Travels With Charley in Search of America
Penguin Publishing Group · Paperback · January 31, 1980
An intimate journey across America, as told by one of its most beloved writers To hear the speech of the real America, to smell the grass and the trees, to see the colors and the light—these were John Steinbeck's goals as he set out, at the age of fifty-eight, to rediscover the country he had been writing about for so many years.
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- Who it’s for
- A spare, observant travel narrative that turns the road into a wry companion.
- Themes
- American identity, Travel and exploration, Social commentary
- Pacing
- Reflective
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Start with this bookAbout this book
An intimate journey across America, as told by one of its most beloved writers To hear the speech of the real America, to smell the grass and the trees, to see the colors and the light—these were John Steinbeck's goals as he set out, at the age of fifty-eight, to rediscover the country he had been writing about for so many years.
Continue reading
With Charley, his French poodle, Steinbeck drives the interstates and the country roads, dines with truckers, encounters bears at Yellowstone and old friends in San Francisco. Along the way he reflects on the American character, racial hostility, the particular form of American loneliness he finds almost everywhere, and the unexpected kindness of strangers.
On the Road
A spare, observant travel narrative that turns the road into a wry companion.
Come here for
- road-trip America, seen with a sharp eye
- literary travel with a sly, companionable voice
Expect
- Steinbeck’s familiar plainspoken intelligence
- an unhurried, sustained read
Where it sits
| Travel Writing | 49% |
|---|---|
| Travel in the United States | 36% |
| Writers' Lives | 36% |
Percentages are BookFrontier’s reading of the book.
Publisher categories
- Writers' Lives
- U.S. History
- Travel Writing
- Authors
- John Steinbeck
- Publisher
- Penguin Publishing Group
- Published
- January 31, 1980
- Format
- Paperback
- Theme
- American identity · Travel and exploration · Social commentary
- Reading lane
- Writers' Lives