Town & the City

This book is quintessential Kerouac. As his first work it exudes his desire to express the transitory nature and deep misgivings of the beat generation. Although overwhelming at times the reader does become invested in the multitude of characters that Kerouac introduces to us immediately within the book, all from the same family. Their growth, struggles, and eventual degeneration as...more

This book is quintessential Kerouac. As his first work it exudes his desire to express the transitory nature and deep misgivings of the beat generation. Although overwhelming at times the reader does become invested in the multitude of characters that Kerouac introduces to us immediately within the book, all from the same family. Their growth, struggles, and eventual degeneration as individuals and as a family touches on a true issue that is faced by most families in modern times. Overall, I enjoyed reading the novel; however, my frustration with Kerouac's ending of the novel is similar to my frustration of the ending of his most famous novel, On the Road. I find the ending trite, lacking real closure, and adrift, which, I realize, is what Kerouac wanted... but I always crave the fairy tale ending.   hide

Pretty good read