Travels with Charley in Search of America

By: John Steinbeck

Narrated by: Gary Sinise

Length: 7 hrs and 58 mins

Publisher's summary

A stunning evocation of America on the eve of a tumultuous decade—and a moving elegy for more innocent times.

In September 1960, John Steinbeck and his poodle, Charley, embarked on a journey across America, from small towns to growing cities to glorious wilderness oases. Travels with Charley is animated by Steinbeck’s attention to the specific details of the natural world and his sense of how the lives of people are intimately connected to the rhythms of nature—to weather, geography, the cycles of the seasons. His keen ear for the transactions among people is evident, too, as he records the interests and obsessions that preoccupy the Americans he encounters along the way.

©1962 John Steinbeck (P)2011 Penguin

Critic reviews

"Pure delight, a pungent potpourri of places and people interspersed with bittersweet essays on everything from the emotional difficulties of growing old to the reasons why giant sequoias arouse such awe." (The New York Times Book Review)

"Profound, sympathetic, often angry...an honest moving book by one of our great writers." (The San Francisco Examiner)

"This is superior Steinbeck - a muscular, evocative report of a journey of rediscovery." (John Barkham, Saturday Review Syndicate)

The Well-Traveled Dog

Would you consider the audio edition of Travels with Charley in Search of America to be better than the print version?

Since I had no idea John Steinbeck had even written a book about a dog, I have no print version to reference. I will say, though, that I am a total fan of audio books, and I would highly recommend this audio version.

Travels with Charlie in Search of America

John Steinbeck wrote some wonderful passages in this story and Gary Sinise not only read them within their true meaning but was incredibly believable as the man and his dog. I recommend this book and the Audible to as many people who maybe have read the book in the past and would like to hear it “played out” by this consummate actor. I can’t imagine anyone reading this but by the incredible talent of Gary Sinise. I’m looking forward to another read by Mr. Sinise.

beautiful!

beautiful story. Stands up to current times. shows that although we have come far, we still fight, discuss and dream the same. Gary Sinise is amazing at sharing this story 👏

Some things never change...

Humanity continues to swim in a river of life, much like the Mississippi, it changes but remains the same.

Timely, even decades after Mr Steinbeck authored “Travels with Charley”

The closing chapters are immediately relevant to our situation today.

Great travel story. Keen insights into the American psyche.

Well produced and presented.

Interesting, funny & even disturbing!

John Steinbeck made this chronicle of his journey across the U. S. in 1960. He hoped to discover or idenrify the soul of America. What he found in 1960 he would find today--apathy, political indifference, ignorance, FEAR & RACISM!!. There are more trailer courts, more traffic, more potholes, more whites "dying of whiteness," more migrants, more "grapes of wrath," more "silent majority," yes more but the soil of America hasn't changed much.

Sone of his experiences are pathetically funny while orhers are very disturbing. His encounters in the South were scarey but except for his being a Northerner, his white skin saved him. The narrator was excellent with all the dialecrs nuances and accents even his pronunciation of the "n------ word. The most pofound wisdom in the entire book is this: "We are clever enough to split the atom, but not clever enough to live in peace with ourselves." And so the search for the soul of America still goes on.

Time capsule

I really liked how Mr Steinbeck gave a picture of America in the 60’s. It’s important to see where we came from even if some things were difficult to confront, like race. Mr Sinise is an excellent narrator too.

As good as I remembered!

Just finished this wonderful book and enjoyed it again with my 93 year old mother!

Ride Along with John Steinbeck

What made the experience of listening to Travels with Charley in Search of America the most enjoyable?

Hearing descriptive writing of the characters Steinbeck encounters.

What did you like best about this story?

Easy-going style

Which character – as performed by Gary Sinise – was your favorite?

Charley, the poodle

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

No

Any additional comments?

I was hoping for more detail about American life in the sixties. Steinbeck does touch on aspects of this time, but I was hoping for more. It is a straight account of Steinbeck's trek across the country, and it is good, but it's not a story story as you may expect. It goes a little long about Charley, Steinbeck's poodle, however, it is certainly worth a listen. For me, the ending is hilarious, and I found myself laughing about it several times for weeks after my listen. (I won't say here though!)

Take your time with this one.

All I can say is savor this book. Read it slowly. I will take you on a great adventure with charley.