I don't often start a book and not finish. The only one I can think of immediately is Grapes of Wrath which I have started three times, and have not made it past the first hundred pages.
I thought that I should read Jack Kerouac's On the Road, so when I saw the Library of America edition sitting in the new book area of the Library, I picked it up. I started reading it. It was quite a drag. It is billed as a novel, but with the first person narrative, and what appears to be a real story, I just don't get it. Late last year I read the memoirs of Jack's wife Edie Kerouac-Parker. It was not a bad read (even if not terribly well written). I had a very hard time with Jack's book.
This is often the case when making a first pass at Kerouac's work. My advice, stay with it. Once you have read several of his first person narratives it opens the true dimension and remarkable observations of his life. Big Sur is one of my favorites, so much so that I produced and directed a documentary about the book.
ReplyDeletehttp://www.kerouacfilms.com
Don't give up reading Kerouac.