54 pages • 1 hour read
Jacques PoulinA modern alternative to SparkNotes and CliffsNotes, SuperSummary offers high-quality Study Guides with detailed chapter summaries and analysis of major themes, characters, and more.
Volkswagen Blues, by Jacques Poulin, follows Jack Waterman, a French Canadian writer, and La Grande Sauterelle, a young woman of French and Native American descent, on a cross-continent journey from Quebec to San Francisco, searching for Jack’s missing brother. Their road trip becomes a broader exploration of self-discovery, cultural identity, and historical reflection, mirroring Quebec’s cultural and political struggles. The novel addresses the massacre of Indigenous peoples.
Jacques Poulin's Volkswagen Blues is widely praised for its lyrical prose and deep exploration of personal identity and American history. Reviewers commend the novel's richly drawn characters and evocative landscapes, though some find the pacing slow. Overall, the book's meditative charm and thoughtful narrative resonate deeply with readers.
A lover of road novels and profound human connections, readers who favor the introspective and character-driven narratives seen in John Steinbeck’s Travels with Charley or Jack Kerouac’s On the Road will enjoy Jacques Poulin’s Volkswagen Blues. They appreciate journeys that explore both geography and the human soul.
Education
French Literature
Canadian Literature
Education
Classical Period