On the Road
On the Road by Jack Kerouacby Jack Kerouac
Ranked 13 of 122 novels by recommenders
Praised for its restless, jazz-like voice and its snapshot of postwar America, though many find the characters unlikable and the pace tedious.
Praised for its restless, jazz-like voice and its snapshot of postwar America, though many find the characters unlikable and the pace tedious.
25 people gave an opinion
- recommend it
- 14
- criticize it
- 11
- approval share
- 56%
Recommended in 4 of 13 months
- November 2025: recommended
- December 2025: not recommended
- January 2026: recommended
- February 2026: recommended
- March 2026: not recommended
- April 2026: not recommended
- May 2026: recommended
- June 2026: not recommended
- July 2026: not recommended
- August 2026: not recommended
- September 2026: not recommended
- October 2026: not recommended
- November 2026: not recommended (month in progress)
Why it doesn’t carry the badge
- 14 people recommend itNeeds 10 or more, met.
- 1.2 recommenders for every criticNeeds 2 to 1 or better, not met.
- Recommended in 4 of 13 monthsNeeds 4 or more, met.
The same three rules apply to every product, and the badge can’t be bought. How the badge works
What people say about it
The reasons people give, with the number of comments that give each one. Open a reason to read what they said.
Why people recommend it
Each mark is one comment
Distinctive voice and rhythm
“the way he wrote was pretty interesting from a linguistic point of view”
Comment from 2 Feb 2026 in “Jack Kerouac's 37 metre-long, first draft scroll of On the Road to be auctioned” “He perfectly captures all of the tone and characters and rhythm.”
Comment from 1 Feb 2026 in “Jack Kerouac's 37 metre-long, first draft scroll of On the Road to be auctioned” “Warm and convivial voice.”
Comment from 1 Feb 2026 in “Jack Kerouac's 37 metre-long, first draft scroll of On the Road to be auctioned” Restless, jazzlike mood and energy
“I was moved by the book - whether it's positive or negative doesn't really matter - it's jazz.”
Comment from 29 May 2026 in “What Gets Kept” “I appreciated the mood and the restlessness of it”
Comment from 27 May 2026 in “What Gets Kept” “comes to life as a wild and cacophonous daydream”
Comment from 2 Nov 2025 on Hacker News Lasting impression on readers
“I think the Road is actually best read once as a teenager, once at midlife.”
Comment from 2 Feb 2026 in “Jack Kerouac's 37 metre-long, first draft scroll of On the Road to be auctioned” “the impression they left on me is unforgettable”
Comment from 4 Jan 2026 in “The Great Gatsby is the most misunderstood novel” Snapshot of postwar America
“still probably the best gestalt depiction of the post-war America that was smack in the middle of transitioning”
Comment from 1 Feb 2026 in “Jack Kerouac's 37 metre-long, first draft scroll of On the Road to be auctioned” “On the Road is the American Odyssey.”
Comment from 1 Feb 2026 in “Jack Kerouac's 37 metre-long, first draft scroll of On the Road to be auctioned”
What people warn about
Each mark is one comment
Unlikable, self-absorbed characters
“their restless wandering is really a narcissistic chase—sex, jazz, drugs—to fill an inner void”
Comment from 4 Jan 2026 in “The Great Gatsby is the most misunderstood novel” “I found all the characters highly unlikeable and couldn't help to think that I much better friends”
Comment from 27 May 2026 in “What Gets Kept” “On the Road is a terrible book about terrible people.”
Comment from 27 May 2026 in “What Gets Kept” Slow and tedious to read
“I'm eighty or so pages in and waiting for the magic to happen.”
Comment from 27 May 2026 in “What Gets Kept” “how is this boring text so popular?!”
Comment from 21 Oct 2026 in “'I've applied for 300 jobs. My 25 years' experience is worthless'” “which I found utterly tedious”
Comment from 13 Jul 2026 in “Interrail: 6,379Km and 13 Countries over 7 weeks” Read out of obligation, abandoned
“Where you see outrage, I see frustration from forcing oneself to read something everyone told you was a must-read”
Comment from 27 May 2026 in “What Gets Kept” “poked around "On The Road" at the behest of some hipster acquaintances in college and didn't stick with it”
Comment from 1 Feb 2026 in “Jack Kerouac's 37 metre-long, first draft scroll of On the Road to be auctioned” Aged badly, niche to its era
“I feel like this book has aged badly, particularly the parts about encounters with very young girls.”
Comment from 1 Feb 2026 in “Jack Kerouac's 37 metre-long, first draft scroll of On the Road to be auctioned” “basically just documenting a special time and place in niche west coast history”
Comment from 1 Feb 2026 in “Jack Kerouac's 37 metre-long, first draft scroll of On the Road to be auctioned”
Other novels people recommend
The four most recommended other novels, with the same counts for each, so you can compare like for like. The tick on each bar marks the 2 to 1 line the badge needs.
| Product | Recommend | Criticize | Approval | Months | Owned | Badge |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crime and Punishmentby Fyodor Dostoevsky | 39 | 9 | 81% | 6 | — | Approved |
| The Brothers Karamazovby Fyodor Dostoevsky | 28 | 8 | 78% | 5 | — | Approved |
| Infinite Jestby David Foster Wallace | 26 | 5 | 84% | 9 | 10 yrs6 owners | Approved |
| The Great Gatsbyby F. Scott Fitzgerald | 24 | 9 | 73% | 6 | — | Approved |
| On the Roadby Jack KerouacThis page | 14 | 11 | 56% | 4 | — | — |
What people said
26 of the 29 comments that mention it, newest first. Each links to the original comment.
“how is this boring text so popular?!”
“which I found utterly tedious”
“I was moved by the book - whether it's positive or negative doesn't really matter - it's jazz.”
“Where you see outrage, I see frustration from forcing oneself to read something everyone told you was a must-read”
“I interestingly came to a pretty similar conclusion about Kerouac around the same time as this reviewer”
“I appreciated the mood and the restlessness of it”
“I'm eighty or so pages in and waiting for the magic to happen.”
“came to the same conclusion as this reviewer a few years later”
“I think people have misunderstood the appeal of the book”
“I found all the characters highly unlikeable and couldn't help to think that I much better friends”
“On the Road is a terrible book about terrible people.”
“I don't think I want to reread it.”
“I can't say Kerouac does much for me as a writer”
“the way he wrote was pretty interesting from a linguistic point of view”
“I think the Road is actually best read once as a teenager, once at midlife.”
“Warm and convivial voice.”
“I feel like this book has aged badly, particularly the parts about encounters with very young girls.”
“still probably the best gestalt depiction of the post-war America that was smack in the middle of transitioning”
“poked around "On The Road" at the behest of some hipster acquaintances in college and didn't stick with it”
“He perfectly captures all of the tone and characters and rhythm.”
“On the Road is the American Odyssey.”
“basically just documenting a special time and place in niche west coast history”
“should listen to Jack read it in his own voice”
“their restless wandering is really a narcissistic chase—sex, jazz, drugs—to fill an inner void”
“the impression they left on me is unforgettable”
“comes to life as a wild and cacophonous daydream”
Counts come from 1,795,640 Hacker News comments, November 2025 to November 2026. How we count. Report a mistake.