Roads: Driving America's Great Highways Audiobook (Unabridged)

" Prevented myself, from any thought of careless, meandering travel via car in America----largely the victim of high gas prices---I turned to McMurtry to live vicariously through his words what I would love to be doing, just tooling down the interstates and backroads. Yet, it is really hard to call this a travel book, because really, it isn't. Yes, he logs a lot of miles and describes (quickly, and without much depth) the routes he chose to take, but they are really only framework upon which he drapes a memoir. He is not out exploring, but pondering. He reflects on bookselling and his heart surgery, on books (many of them travel) he has enjoyed, and tidbits on literary figures who happpend to have lived anywhere near where his car takes him. Many of the asides are very revealing. More often than not, it seems that McMurtry doesn't really like most of the cities or even many of the stretches of interstate. A westerner, he loves his huge sky and wide open spaces. I think one of the best chapters was dedicated to the long dirt road that connected his family farm to the nearest town. This is a quick, enjoyable read. "

" Very good, a nice intersection of history, memoir, and travel writing. "

" I can't really explain why I never finished reading this book. I read about half of it, and liked it. Somehow I just lost interest. "

" I love McMurtry's non-fiction. He's got such a great voice throughout the short book. He basically travels through interstate highways and such, talking about what he sees, authors fromthose states and any bit of information you can imagine. McMurtry makes you want to gas up the car and take off in search of the great highways. "

" remember route 2 out of spokane. "

" An unassuming and unpretentious account of driving around the country, with reflections on life, books, history, etc. Very wise. "

" A quick, enjoyable read as Larry McMurtry travels major highways around the country. Makes me want to check out some of the travel authors he talks about. "

" Desultory. The drives weren't challenging for him; the book isn't much of a challenge to the reader. It's always nice to hear the kind of background hum of McMurtry's gentle commentary, but his basic decency and sly humor don't make the endless driving particularly worth the trip... "

" I am a dyed-in-the-wool road trip kind of guy. This book inspired me to finish the last segment of I-35 that I had not driven (Duluth, Minnesota to Kansas City, MO). Once I retire, I will conquer more Interstates! "

" Road candy for road trip lovers. Written with McMurtry's customary easy excellence. "

" This book was enjoyable and such, but I fear that Mr. McMurtry never rolled his window down as he drove by the Salton Sea. That shit is STANKY. "

" a modern On the Road "

" Only McMurtry book I've ever read, but I liked it. Rather than a typical off the beaten path book, Larry cruises the 4-lane highways and reflects on them, and how they've affected our country. It's a quick read, and I recommend it to anyone who enjoys traveling. "

" I picked this up in the swap a book section of a hotel while traveling. I've always been fascinated by taking the back roads on a trip or pleasure drive. Larry provides entertaining, scholarly insight into the roads and towns he has traveled. "

" His writing is pretty good, the subject matter is mildly interesting. A bit too much which-author-lives-near-here stuff. A bit of autobiographical stuff that didn't fascinate me - I don't care much about Hollywood. "

" Why write a book about traveling if the author barely ever gets out of his car? At best he stops for hot-dogs at rest stops and doesn't seem to bother trying getting to know anyone in the places he visits. "

" I usually love travel essays, so I thought I'd really enjoy this book, but I skipped over a large section and didn't feel like I missed anything. His long travels have hardly any flavor of the local area. If you are looking for a travelogue of America, there are lots better options out there. "

" One of my favorite McMurtry books, more because I like the idea of driving and exploring than for his writing. I'm not sure if other people would like this book, though... "

" McMurtry drives to and fro on various interstate highways. Pointless. "

" This book was really easy to read, and made no bones about what it was. It was a straight forward account of Larry McMurty just drving Americas roads , not really about what was off of them. It flowed really well and I would reccomend it anyone who loves to drive. "

" Very good, a nice intersection of history, memoir, and travel writing. "

" I am a dyed-in-the-wool road trip kind of guy. This book inspired me to finish the last segment of I-35 that I had not driven (Duluth, Minnesota to Kansas City, MO). Once I retire, I will conquer more Interstates! "

" remember route 2 out of spokane. "

" I like travel books, but this one just could have been more expansive. "

" Only McMurtry book I've ever read, but I liked it. Rather than a typical off the beaten path book, Larry cruises the 4-lane highways and reflects on them, and how they've affected our country. It's a quick read, and I recommend it to anyone who enjoys traveling. "

" Road candy for road trip lovers. Written with McMurtry's customary easy excellence. "

" His writing is pretty good, the subject matter is mildly interesting. A bit too much which-author-lives-near-here stuff. A bit of autobiographical stuff that didn't fascinate me - I don't care much about Hollywood. "

" Why write a book about traveling if the author barely ever gets out of his car? At best he stops for hot-dogs at rest stops and doesn't seem to bother trying getting to know anyone in the places he visits. "

" Desultory. The drives weren't challenging for him; the book isn't much of a challenge to the reader. It's always nice to hear the kind of background hum of McMurtry's gentle commentary, but his basic decency and sly humor don't make the endless driving particularly worth the trip... "

" McMurtry drives to and fro on various interstate highways. Pointless. "