In 1960, Steinbeck felt that he no longer intimately understood the country that he had been writing about for most of his life. Travels with Charley is his travelogue that came from his desire to see the country one last time before he died. It’s a rich perspective on America as only Steinbeck can tell it, as he travels via a camper named Rocinante and solely in the company of his delightful pet poodle, Charley. It’s a jewel of a travel essay and a snapshot of the US at the time of JFK/Nixon, all told in that cut-to-the-quick-beauty prose that he has.
–Elaine, Elliott Bay Book Company, Seattle, WA
Rediscover classics at Elliott Bay Book Company and other independent bookstores.
Yes, indeed. Read ‘Travels With Charley’ — and then ask your bookstore to order a copy of ‘Dogging Steinbeck’ to find out the truth about Steinbeck’s iconic road trip. (Hint: he didn’t travel alone, didn’t meet most of the Americans he said he did and didn’t put what he really thought about America and its people in ‘TWC.’)
Thank, Elaine. This is one of my favorite books. In a similar vein, I’m reading Twain’s Innocents Abroad right now. Another travel tale, not in America, but a ship trip to the holy land, it is witty, insightful and making me keep checking my globe for locations. I’m loving my vicarious travels with Markie!
I think I have a thing for travel memoirs. I also loved Blue Highways. Thanks, Bill – I had no idea there was a book that told “the rest of the story.”