Kerouac's first novel is a very conventional all-american story that seems very biographical. The story is very linear and epic, spanning a good portion of the Martin's lives. The story like life is funny,endearing, tragic and honest. The pace is undeniably slow, yet every word counts. Towards the end of the novel you hear glimpses of Kerouac's future writing style which is the biggest payoff of the novel, because where "The Town and the City" ends "On the Road" picks up seamlessly, together they form one amazing story that is truly unforgettable. ( )

The Town and the City by Jack Kerouac (1970)

I thoroughly enjoyed this epic story of the Martin's lives over the decades. I don't think I've ever read a book that has so inspired in me the will to jump on the next plane to America so I can have these experiences myself. It truly is the Great American Novel. The descriptions of characters and places are vividly portrayed and the story has all you could hope for in a great novel: it's moving, irritating, amusing, heart-breaking.

I had a little trouble identifying with any of the characters. Kerouac spends a large part of the beginning of the novel describing all of the characters in detail - so much detail that the personality traits he describes in his characters start becoming contradictory. And despite there being three daughters and a mother in the story, comparatively little time was spent discussing them and their lives compared to the father and sons. This irked me a little ('typical 1950s sexism', I thought), until I realised that this is largely an autobiographical account of Kerouac's early life. Kerouac has, in effect, split his own self into three of the sons: Peter, Jim and Francis. Maybe this is why I had trouble identifying with them.

This was Kerouac's first novel, and as such is written in a much more conventional manner than his later works. However, you can start to see his own unique style coming out in this book. It's very interesting to see. Very highly recommended. ( )