Rating: 
Summary: A Timepiece.
Review: What can be said about Kerouac that has not already been abused? I am not sure, but I can say that this is a book that you will remember forever. If you have ever been on a journey of any kind you will flow with the tide of this book peacefully.
Rating: 
Summary: Maybe 2 and a half stars
Review: This is a good book, but not a masterpiece. Find it at your local library and read it if you can. Probably the most remarkable aspect of this novel is the fact that nothing ever really happens. Lots of roadtrips, lots of boozing and cheating the system etc., but the real action occurs in the mind. This is a novel about the resistance to settling down in a vast country with an infinite array of options to explore. Most striking to me however, is the contradictory notion of independance. Yes, Sal takes off on his own for extended periods of time, but there is a noticeable difference between being alone and being independant. Sal shows that although his fancies stem from the desire to break free of the usual chains that bind us to places, we are much harder pressed to break the chains that bind us to relationships with people, as well as with money. The novel may incite many people who read it to drop their Armani clad farce of a lifestyle for some baser need for debauchery on Amelia island, but take note that the two lifestyles may bear more resemblance to each other than what is initially apparent. The other aspect worth mentioning is the undercurrent of moments which pervades the narrative. What I mean by moments is all those minute details in life that we think are curious or comical or tragic when they occur. Two things can happen, the way I see it. You can allow those moments to pass as though they are nothing but life's curiosities, comedies or tragedies, or you can see the symbolic nature inherent to them and allow the moments to absorb you into their being. The latter approach is necessary to feel what Jack Kerouac is attempting to communicate. The banana king is there for a reason as are the farm boys with "corn-fed" teeth. We are meant to notice things when we are on the road in the real world as well as in the novel. The meaning these moments convey is subjective, and affected me only a little but may appeal to those readers who are able to romanticise life more than I.
Rating:
Summary: "On the Road" is in a ditch
Review: This book is about a man in the 50s named Sal who is a writer who wants to find himself in the west, make a new life. He is part of the beat generation, a group of writers who didnt want to do what their parrents did and want them to do. Sal is Jack Kerouac in real life. In the book, Sal meets a person named Dean Moriarty, who is Neal Cassidy, and Dean appeals to Sal because he was a young, energetic person with all sorts of interesting things running through his mind. He still has a lot to experience and he is also from the west. The east represents what their perrents want them to do and the west is a new life, a new experience, doing things their own way. In the book Dean is a failure because he cant stick to one thing. He cant stick with one wife, he cant choose where to live, he doesnt know where to go. He's got a lot of things to figure out. There are a lot of parts in the book where everything drags on and you just cant seem to finish a page. the ending isnt very strong, just like this review.
Rating:
Summary: One great ride!
Review: I always wanted to read this book. I am glad that I took the time to do it. Kerouawac is able to move you into a crazy wonderful world where people on the edge are suddenly understood. I loved the story and the way it made me reflect on my own life. Could I leave my life and hitch hike across the USA? well, no I could'nt but, I could see how this idea would be appealing to those in search of themselves. I think the most important part of Sal's journey is the people that he happens to meet along the way.I loved this book. I will go as far as to say it is the best book I have ever read. Take a chance and travel across America with Jack Kerouac, you will not be disappointed!
Rating: 
Summary: Good, But hard to relate to
Review: Overall this is a great book, and it brings alot of perspective of how things where during the beat generation. The only trouble I had was following the characters. It is a great book to read, and I think it is a must for everyone to read or try to read at least once.
Rating:
Summary: Threw it across the room...
Review: So... lusting after a road trip of my own, I picked up thisbook and shot through it in a pretty short amount of time. It waspretty captivating at first, and I loved the breakneck pace andnon-stop action. But...it soon grew quite old. I kept expecting Deanto develop (to change as initially promised by Sal), to morph into acomplex, interesting character by the end of the novel-- but it didn'thappen. Dean ended up a broken record, ditching the same situationsagain and again, only to have Sal and the gang react in the same tiredways. As a wise man once said, "Pretty words...but come toconclusion...!" The last 100 pages or so were incredibly hard tofinish...I spent a couple of hours on those alone! Frustrations ranso high, I threw it across the room after reading the last page. Styleover substance, undoubtedly. I also got a little bit tired of thebrainless angst... Whine, Whine. Still an enjoyable read, and aninteresting technique...but not a well-rounded book, by any means.
