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I felt as if I was actually taking a long road trip, meeting interesting people and viewing America on the back roads of the 'real' U.S. Steinbeck has a way of visulaizing with words. You travel with him, seeing thru his eyes both the beauty and history, sometimes dark, of our country. Wonderful Steinbeck book.
It's almost a surprise because it comes at the end of a book in which he's mostly trying to find a Thoreau-like calm amidst a churning America. 3. And remember, this is in 1960, and he writes that he knew the "end game" would be equal rights, but he was worried about the route it would take to get there. Brave stuff.So, those are the positives. He writes about our love affair with the automobile and the open road -- and the damages that it creates.Steinbeck renders these ideas with lovely language, humor, and often-biting commentary. He'll pull off the road, drink a beer or two, and then start driving again through the night. On the one hand, his drinking reflects his time and his temperament; on the other hand, I'm always suspicious of someone who claims to do his best work while under the influence. Speaking to an unnamed storekeeper in Wisconsin, he asks him why people are afraid to have serious conversations any more, and when they do, it's only to complain.
Steinbeck remarks: "You talk too much." The rancher answers: "That's whut the missus says." Ugh. 1. When he gets to the worst churn in the country at the time -- the nascent civil rights movement and the violent reactions to it -- he steps right into the flame. He writes about the dying towns in Maine, the growth of suburbs (especially in Seattle and Portland), the homogenization of food along the interstates and of language everywhere.
Who knew he could be such a prose stylist.And when Steinbeck takes on race in the final chapters of the book, his commentary is decisively angry. 2. Women are judged by their looks and their morals (and men are supposed to always pursue the loose women, but marry the pure ones). He sees a rancher by the side of the road and stops to make small talk.
It's remarkable that John Steinbeck's "Travels With Charley" can seem so contemporary, given that it reflected his experiences across America in 1960, and his interest in looking back at his life at least as much as looking to the future. I certainly didn't need to hear about Charley's urinary habits and problems over and over again. The rancher responds with one-word sentences. Roosevelt. How about this one. Manh has a fight with his wife, he belts the Russians." I felt like Steinbeck was traveling in an alternative world in which dialogue had to be Woody Guthrie lyrics.
I can't stand it when people focus on their dogs instead of on people, especially if other people are in their presence. However, I found a few things to be jarring in this book that I would imagine would not appeal to a current reader. He writes about Americans' restlessness to move from their birthplace, but yet, the tug to return. He pours a belt and sits a spell by the river. And yet, it's also a book that feels very dated in parts, and, frankly, I find it surprising that most reviewers have given it such high ratings, given the things that hit with a clank occasionally.In his chronicle of 3 months of driving in the fall and early winter of 1960 in a custom-made truck camper, Steinbeck hits on things that concern us today, and which were just coming to the consciousness of thoughtful people at the time. "Why, I remember when people took everything out on Mr. He's sexist. 4.
If you like the period, it's great. Stenbeck's remarkable skills of observation and his ability to winnow material to the most memorable aspects enable him to carry off this tough trick. Yes, sir, those Russians got quite a load to carry. Andy Larsen got red in the face about Roosevelt one time when his hens got croup. He talks to his dog. I know I'd be trying to kick Charley under the table if I'd been sitting with Steinbeck.So, while this is an interesting book and has some charming and memorable vignettes, it's definitely a "period piece" in the same way that a film noir from the 50s is a period piece. He hates traffic. This book is more colorful, more mellifluous than his novels, which are searing but not always pretty.
After the first time, I didn't it was funny that Charley was supposed to be a sophisticated dog because he was born in France. He drinks constantly, and drink seems to be the lever that opens up everyone. He's corny. Finally, I found the dog parts (Charley) to be tiresome as often as they were interesting. If you don't, it will feel very dated.
Steinbeck is able to portray such simple, candid moments during his travels - most of which are spent within his own head - in a warm and memorable tone throughout "Travels with Charley." What is remarkable about this particular piece is that it is rather unremarkable; Steinbeck never intended to write a masterpiece, and that simplicity in style is appreciated. Steinbeck is able to take sometimes sentimental, sometimes angering mental snapshots from his travels to create a small nugget of truth that accurately reflects his America. His perceptions are relevant to almost any American, any traveler with an open mind as he is able to piece together a simple scene of America, stuck in time, and somehow pull an eternal message from each experience.
It's unfortunate that this recording by Gary Sinise is not available on CD. If you still have a casette player somewhere, this is the recording to listen to. Great Story.
It's very clever and is always good for a little chuckle.Aside from the man/dog social interactions that serve as the comic relief, this account of Steinbeck's lap across the country in the early 1960s reveals much about the character of Americans back then, but even more than that it reveals quite a bit about John Steinbeck himself. This book could have just as easily been called, "Travels with Charley, in Search of John Steinbeck" in my opinion. He seemed to look for patterns or trends in American behavior in various parts of the country, and it helps those who have always loved his prose to see just how he picked apart society and translated his findings into detailed written accounts that are as fun to read as they are vivid.I am glad that I didn't read this story as one of my first Steinbeck books, or I am afraid I wouldn't have appreciated it nearly as much as I did after having read most of his great literary works. I absolutely loved it, and felt like it was filled with lighthearted, innocent humor.The way he talks about Charley as though the dog is smarter than the master is just hilarious. Steinbeck has a way of personifying his pet, without the pet ever having its voice heard throughout the book. I wouldn't urge anybody to read this if they are not familiar with the author already, because he has many more impactful and poetically written books than this, and Travels with Charley is really more of a glance at Steinbeck and America, through his very own eyes and interpretation, as opposed to a story that displays the true poetic genius that he really was.This is a great book, and well worth the read, but wait until you get to know his work better before you pick this one up. It is a fantastic book nonetheless, but you'll enjoy it more that way.
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