• 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 (4,354 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: 30+ Quotes About Creativity to Inspire Your Process


No matter what field you’re in—be it art, writing, science, tech, or sales—coming up with creative ideas can be frustrating. But here’s the reassuring truth: every single creative has struggled with the same fears. Fortunately, many have documented their experiences, leaving us the words we need to hear when we really feel stuck. We’ve compiled this handy list of creativity quotes from people in all different fields to help guide and inspire you.

What listeners say about On the Road

Average customer ratings
Overall
  • 4 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    2,165
  • 4 Stars
    1,044
  • 3 Stars
    666
  • 2 Stars
    288
  • 1 Stars
    191
Performance
  • 4.5 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    2,647
  • 4 Stars
    652
  • 3 Stars
    253
  • 2 Stars
    88
  • 1 Stars
    69
Story
  • 4 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    1,761
  • 4 Stars
    793
  • 3 Stars
    630
  • 2 Stars
    291
  • 1 Stars
    228

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

Sort by:
Filter by:
  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars

My Favorite Narration and a Wonderful Book

I estimate I've listened to over a hundred audio books so far. When I try to convince people that they should check out audio books, I always pick this "On the Road" by Jack Kerouac narrated by Will Patton as the first thing they should hear.

There are many books that I am so glad to have heard (the Hyperion series, the Enders Game series, even Atlas Shrugged and of course Armor).

But I don't think I could hear in my head any book as well from paper as Will Patton reads this one out loud. He's poetical, exhuberant, exciting, and makes this whismical and joyous appreciation of life become contagious.

On the road reminds me that there's so much to appreciate in every little thing, and Will Patton is that extra boost to make this great book the best.

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

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

122 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars

Remarkable Characterization

This text has obviously stood the test of time, ushering in the groovy mindset of the 60's. Mr. Kerouac certainly sets the tone for a decade. A fine book.

However, my main praise is reserved for the narrator, Will Patton. He gives a voice, and a whole 3 dimensional characterization of the unstoppable, wild, yet lovable Dean Moriarity. An unforgettable job. Worth a listen just to admire Will do his job with this "rat".

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

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

53 people found this helpful

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

Not What I Expected

For me, Will Patton's performance was the saving grace for this audiobook, this was not what I expected. I'd never read On The Road, but had preconceptions that the book would be filled with Beat-philosophy (whatever that would be), and romanticism of the open road. Maybe that's what I got, but I just didn't like what it all turned out to be?

Now, who am I to say what's good and what's bad from a literary point of view? This was my first exposure to Kerouac, and I found his writing style to be an energetic randomness of pointless wandering. For me, there were moments of greatness, but they were few and far between, and the entire story felt like the original "[story] about nothing".

I'm glad I "read" it, and Patton's performance was probably the BEST of any audiobook, but I feel like it's something I've checked off a list. Done and done.

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

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

37 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    2 out of 5 stars

Should have bought a different version

I like Kerouac. I like On the Road. I love audiobooks. And I was very disappointed with this one. The narration, for me, is way too "acted", especially the main character/narrator, who is performed throughout the book in a sort of amazed half-whisper. When Kerouac writes for example "Dean lived in a shack with his wife", it sounds like "Dean lived in a _shack_ with _his_wife_!". Now read an entire book like this and you'll see what I mean. It is bearable, but just barely. To make sure I wasn't missing anything, I watched an old video of Kerouac himself reading from the book and he didn't sound like that.

Obviously, this is a matter of personal taste. But I wish I had bought the other version available here.

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

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

30 people found this helpful

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

A bible!

I have some friends who have decleared this book their bible, and I can see why. It really changes your view of the world.
Will Patton as a narrator is perfect for this novel. He reads it incredibly fast though, so strap up. But that is how this novel needs to be read, because the story takes place is such a pace.
A must-read and a definite five star book!

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

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

25 people found this helpful

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

Classic

What made the experience of listening to On the Road the most enjoyable?

This book is of course a classic. I read it once a long time ago and then recently went through the audiobook version. In parts where I struggled to stay completely engaged years back, the narrator keep you fully in the story here. He is simply amazing. His ability to change tones and tempos with the character bring a whole new life to them: It feels like he fully captures the mania and passion of good ol' Dean Moriarty. Quite possibly one of the best narrators I've ever heard.

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

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

20 people found this helpful

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

A trainwreck

This book already started pretty bad, so the only reason I finished it was because I could not believe it could continue being that bad and still have the reputation it has. I'm glad it was audiobook format, or I would not have managed it. Since I can't un-read it, I'll complain about it.

From what I understand, this is a memoir/journal of a character who travels places and does things with certain people. But the characters are all so painfully uninteresting I couldn't care less about any of them. They mostly drive through all of America, so the narrator sort of just names all the places they pass by, them having done absolutely nothing exciting in any of those places. And the main character, the narrator, isn't funny, isn't smart, isn't compassionate or anything else I could have maybe me amused by. He's actually a drunk misogynist jerk, and his friends are all jerks, but this book is trying to convey how ~coo~l they all are. It's kind of embarrassing.

Having there been nothing redeeming about the prose itself, I just feel really sorry I ever picked up this book.

About the audio version: it's finisheable, so the reader isn't half bad, I could't ever have finished this if I was reading it on paper, it was so terrible. So kudos to the reader.

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

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

18 people found this helpful

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

Terrible

I was excited to read this book but found it rambled on & on & never really had a storyline I could follow. I felt like it was a waste of my time.

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

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

15 people found this helpful

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

What a wild ride!

I first experienced the wonder of On the Road in 1969 and deemed it "far out" (along with just about everything else!). Listening to it these many moons and schools and experiences later I found it just as mind blowing as that first read. My great joy this time was listening to Will Patton's magical interpretation. His melodious, southern-tinged voice is perfect for the ra-ta-tat-tat rhythm of Kerouac's words, pulling me into Sal's world in a way my old 17 year-old brain couldn't possibly have understood. Thanks, Will. Beautifully done.

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

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

14 people found this helpful

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

Heard about this book

Since the book is 50+ years old, you hear different references about the book through your life...So I decided to read it.....It was great...Performance was awesome...I'm not sure how Sal stayed with his crazy buddy, but it made for some entertaining stories...I would put this on your "Read someday list"....

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

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

12 people found this helpful