Rating: 
Summary: Good read
Review: A good read. I'm working my way through the top 100 modern classics list from the Modern Library Editorial Review Board and this was no. 55. I have to say that as a whole, the beatnik generation really paints a rather abstract picture in its impact on modern literature. I can see the link to Faulkner in some of Kerouac's writing, though perhaps more so in his later writings than in "On the Road". Philosophically, the book is somewhat shallow. It's greatest strength really lies in its ability to reach people of all walks of life on some level. I think we can all relate to the desire to explore our world and our culture and certainly our role in it all to see where the reality of our perspective meets with our expectations created by that perspective. I can't say that the beatnik generation really had an amazing impact on our culture, but it did effect the way we all see things. To that end, it's a very worthwhile read.
Rating:
Summary: You'll love this one!...
Review: This is my first Kerouc book. I think I got interested by the song Hey Jack Kerouc by the 10,000 Maniacs. Anyhow, I just couldn't put this book down, and at the end I felt letdown because I wanted more. The ending is a little weak, but nonetheless it's a great book. I think I liked it because it suits my restless mood. I understand his feelings for wanting to move and see everything possible. His observations on landscapes and persona are right on. I would definately recommend this book to anyone who gets excited about going out and experiencing new things.
Rating:
Summary: A Wonderful Ride in Prose
Review: Jack Kerouac, a modern pop icon, was also a wonderful innovator in prose. Some may say that On the Road is wild, disjointed, and that it lacks a plot any kind and s more of a travelogue than a narrative. Well, all these things are true, but anyone who reads On the Road and sees only that is not looking at the greater literary beauty behind the book.Kerouac thought that all of life was a text, and he wanted to express that through his writing. On the Road, with it's off the wall narrative style successfully does this. Using Neal Cassady (Dean Moriarity) as his guide, or narrator, Kerouc (Sal Paradise) was able to put human thoughts and spoken words on paper, creating a mosaic of human existence called On the Road. the book is about traveling on many levels. The physical journey of these two men across a continent, the spiritual journey we all must take throughout our lives, and the day to day wanderings and travels of our thoughts. On the Road is a great work of American Literature.
Rating:
Summary: Rethink
Review: I am forced to give this novel the highest rating for several reasons. The largest myth regarding Jack Kerouac and his work is that of his beatnik character and irresponsible novels. While reading either Kerouac's own stories or works about his life, it is very important to remember a few things. Kerouac was not a beatnik nor did he embrace the flourishing beatnik culture of his day. Quite to the contrary, Kerouac spent the last several years of his life in near isolation railing against those who claimed him the father or creator of what he considered to be an abomination. "Beatnik" was merely a derisive term used by a Los Angeles radio critic to typecast the pre-hippy counter-culture that was just getting underway. He vented as well at Allen Ginsburg and William Burroughs for perverting his original intent. The original intent? Kerouac was looking for salvation. All his life, whether on the marijuana high or the all-embracing highway, Kerouac wanted nothing more than to be saved. Did he go about it in the right way? Not according to conformist fifties America or to the majority of readers today. Coming full circle and returning to his conservative Roman Catholic roots as he neared his death, we'll never know if he found what he was looking for. On the Road may be fast and fun; it may be entertaining and insightful. But when looking past the freneticism (as his fans and detractors were rarely able to do) some important warnings are discovered. One occurs as Sal Paradise (Kerouac) says, "...besides which, Lucille would never understand me because I get all confused and hung-up running from one falling star to the next 'till I drop." Kerouac didn't mean for this to be a romanticized life philosophy. It cannot sustain you for very long as he found out. Another caveat is found in the closing chapter of the book. When Dean and Sal poignantly take leave of one another in New York, two paths are sharply contrasted. Sal, who has "betrayed" the lifestyle of freneticism and "freedom" and Dean, who is simply returning to his home across the continent apparently no wiser for his wear. I love Jack Kerouac and know that some may get riled up about my casual dismissal of his and Dean's journeys. As Kerouac aged he vehemently argued against the very culture he helped to spur to life with On the Road. I disagree with the action taken by Sal and Dean in many aspects of the story but respect both for at least attempting to find salvation while so many others never bother trying. It's always easier to sit back and judge others behaviors and never bother trying for ourselves. This is why I give the book five stars. I don't agree with recreational drug use or promiscuous sexual activity. I agree with the motives behind the attempt; the fever that possessed them to break from the grays and pastels of middle-class America to achieve salvation of some kind. On the Road may appear to be written in a slipshod manner and the characters as one-dimensional and shallow. You may completely disagree with every course of action they took. And yet, one cannot help but admire them for the attempt.
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