Writing style
Conversational · Descriptive · Essayistic · Lyrical
Apple BooksBlue Highways
Travel
- First published
- 1981
- Print length
- 429 pagesBack Bay Books, 1999
Description
After separating from his wife and losing his teaching job, William Least Heat-Moon sets out on a three-month journey around the United States. He follows the “blue highways”—small rural roads printed in blue on period maps—and avoids cities and interstates during a 13,000-mile loop. In small towns, roadside cafes, workshops, and open country, he listens to residents describe their work, communities, histories, and ways of seeing the nation. Those conversations mingle with regional history and close observation of changing landscapes. The result is both a record of local American life and a personal search for direction, organized not around famous destinations but around the people and places that high-speed travel leaves at the margins.
Reading profile
About this profile
Collected’s assessment, not reader ratings. Complexity runs from 1 (least demanding) to 5 (most demanding).
- Writing
- How much attention the sentences and language require.
- Ideas
- How much interpretation or abstract reasoning the book asks of you.
- Structure
- How much you need to keep track of speakers, timelines and connections.
- Background knowledge
- Prior knowledge needed to follow the book, beyond what it explains.
- Emotional intensity
- Emotional pressure, from gentle (1) to intense (5). Separate from difficulty.
Pace
Measured
Tone
Intimate · Reflective · Warm · Wistful
Structure
Chronological nonfiction · Circular · Episodic
Focus
Atmosphere · Character · Voice
Emotional intensity
3 / 5
Reading complexity
1–5 · higher means more demanding- Writing
- 4 / 5
- Ideas
- 3 / 5
- Structure
- 2 / 5
- Background knowledge
- 1 / 5
Themes
Book details
For the print edition listed above.
- Publisher
- Back Bay Books
- Language
- English
- ISBN
- 9780316353298
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