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Travels with Charley: In Search of America

Penguin Modern Classics

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Travels with Charley: In Search of America

By: John Steinbeck, Jay Parini
Narrated by: Gary Sinise
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About this listen

Brought to you by Penguin.

In 1960, John Steinbeck set out in his pick-up truck with his dog, Charley, to rediscover and chronicle his native USA, from Maine to California.

He felt that he might have lost touch with its sights, sounds and the essence of the American people. Moving through the woods and deserts, dirt tracks and highways to large cities and glorious wildernesses, Steinbeck observed - with remarkable honesty, insight and a humorous eye - the gamut of America and the people who inhabited it.

His 10,000-mile journey took him through almost 40 states, where he saw things that made him proud, angry, sympathetic and elated. A rugged and passionate adventure of self-identity, Steinbeck's vision of the changing world still speaks to us prophetically through the decades.

©1962 John Steinbeck (P)2021 Penguin Audio Travel Writing & Commentary Witty

Critic Reviews

"Delightful. This is a book to be read slowly for its savor.'" (The Atlantic)
All stars
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The first half was very good, then Steinbeck seems to lose interest and rely on old material.

Seemed to lose his way

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Narrator is unbearable... over acting. I'm sure he completely gets the emphasis wrong. will try and get a refund

narrator is unbearable

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Loved my journey alongside the narrator and Charley in Rocinante. What a difference it makes having a real actor narrate - it’s like being inside a movie that takes its time, (just as it should with Steinbeck). I read this only on road trips so it took me a long time, but whenever I dipped back into it, it was like no time had passed - that’s how visceral Steinbeck is.

Superb performance- cinematic and broad

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Narration was good, but as there are no chapters- only 4 long parts, the audio version I quite hard to navigate if needing to skip back.
I also found the story very hard to follow on audio as stories jumped around so frequently. If you stopped paying close attention for even 10 seconds, you may lose a segue and be completely disoriented.

Hard to follow on audio

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