On the Road: 50th Anniversary Edition (Abridged) Audiobook, by Jack Kerouac Play Audiobook Sample

On the Road: 50th Anniversary Edition (Abridged) Audiobook

On the Road: 50th Anniversary Edition (Abridged) Audiobook, by Jack Kerouac Play Audiobook Sample
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Read By: David Carradine Publisher: Penguin Audio Listen Time: at 1.0x Speed 1.67 hours at 1.5x Speed 1.25 hours at 2.0x Speed Release Date: September 2008 Format: Abridged Audiobook ISBN: 9781598877052

Quick Stats About this Audiobook

Total Audiobook Chapters:

7

Longest Chapter Length:

33:00 minutes

Shortest Chapter Length:

10 seconds

Average Chapter Length:

22:16 minutes

Audiobooks by this Author:

26

Other Audiobooks Written by Jack Kerouac: > View All...

Publisher Description

"The only people for me are the mad ones," wrote Jack Kerouac, "the ones who are mad to live, mad to talk, mad to be saved, desirous of everything at the same time, the ones who never yawn or say a commonplace thing, but burn, burn, burn like fabulous yellow roman candles exploding like spiders across the stars." On the Road is the classic story of two such characters: Sal Paradise and Dean Moriarty, who set off on an odyssey through 1950s underground America, fueled by jazz, sex, drugs, mystical philosophy, and a limitless passion for experience.

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"I liked this version of On the Road a lot better than the reprinted version. I love how raw this book is and I can imagine Kerouac telling it in his own voice. The only thing that was kind of annoying was how it's pretty much all one big, long paragraph. If I hadn't read it in a day or two, I had difficulty finding my place again. This is the greatest wanderlust book I've read and I do enjoy it a lot. Definitely worth a read."

— Terra (5 out of 5 stars)

Awards

  • One of Time Magazine's Best 100 English-Language Novels from 1923–2005

On the Road: 50th Anniversary Edition Listener Reviews

Overall Performance: 4 out of 54 out of 54 out of 54 out of 54 out of 5 (4.00)
5 Stars: 12
4 Stars: 5
3 Stars: 3
2 Stars: 0
1 Stars: 3
Narration: 0 out of 50 out of 50 out of 50 out of 50 out of 5 (0.00)
5 Stars: 0
4 Stars: 0
3 Stars: 0
2 Stars: 0
1 Stars: 0
Story: 0 out of 50 out of 50 out of 50 out of 50 out of 5 (0.00)
5 Stars: 0
4 Stars: 0
3 Stars: 0
2 Stars: 0
1 Stars: 0
Write a Review
  • Overall Performance: 1 out of 51 out of 51 out of 51 out of 51 out of 5

    " I had to stop reading this one part-way through... so sexist & overrated. "

    — Arjuna, 2/17/2014
  • Overall Performance: 3 out of 53 out of 53 out of 53 out of 53 out of 5

    " Made me want to pack some cheese sandwiches and jump in my minivan and drive across America. "

    — Amy, 2/9/2014
  • Overall Performance: 1 out of 51 out of 51 out of 51 out of 51 out of 5

    " Couldnt do it--had to end the trip before it finished. "

    — Teri, 2/8/2014
  • Overall Performance: 5 out of 55 out of 55 out of 55 out of 55 out of 5

    " i was given this book after high school graduation from my brothers friend russ. i read it over the course of 3 years each time i got on a plane to come home. this book kept me going to california when all i wanted to do was stay home. "

    — Chris, 1/22/2014
  • Overall Performance: 5 out of 55 out of 55 out of 55 out of 55 out of 5

    " On The Road is a great book! The original scroll adds a bit more energy, realism, and blatant rawness of their epic adventure. I also like that it uses my gramps real name (Neal). He was a crazy SOB for his time; well I guess they all were. "

    — Curtis, 1/10/2014
  • Overall Performance: 4 out of 54 out of 54 out of 54 out of 54 out of 5

    " I didn't actually read the original scroll, but a version of the book. I really enjoyed it, especially the way it was written, with such wonderful language. I also really loved the free-spiritedness of it all :) "

    — Julia, 1/10/2014
  • Overall Performance: 5 out of 55 out of 55 out of 55 out of 55 out of 5

    " I've read this a million times. Each is clearer and truer than the last. "

    — Zachery, 12/25/2013
  • Overall Performance: 5 out of 55 out of 55 out of 55 out of 55 out of 5

