On The Road

Rating:
Summary: Immediate, convincing portrayal of a generation.
Review: Taking cues from Thomas Wolfe's, "Look Homeward Angel," Jack Kerouac's "On The Road" is a far ranging document of the trials and tribulations of two young men who look westward into a setting sun for a nostalgic past, all the while yearning for a new future. It is in his conception of time that Kerouac creates the dramatic tension in this novel, because his characters, Sal Paradise and the incorrigable Dean Moriarty, are pursued by a fatal ennui and the drive to experience all that life may offer. Dean, haunted by the abandonment of his father, lives a reckless life in pursuit of "kicks," drugs and sex, searching for his own identity. Sal, rushes to write it all down as he follows closely behind. Both of them are swept up in the whirlwind of the times as they yearn to discover who they are and what that might mean. It is this road of discovery that is the book's ultimate message, that the journey is more important than the destination. Kerouac's lightning prose is ultimately convincing, especially in his inventive use of detail, and his turbulent tale is told through the eyes of a narrator not yet too jaded to believe in hope. An endearing portrait of 1950s America, "On The Road," opens the horizon to a mythic place where heroes still dream and self-discovery means a joy-ride across the soul of a nation. If anyone deserves to be called an American novelist, it is Kerouac, alongside Hemingway, Faulkner and Fitzgerald. "On The Road" is a technicolor affirmation, in the face of a negative Eisenhower decade, with a timeless message.

Rating:
Summary: Timeless, energetic.
Review: The beauty of this book for me is not what it represents or relates about American post-war culture (not being American probably has something to do with this). It is simply the most energetic book I have ever read. The plot surges and falls between triumph and exhilarating lonliness with such intensity that you immediately tap into the feelings and expectations of the characters involved. The book forces you to recall rare emotions rather than experiences and it is for this reason that it will captivate you regardless of age or class.

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Summary: Kerouac was misunderstood
Review: I just finished reading On the Road for the fifth time, and I think it remains one of the best books of the century. Kerouac was always misunderstood. Some of the reviews of this book affirm my belief in this. On the Road presented another view of the country, which at the time was overrun with false idealism. Everyone was starting a family and moving to the subburbs -- this was considered "normal." Yet, at this "idealistic" time the Cold War raged and McCarthyism created paranoia across the nation. The Beats were seen as the outsiders of the '50s, and mainstream, conventional, conservative culture in America regarded the Beats with a combination of disdain and fear.

Kerouac and his friends introduced another way of looking at America. On the Road is inspiring because there is such a naive enthusiasm in Kerouac's descriptions of America. He doesn't offer a "moral" or an explanation because he does not presume to know an answer. On the Road is one man's personal journey, it was never meant to be a traveler's bible.

Further, people are critical of Kerouac because of how he presented himself to the media after the release of On the Road. I think people should realize that Kerouac had to explain himself time and again about his work and his life. He never wanted to be a spokesperson of his generation. When he became the "voice" of his generation and many people felt he was a threat to the status quo of the times, they sought to discredit him. Granted, Kerouac had numerous hang-ups, but this is what ultimately led to his downfall.

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Summary: I dig this book!
Review: I had heard many things about "On the Road" before I read it. I was expecting something crude and amateurish. This book was neither. It is a book about living life as it happens, doing what you want. It is not the kind of thing a stable family man would do. It does spark the possibilities just doing it, living free. I wish I had read it when I was younger. The story is interesting because there are so many characters that really seem to live. Of course many of them were based on real people which makes the book even more incredible: This guy lived these things! The book is a classic and can never be equaled. It makes you long for the FREEDOM of the road.

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Summary: should come with bowl of popcorn
Review: I feel the book Shiloh was a captivating portrayal of a dog who was beaten severely by a guy with big boots. The dog then fell in love with some kid.

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Summary: bums traveling without a nickle to spend
Review: The beatniks took advantage of every possible situation that they could control. Their means of exploiting others was to steal. The author makes himself a hero of the times. What modern American would haul his butt across the country, all but penniless, stealing gas along the way? We settle down, get jobs to raise money, and stay near the spot where we earn cash, not because we want to, but because this is simple economics. Most would never steal gas or food, least of all glorify the life of a bum. The author's style has been compared to that of the impressionist painter's. More than not, it is an unfocused wasteland. This IS one book that should be read, though. We see a glimpse of those times and a precursor of the hippies.

Rating:
Summary: A rush, with a beat all its own. A great Novel .
Review: Whatever else , this was and is the most original novel of the last half of the 20th Century. A breath of fresh air in the stifling 50's it has the same impact in the imitative 90's. --Why has this lingered so long at the top of american literature lists? --Because this book changed lives. No, it didnt just send out waves of beats and hippies into the streets , it left one indelible idea on millions of Americans who read it--dont worry about the rules ,there are none --dont worry about conforming to anyone elses view of how life should be lived...just live , feel , and be , every moment of every day.This book is one long beautiful poem . Was there a point? Did the characters "grow" ? Hell , who cares . Just pick it up and take the trip.

Rating:
Summary: Wow!
Review: I put off reading this book for years, finally picking it up two years ago at the mellowed age of 40. I wanted to sell everything and hit the road after reading it.

Kerouac is everything the critics said--enthralling, annoying, hilarious, sad, depressed, euphoric, and one hell of a descriptive writer. Not a day has gone by since I read it where I don't think about a scene somewhere in that book.

And this is kind of hard to explain, but this book really has a "beat." Not a poetic, pentameter-style beat, but a feeing. A motion that carries you along. I found myself visibly rocking at points in this book. Try it for yourself! You'll see what I mean.

Rating:
Summary: A good read with a disappointing end
Review: The book was a classic story of a younge man out of school partying across the country without a care in the world. That was great the first time. But the second an third trip became a bore. The characters never grew from thier experiences. They had no future. When the end of the book came near there was no revelation, no moral. The last couple chapters were rushed and didn't fit in. It was quite disappointing.

Overall it is a good read if you are in a travelling enviroment. The constant reference to trains was very relavent as I read it travelling back and forth to work on a comuter train.

Rating:
Summary: my favorite
Review: Let's make this simple. What we have here is, in my opinion, one of the finest pieces in all of American literature........YAS YAS!