Status
Available
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Collection
Publication
Quartet Books (1974), Unknown Binding
User reviews
LibraryThing member RossWilliam
Kerouac's first novel is a very conventional all-american story that seems very biographical. The story is very linear and epic, spanning a good portion of the Martin's lives. The story like life is funny,endearing, tragic and honest. The pace is undeniably slow, yet every word counts. Towards the
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end of the novel you hear glimpses of Kerouac's future writing style which is the biggest payoff of the novel, because where "The Town and the City" ends "On the Road" picks up seamlessly, together they form one amazing story that is truly unforgettable. Show Less
LibraryThing member Polaris-
Despite reading this many years ago, this novel has stood out in my mind as one of Kerouac's best. It's almost certainly his most underated as the author himself later disowned the lyrical Wolfean narrative style in which it was written. In many ways it is a far more pleasing read than his better
Full of colour and sounds, rivers, woods, abandoned lots, mysterious back-alleys, steamy lunch counters, brooding brick factories, and the ever-present looming churches and cemeteries... This novel has a real feeling of depth of place and a true sense of the working class characters of depression era America which fill it. As a debut novel I think it clearly shows the literary class which Kerouac undoubtedly had, though possibly failed to broaden with some of his more disjointed later work. A rewarding read.
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known 'spontaneous prose' style of On The Road and his other later works. This story has a real charm and beauty of its own, and brings to life the 1930s of Kerouac's childhood in New England.Full of colour and sounds, rivers, woods, abandoned lots, mysterious back-alleys, steamy lunch counters, brooding brick factories, and the ever-present looming churches and cemeteries... This novel has a real feeling of depth of place and a true sense of the working class characters of depression era America which fill it. As a debut novel I think it clearly shows the literary class which Kerouac undoubtedly had, though possibly failed to broaden with some of his more disjointed later work. A rewarding read.
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LibraryThing member SigmundFraud
While not Kerouac's strongest novel it is certainly important and a compelling story. I am glad I read it and I think it is worth a detour. Obviously it pales next to his ON THE ROAD.
LibraryThing member DanielSTJ
This was an amazing first book on Kerouac that delves into his life and, ultimately, begins his entry into the literary world (and his own world) as the foundation of being a writer. I was amazed by his use of language and the way that he seamlessly blended fiction into non-fiction and then back
4 stars- rightfully earned.
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again. Kerouac's style, here, is fleeting and poetic, lucid and far-reaching. I've read On the Road, but I never thought this one would be so impressive as well. 4 stars- rightfully earned.
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LibraryThing member Stahl-Ricco
“In the strong autumnal winds he rushed along ignoring the new dark knowledge he now half-understood - that to triumph was also to wreak havoc.”
Big Kerouac fan here! And I've finally read his first! I enjoyed it and felt like it was a big epic, one that took me a while to consume. It's all
The football scenes with Peter are wonderfully described! As are the real feelings of people regarding WWII. I also enjoyed the fishing scene with the three brothers near the end. I didn't enjoy much of the discussions and arguments. They were so abstract and random feeling. And the same goes for some of the characters' feelings. They often felt whinny and disconnected to actual, real problems. I know things were really changing then, especially with the war, but so much of the issues seemed self-absorbed and trivial.
Still, I really enjoyed this book. It felt like a very real taste of America at that time. And it seemed to me that Kerouac, even though most say he is the Peter character, is actually three of the brothers - Peter, Joe, and Francis. Just my opinion, but I saw a lot of him in all of them. And I feel like it ends with a nice dovetail into "On the Road", though the books themselves are so different.
Good last line:
"He put up the collar of his jacket, and bowed his head, and hurried along."
Big Kerouac fan here! And I've finally read his first! I enjoyed it and felt like it was a big epic, one that took me a while to consume. It's all
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about the Martin family, pre and post WWII, and seemingly all over the world. The football scenes with Peter are wonderfully described! As are the real feelings of people regarding WWII. I also enjoyed the fishing scene with the three brothers near the end. I didn't enjoy much of the discussions and arguments. They were so abstract and random feeling. And the same goes for some of the characters' feelings. They often felt whinny and disconnected to actual, real problems. I know things were really changing then, especially with the war, but so much of the issues seemed self-absorbed and trivial.
Still, I really enjoyed this book. It felt like a very real taste of America at that time. And it seemed to me that Kerouac, even though most say he is the Peter character, is actually three of the brothers - Peter, Joe, and Francis. Just my opinion, but I saw a lot of him in all of them. And I feel like it ends with a nice dovetail into "On the Road", though the books themselves are so different.
Good last line:
"He put up the collar of his jacket, and bowed his head, and hurried along."
Show Less
Subjects
Language
Original publication date
1950
ISBN
0704311488 / 9780704311480