A review by islandofgreen
On the Road by Jack Kerouac

Did not finish book. Stopped at 45%.
Definitely feel that this is a classic that hasn't aged well. I can see its appeal to some with the very descriptive and often beautiful prose, and can see how some people would connect with the main character in some ways - he's a self-proclaimed misfit and doesn't know what he wants to do with his life - he just wants freedom to do his own thing and see his friends. 

I, however, couldn't get into it. I found the writing dry and the pace of Sals' adventures to be too fast with too little meaning behind them. I just don't understand what the point or the message of this book was. Not only that, but I found the characters completely unappealing - not just in terms of their views (which were racist and sexist)  but also just the fact Dean is reckless and selfish and Sal just follows him around. 

Really I don't think I'm the target audience for this book as a woman - in the book people of my demographic were overly sexualised and objectified, which in reading made me feel very uncomfortable. 

On the topic of uncomfortable - the amount of paedophillic comments made in this book - something I could not get past and eventually made me put down this book before finishing it. 
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