Steinbeck

[Dale]

Always one of my favorite authors but at least twenty years since last read. Friend gave me a bag of books with "Travels with Charley" and enjoyed reading a 2nd or possibly 3rd time.

[Geoffrey]

I just finished reading it a month ago and was overwhelmed and very annoyed with the critics. I thought it to be one of the best travel books ever.

[Jessaka]

This was a fun read. I read that he often stayed in hotels though. That is okay with me. He is one of my favorite authors in this order: Torilla Flat, Cannery Row, and Grapes of Wrath. Haven't read them all but hated a few.

[Amanda]

I read the same thing about hotels. I read this many years ago and am due to re-read it. He's also one of my favotite authors and Tortilla Flat was my first Steinbeck read and favorite book for about 15 years. It stayed my #1 Steinbek with Cannery Row #2 for over 20 years, until I got around to reading East of Eden.

I sitll haven't read Grapes of Wrath yet because I'm afraid it will get in my head and depress me for a few months. Is it really worth the risk?

Which Steinbeck novels did you hate, though? I read all the other Steinbecks I could find back in highschool. Didn't love all of them.

[Jerry]

Geoffrey wrote: "I just finished reading it a month ago and was overwhelmed and very annoyed with the critics. I thought it to be one of the best travel books ever."

Spot-On.

[Matthew]

If indeed he stayed in hotels, who could blame him? He was getting rather old when he wrote "Travels" and sleeping every night in a truck's camper would be very uncomfortable. In either event, it does not detract from his astute, interesting, and sometimes very funny observations about America.

[Richard]

I am a bit confused? Why would there be a question about the hotel stays? He talks about a dozen or so in the book doesn't he? In any case I consider Travels with Charley to be one of my favorites of all time. I have a paperback copy that is an old friend of mine. I don't know when I bought it new for only $1.25. I've read it at least 20 times. I see it as being a book filled with calm, rational thought and ideas. A book that must be read slowly and treated with proper reflection because that is obviously the way it was written.

[Chanouel]

I loved this book. It was my first Steinbeck book. I bought Grapes of Wrath and Travels with Charley at the same time and decided to read Travels first because I didn't feel like getting into a big book right away.
I haven't read a lot of travel books, but this one if definitely my favorite.
Now if I could get in the right mood to read Grapes of Wrath.....

[Laur]

Amanda wrote: "I sitll haven't read Grapes of Wrath yet because I'm afraid it will get in my head and depress me for a few months. Is it really worth the risk?" It's definitely worth the risk. 'Grapes' was one of the first books i remember reading that not only lived up to its hype(timeless, must-read, classic) but maybe even exceeded it. I sometimes avoid books that i think/know will really depress me("The Corrections", anyone?) but I don't think that's the case with 'Grapes'. It's truly an American must-read.

ps. Which Steinbeck novels did you hate, though? I have read most if not all of his published work and I have never cared for The Pearl OR The Red Pony.

[Laur]

I've always seen this book as a time capsule- the people he encounters, their changing attitudes and tastes(Steinbeck's frank interest in mobile homes, his distaste with an overly sanitized and cellophaned motel room), the whooole chunk at the end where he travels through the South and basically refuses to talk about how awful it was. When I was younger I had the impression that he *knew* it was going to be a snapshot of a certain time in our history and that's partly why he recorded it. Anyone else feel this way?

[Geoffrey]

No, that may have been part of the reason, Laura, but not the most significant. Steinbeck was always anxious about losing his great creative powers and by the 60`s he had run out of material. Travels with Charley was his effort to stay in the game.

[Laur]

Geoffrey wrote: "Steinbeck was always anxious about losing his great creative powers and by the 60`s he had run out of material. Trave..."

Your tone makes me think you weren't that impressed with his effort and yet I'm surprised to see that you gave it 5 stars- I admit that I'm curious about that.

[Aisha]

To a God Unknown or The Wayward Bus would have to be my favourite Steinbeck Novels. Heck I love Cup of Gold, East of Eden, Cannery Row, Sweet Thursday and Tortila Flat. I have read 22 of his 27 novels, saving Grapes of Wrath for last as they say it is he greatest novel and I want to test that. In regards to Travels with Charley, it was a brilliant travel book considering that much of what he wrote 50 years STILL is applicable today.

[Geoffrey]

Laura
I don`t know how you can come up with the statement "you weren`t impressed with his effort" from my words in the prior post, but no, I found TWC one of the best travel books I have ever read. It`s up there with Kane`s RUNNING THE AMAZON or Thor Heyerdahl`s KONTICKI.

I am scratching my head now. How in the world did you surmise something that couldn`t be farthest from the truth?

[Laur]

@Geoffrey I wasn't trying to be rude, so I apologize if that's how it came out. I just didn't know how to put it. You said he had "run out of material" and that TWC was an "effort to stay in the game". It just sounded like you were describing a last-ditch attempt..not necessarily a late-career success. No offense intended :)

[Geoffrey]

Read my post carefully. I said he felt he was running out of material, not that I did. No, you were not rude.