    " One of my favorite books--so much here, a raw portrait of American culture painted in vivid, relentless prose that Kerouac is best at. "

    — Andrew, 12/24/2013
  • Overall Performance: 3 out of 53 out of 53 out of 53 out of 53 out of 5

    " A good book but the scroll version makes reading a chore and I am reminded of why editors are necessary. "

    — Jessica, 12/24/2013
  • Overall Performance: 4 out of 54 out of 54 out of 54 out of 54 out of 5

    " I liked it because of the sense of time and place (the 60s in America) and while not having any chapters (there are I think 4 "books" but it's all one long narrative) makes it difficult to put down, it makes you feel like you're there, watching it all happen. "

    — Chris, 12/5/2013
  • Overall Performance: 5 out of 55 out of 55 out of 55 out of 55 out of 5

    " Finally - "On the Road" as it was truly written. "

    — Sara, 9/27/2013
  • Overall Performance: 5 out of 55 out of 55 out of 55 out of 55 out of 5

    " Gone and gorgeous. I'm grateful to have picked up the original scroll by accident--I feel confident that I had a better time than my literature classmates, who were bound to the original. A thrilling ride that combines staccato pulsations with truth and vim. Much was gleaned. "

    — Alexandra, 9/12/2013
  • Overall Performance: 5 out of 55 out of 55 out of 55 out of 55 out of 5

    " I haven't read the edited version, but I can't imagine how it could be an improvement over this one. The typos and run-ons, total lack of paragraph breaks, and rampant profanity and sexuality all feel like integral parts of the narrative. "

    — Louis, 3/25/2013
  • Overall Performance: 5 out of 55 out of 55 out of 55 out of 55 out of 5

    " actually like the scroll version better. hard to find a stopping point though. "

    — Ty, 10/6/2012
  • Overall Performance: 4 out of 54 out of 54 out of 54 out of 54 out of 5

    " it was AMAZING!!!!!! I loved the honesty and the freedom of it ! <3 "

    — Zohra, 1/25/2012
  • Overall Performance: 5 out of 55 out of 55 out of 55 out of 55 out of 5

    " Fraught with eminent peril ........ And mad ! "

    — G, 1/23/2012
  • Overall Performance: 5 out of 55 out of 55 out of 55 out of 55 out of 5

    " This is not for the faint of heart. This is a challenging read that will give you what you put into it. The story of the Scroll is legendary and to be able to read it in its most pure and Holy form is amazing. "

    — Eric, 11/21/2011
  • Overall Performance: 4 out of 54 out of 54 out of 54 out of 54 out of 5

    " Interesting historical perspective. What a tragic waste of life. That Kerouac died an untimely and senseless death comes as no surprise after reading this book. "

    — Thomas, 5/29/2011
  • Overall Performance: 4 out of 54 out of 54 out of 54 out of 54 out of 5

    " I didn't finish this book twice. Three times the charm. I still know what I didn't like about it before, but that doesn't stop me from loving it now... "

    — Ronni, 5/23/2011
  • Overall Performance: 5 out of 55 out of 55 out of 55 out of 55 out of 5

    " My favorite book of all time "

    — Chris, 5/23/2011
  • Overall Performance: 5 out of 55 out of 55 out of 55 out of 55 out of 5

    " a life changing book if you read it when you're young.I read it when I was 17 but when I tried to reread it in my forties it was hugely disappointing "

    — Simon, 5/23/2011
  • Overall Performance: 1 out of 51 out of 51 out of 51 out of 51 out of 5

    " i could not get into this book. i tried, but i ended up putting it down half way through. "

    — Anna, 5/22/2011
  • Overall Performance: 3 out of 53 out of 53 out of 53 out of 53 out of 5

    " A sympathetic look at members of the beat generation. "

    — Thadd, 5/17/2011

About Jack Kerouac

Jack Kerouac (1922–1969) was an American novelist and poet who influenced generations of writers. He is recognized for his style of spontaneous prose and for being a pioneer of the Beat Generation. His first novel appeared in 1950, but it was On the Road, published in 1957, that epitomized the beat philosophy to the world. This novel created a sensation by chronicling a spontaneous and wandering way of life in a style that seemed founded both on jazz and on drug-induced visions. Born in Lowell, Massachusetts, he attended local Catholic schools and eventually Columbia University. He published eighteen novels and several collections of his poetry.