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Liked It1 of 1 members found this review helpful “Haunting and harrowing self-examination by Kerouac of the dual demons of alcoholism and anxiety. Using the dramatic beauty of Big Sur, he searches for answers to his problems at the continental edge. He finds something at the end of his journey, but what that is depends on the reader's experiences.” see full review » see other reviews » |
Didn’t Like It “Probably one of the most depressing books I've ever read. I persevered with it and gave up about 10 pages from the end.” see full review » see other reviews » |
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“Ok, high school and college are behind me and I still have a huge literary crush on Kerouac-- so I'm going to assume that's because he is actually incredible and not because I am a mopey hippie.”
nohigher wrote this review Sunday, January 29, 2012. ( reply | permalink ) Was this review helpful? Yes | No“kaketa pow kek kek”
peter strand wrote this review Tuesday, January 24, 2012. ( reply | permalink ) Was this review helpful? Yes | No
“"What was beautiful and clean yesterday has irrationally and unaccountabley changed into a dreary crock of shit!"
Emma L wrote this review Sunday, January 15, 2012. ( reply | permalink ) Was this review helpful? Yes | No
"I am Breton I cry and the blackness speaks back 'les poissons de la mer parlent Brenton'"
"It's the little things that count (cliches are truisms and all truisms are true)"”“Probably one of the most depressing books I've ever read. I persevered with it and gave up about 10 pages from the end.”
Ro3406 wrote this review Saturday, November 19, 2011. ( reply | permalink ) Was this review helpful? Yes | No
“FAVOURITE QUOTE:
Rebecca E wrote this review Friday, September 23, 2011. ( reply | permalink ) Was this review helpful? Yes | No
"...the long dark grave of tomby talks under midnight kitchen bulbs."”
“An honest, true account of alcoholism. Remarkable that Jack could see himself and his problem, but was powerless. The books accounts of his ghosts, as well as the beautiful California wilderness are remarkable. His views on life, and the direction of America are equally haunting in that he saw much before it came.”
Derek T wrote this review Friday, August 26, 2011. ( reply | permalink ) Was this review helpful? Yes | No
“I would describe Kerouac’s style as rambling, stream-of-consciousness; his writing is poetry, and yet it is prose--dancing with the music of spontaneous expression, which is fitting for this apparently mostly autobiographical novel. But what he lacks in cohesiveness he compensates for with his sharp-eyed metaphorical descriptions. At first his writing is deeply revelatory as he observes nature, marveling about life and the universe, with only a tinge of skepticism. Then, as he continues to seek solace in alcohol, he becomes increasingly dark and brooding, haunted by his reflections on death. Finally, as he takes a turn for the worse (having depleted his store of alcohol and forced to sober up), he becomes nonsensical, paranoid and ultimately delusional. Drinking plays an enormous role in his life and in the lives of the other literary characters as they ride around together and enjoy a communal and abstract lifestyle, but it is Jack who drinks to excessiveness, making for a somewhat suspenseful psychological adventure. I would have given the book 5 stars if it had not ended so abruptly, with his mental state moving from one extreme to the other--insane and despairing to downright optimistic--within the last two pages. ”
Jamie wrote this review Monday, June 27, 2011. ( reply | permalink ) Was this review helpful? Yes | No
“Loved it so much. I went to Big Sur.”
Arthur wrote this review Friday, June 10, 2011. ( reply | permalink ) Was this review helpful? Yes | No
“I am a huge Jack Kerouac fan in the first place, so I went into this book knowing that I would love it. The story was great. Without an overbearing plotline, Kerouac manages to instill a privatized sense of himself in his cacophony of writing. It was a quick read, I found, since I couldn’t manage to put it down for long. I was engrossed by the story, curious to find out what happened next and eager to see how Kerouac would go on to describe his time in the scenic and lonely region of California. ”
Christine Csencsitz wrote this review Thursday, April 14, 2011. ( reply | permalink ) Was this review helpful? Yes | No“Details take flight and bring the texture of his life and consciousness as lived right to the surface, creating an immediacy that is moving and large. Good stuff from Kerouac. ”
Max Wolf Valerio wrote this review Thursday, April 7, 2011. ( reply | permalink ) Was this review helpful? Yes | No
