World Famous Comics: On the Road (Penguin Classics)
On the Road (Penguin Classics)
By: Jack Kerouac Publisher: Penguin Classics Average Rating: Binding: Paperback Label: Penguin Classics Number of Items: 1 Number of Pages: 352 Publication Date: December 31, 2002
Product Description: Jack Kerouac's classic novel of freedom and longing defined what it meant to be "Beat" and has inspired every generation since its initial publication more than forty years ago.
I had an easier time reading a Medical Textbook Call it being kind of modernized, but how can anyone follow this book? The writing doesn't flow naturally. It's like a bad fanfiction.
A book of people and places On the Road is an amazing book in many ways. It is remarkable in that it doesn't have a plot, so much as events which don't have much in the way of interconnectedness. On the Road is a book of people and places, showing Kerouac's love for travel and his skill for making memorable and dynamic characters. Despite this lack of plot, On the Road is an interesting book, owing to the memorable characters which inhabit it. It is the erratic actions of these characters which drive the book forward, and create the most meaningful moments in the book.
I found some parts of the book to be slightly dull and lacking energy. Because of the lack of interconnectedness, I felt that some parts of the book lacked relevance, but to anyone who has this problem, I recommend that they continue on to the end, because Kerouac saves his greatest gem of pure lonesome beauty for the last two pages in a section which is impossible to disappoint.
I would recommend this book to anyone who has ever wanted to travel independently, without a plan, escort, or money. It is a book which will be loved by some and hated by others; it has the greatest chance of appreciation by those who would be willing to hitchhike or sleep in public places.
In addition to the story itself, the Introduction by Ann Charters is an insightful look at the influences on Kerouac and the atmosphere of the times he lived and wrote in.
Inspiring Read This book is special to me, as I live in the city and drink in the bar where Kerouac once graced with his presence. I read this book in the thick of the semester so it took me longer than usual to finish, but it was by far the best novel I have ever read. You will learn in the forward by Ann Charters that Kerouac spent seven years "on the road" but took only three weeks to type the preliminary version of his novel. Kerouac was an alcoholic and part-time dope-fiend, which I strongly feel contributed to his excellent writing ability. I've read the book two more times since I bought it.
So that is what the fuss is about Oftentimes I've heard so much about a writer's amazing talent only to be disappointed when I get around to reading his/her work. Ayn Rand falls into this category to a degree and Bukowski falls all the way into it--but not Kerouac.
I don't know if Jack captured the heartbeat of a generation. I don't know if Jack motivated even one person to actually get "on the road". I do know that this is a book written with the skill of a master storyteller. Jack didn't try to convince you of anything--the philosophy contained in On the Road was haphazard and disjointed. What he did was simply tell a story that reads like prose poetry--or maybe it reads like jazz put to words. Simply put, it is just a joy to read this novel because it tells a story in a way that draws you in and lets you live it as well.
You may never actually get in your car and drive to the end of the road but this is the next best thing.
It's Not Literature, It's a History Lesson in Arrogance and Stupidity I've tried to read this book at three different points in my life. I read it again recently, thinking that I was too young to get it when I read it as a teenager and that this time around it would make sense. I still can't stand this book. Basically it's a bunch of drug-using, abusive, adulterous, self-centered, arrogant, pseudo-intellectual eggheaded jerks trying to freeload as much as they can with no regard to anyone or anything but themselves. No wonder this book was so popular with rock stars. If the American Dream is indeed what this book purports it to be, no wonder this country is so messed up.
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