• On the Road

  • 50th Anniversary Edition
  • By: Jack Kerouac
  • Narrated by: Will Patton
  • Length: 11 hrs and 8 mins
  • 4.1 out of 5 stars (4,377 ratings)

Prime logo Prime members: New to Audible?
Get 2 free audiobooks during trial.
Pick 1 audiobook a month from our unmatched collection.
Listen all you want to thousands of included audiobooks, Originals, and podcasts.
Access exclusive sales and deals.
Premium Plus auto-renews for $14.95/mo after 30 days. Cancel anytime.
On the Road  By  cover art

On the Road

By: Jack Kerouac
Narrated by: Will Patton
Try for $0.00

$14.95/month after 30 days. Cancel anytime.

Buy for $20.25

Buy for $20.25

Pay using card ending in
By confirming your purchase, you agree to Audible's Conditions of Use and Amazon's Privacy Notice. Taxes where applicable.

Publisher's summary

Few novels have had as profound an impact on American culture as On the Road. Pulsating with the rhythms of 1950s underground America, jazz, sex, illicit drugs, and the mystery and promise of the open road, Kerouac’s classic novel of freedom and longing defined what it meant to be “beat” and has inspired generations of writers, musicians, artists, poets, and seekers who cite their discovery of the book as the event that “set them free”. Based on Kerouac’s adventures with Neal Cassady, On the Road tells the story of two friends whose four cross-country road trips are a quest for meaning and true experience. Written with a mixture of sad-eyed naïveté and wild abandon, and imbued with Kerouac’s love of America, his compassion for humanity, and his sense of language as jazz, On the Road is the quintessential American vision of freedom and hope, a book that changed American literature and changed anyone who has ever picked it up. This edition commemorates the fiftieth anniversary of the first publication of the novel in 1957 and will be a must-have for any literature lover.

©1955, 1957 John Sampas, Literary Representative, the Estate of Stella Sampas Kerouac (P)2007 Penguin Audio, a member of Penguin Group (USA) Inc.

Featured Article: The top 100 classics of all time


Before we whipped out our old high school syllabi and dug deep into our libraries to start selecting contenders for this list, we first had to answer the question, "How do we define a classic?" The answer isn’t as straightforward as you might guess, though there’s a lot to be said for the old adage, "You know it when you see it" (or, in this case, hear it). Of course, most critically, each of our picks had to be fabulous in audio. So dust off your aspirational listening list—we have some amazing additions you don’t want to miss.

What listeners say about On the Road

Average customer ratings
Overall
  • 4 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    2,178
  • 4 Stars
    1,050
  • 3 Stars
    668
  • 2 Stars
    290
  • 1 Stars
    191
Performance
  • 4.5 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    2,663
  • 4 Stars
    653
  • 3 Stars
    254
  • 2 Stars
    89
  • 1 Stars
    69
Story
  • 4 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    1,772
  • 4 Stars
    798
  • 3 Stars
    632
  • 2 Stars
    291
  • 1 Stars
    229

Reviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.

Sort by:
Filter by:
  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    4 out of 5 stars

On the Road Again

Along with Ginsberg's length poem, Howl, On the Road defines the literature of the Beat Generation. Discussing this book with my friends, we came to realize that our relative appreciation for the book depended on when we first encountered it. Those who came to the book at a younger age were more enthusiastic than those who came later to the book. The qualities of Kerouac's writing are well-known, but I think that the crazed aspect of Beat literature overlooks some beautiful prose that describes the American landscape. In particular, as a native New Orleanian who grew up in Algiers, I found the description of Algiers and New Orleans as some of the more beautiful writing of the 20th century. But all of the beautiful descriptions get overwhelmed by Dean Moriarity, haunting the text with his incessant "Yeah" and "Dig that."

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

1 person found this helpful

  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    4 out of 5 stars

Education for the Beat Generation

Oddly urban and a great story to read before your 30. If you have never taken a road trip like these you owe it to yourself to listen\read this book and to take an adventure all your our.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

1 person found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

What a blast I had ..

This is an amazing audio book . Will did honor to this classic favorite of mine. Ah the voices , the accent the read. If I had to choose my best audio book, this is the one.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Soul-felt performance depicting a tremendous time!


This is the once-in-a-blue-moon symphonic charge of delights to be heart and captured in the mind's eye and heart's memory -- truly, an audio performance worthy of the simple, but perfect pitches and haunting cadences that so bedazzle Kerouac's literary stab into America's heart!

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Wow!

I vaguely remember reading this book in school, but it made no impact. I decided to listen to this reading mainly because I love Will Patton. I am so glad I did. This is a work of genuis, the quintessential American novel. Searching always searching for what lies ahead. Patton's performance is brilliant. He breaths life into the prose. One of the best audiobooks I have ever heard.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Great classic


Really enjoyed the performance by the reader. He caught the essence of the book. I would highly recommend it to anyone

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Incredible book.

Magnificent reminder that in order to find the truth in most situations, one must become a madman.

Disassociate with all that you’ve picked up associetal norms and as propriety. The constant search for “it“

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

My favorite Audible performance hands down!

I listen to dozens and dozens of audiobooks and Will Patton's performance here is the best I've heard. Kerouac's writing style feels like it is meant to be read conversationally and Patton nails it. I also have the original scroll version audiobook and the performance pales in comparison. Only get it if you need it for scholarly pursuits.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Will Patton has done it again!

Wonderful story, but it really might depend on where you are in your life's journey. I can see where it doesn't speak to some folks, or wanderlust might not be for everyone.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Excellent narration of an even more excellent book.

This is the best book I've ever read. Beyond that, the narration on this audiobook is the best I've ever heard. This is a must listen.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!