point, but in reading this I realized how very little I knew, and still know, about the man behind some of the 20th century's finest American literature. Reading his observations from his journey throughout the continental US became deeply absorbing. I quickly fell in love with Charley and grew to respect Steinbeck more and more.
I was surprised by how much here felt deeply relevant and could only help thinking how disappointed Steinbeck would be if he embarked on this tour today. The passages about the environment and how he disgusted he was by the amount of physical waste he saw really hit home. How much worse things are today, 60 years later, how much more waste we have created since then, with no end in sight.
Steinbeck himself admits early on that he didn't take notes or write hardly at all throughout this journey, so I did take a lot of the stories and especially the dialogue with a grain of salt. His aims and observations, however, were thoughtful, thought-provoking, and genuinely sincere.
I am so glad that I read this. Though it is a portrait of America in its own time, there is so much here to absorb, even as deep as we now are into the 21st century. Steinbeck's thoughtful writing, his dedication to the American landscape and psyche, continue to surprise and make me appreciate his work.
I've read my fair share of Steinbeck at this point, but in reading this I realized how very little I knew, and still know, about the man behind some of the 20th century's finest American literature. Reading his observations from his journey throughout the continental US became deeply absorbing. I quickly fell in love with Charley and grew to respect Steinbeck more and more.
I was surprised by how much here felt deeply relevant and could only help thinking how disappointed Steinbeck would be if he embarked on this tour today. The passages about the environment and how he disgusted he was by the amount of physical waste he saw really hit home. How much worse things are today, 60 years later, how much more waste we have created since then, with no end in sight.
Steinbeck himself admits early on that he didn't take notes or write hardly at all throughout this journey, so I did take a lot of the stories and especially the dialogue with a grain of salt. His aims and observations, however, were thoughtful, thought-provoking, and genuinely sincere.
I am so glad that I read this. Though it is a portrait of America in its own time, there is so much here to absorb, even as deep as we now are into the 21st century. Steinbeck's thoughtful writing, his dedication to the American landscape and psyche, continue to surprise and make me appreciate his work.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Racial slurs, Racism