Classics · Literary
On the Road
A young writer in post-war New York hits the road with his wild, magnetic friend. They crisscross America in borrowed cars and buses, chasing jazz, women and a feeling they cannot name.
- First published
- 1957
- Pace
- fast
- Length
- medium
- Format
- Standalone
Read this if you want a restless, breathless, jazz-inflected road novel that captures a particular era of youth.
Skip this if you want responsibility or plot, as the men use and discard many of those around them.
The feel
Content warnings
Where to get it
| Store | Price | Link |
|---|---|---|
| Borrow free | ||
| Libby / OverDrive | Free with a library card | Borrow free with Libby from Libby / OverDrive |
| Print, new | ||
| Bookshop.org | Check price | Buy new from Bookshop.org |
| Amazon | Check price | Buy new from Amazon |
| Barnes & Noble | Check price | Buy new from Barnes & Noble |
| Print, used | ||
| AbeBooks | Check price | Buy used from AbeBooks |
| ThriftBooks | Check price | Buy used from ThriftBooks |
| Ebook | ||
| Kobo | Check price | Buy ebook from Kobo |
| Google Play Books | Check price | Buy ebook from Google Play Books |
| Audiobook | ||
| Libro.fm | Check price | Buy audiobook from Libro.fm |
| Audible | Check price | Buy audiobook from Audible |
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If you loved On the Road
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The Lincoln Highway
A warmer, more tightly plotted road novel about a different group of young men in the same decade.
-
The Catcher in the Rye
Another classic of a restless young narrator who rejects the settled life, with a more bitter voice.
-
The Sun Also Rises
Also follows a circle of drifting friends who drink their way across places in search of meaning.
Classics
