A book that I read for my
office’s book club – a clear step in the right direction, but still not a
particularly good read (and the fact that I am labeling a book by Steinbeck in
this way makes me want to hit myself!).
The problem for me is probably
that there are so many works of fiction and non-fiction about travelling around
the US that it’s so easy to make comparisons, and these don’t really favour Travels with Charley. If one sees this
book as a fictionalized travel account, then it doesn’t come close to comparing
to On the Road. If one sees it as a
non-fiction description of Steinbeck’s travels as a self-styled bum (and I
really don’t think you can consider yourself one when you are that successful and
popular a writer!) then Jack London’s The
Road is miles above.
Or maybe it’s just that I’m
not that fond of dogs. Or that being married to a Latin American woman I’m
bothered by the sub-header “In Search of America” for something that is only
limited to the USA. Or even that I often found myself thinking how many of the
manly men that he encountered on his journey would have voted Trump.
