Skip to content
Scan a barcode
Scan
Added to your cart
Paperback Maggie Cassidy Book

ISBN: 0140179062

ISBN13: 9780140179064

Maggie Cassidy

(Part of the Duluoz Legend Series)

Select Format

Select Condition ThriftBooks Help Icon

Recommended

Format: Paperback

Condition: Good

$5.39
Save $16.61!
List Price $22.00
Only 6 Left

Book Overview

From the bard of the Beat Generation comes a profoundly moving, autobiographical novel of childhood and first love.

"A surprisingly simple and appealing tale of a young student's fumbling search for love among the high school set . . . at his best, Kerouac] can give you poetic visions of the commonplace."--The New York Times Book Review

"She'd cradle my broken head in her all-healing lap that beat like a heart; my eyes hot would feel the soothe fingertips of cool, the joy, the stroke and barely-touch, the feminine sweet loss bemused inward-biting far-thinking deep earth river-mad April caress . . ."

This touching novel of adolescent love and loss in a 1930s New England mill town is one of Kerouac's most poignant works. It tells the story of teenager Jack Duluoz, exploring his secret passions, his sporting prowess, and his first romance, with a beautiful Irish girl named Maggie Cassidy.

Originally written in 1953, Maggie Cassidy is a remarkable, bittersweet evocation of the awkwardness and joy of growing up in America.

Customer Reviews

6 customer ratings | 5 reviews

Rated 5 stars
Jack's Best Kept Secret

When Kerouac was good he was superb. This is young love in a glorious, mind-bending nutshell. Beautifully written and deeply felt. When I was much younger and had experienced my first brutal betrayal in life, this novel was my greatest comfort. Kerouac had uncanny vision into the human heart, and was capable of expressing the awful paradox of young love, the joy and pain of it, it terms that were never sentimental, and often...

0Report

Rated 5 stars
An Eternity Brunette Called Night

Kerouac had a real talent for capturing the dream of life in words. When I read his books the memories and images are almost palatable. He has the hypnotic effect that all writers dream about and aim for. The fact that he had to draw on his own life for inspiration is both his strength and his failing. Rather, it was a failing that he was able to turn into a strength. Early in his career Kerouac attempted to write normal...

0Report

Rated 5 stars
An overlooked kerouac gem

Whenever people talk of Kerouac, they're going to start talking about On the Road, The Dharma Bums or The Subterreaneans. You can't blame them, after all they are the best known of Kerouac's works, and they're all fine novels. Yet too often Kerouac's lesser works go unnoticed, such as Desolation Angels, Dr. Sax...and Maggie Cassidy. Out of all the Kerouac books I've read, I don't think one has ever made me feel so much,...

1Report

Rated 5 stars
beautiful maggie . . . poor dulouz

such a powerful tale of love. the story was constructed in retrospect with the purity of an artist, and in the end this purity amounted to common corruption. kerouac admitted to his weakness. brutal honesty . . . that is what gives "maggie cassidy" its power.

1Report

Rated 5 stars
a better portrayal of adolescence than Holden Caulfield

If you are a fan of Kerouac then this is a must. It is more lyrical and poetic than ON THE ROAD, yet not as difficult to read as Lonesome Traveller. I enjoyed the first person narrative and was keen to see the switch to third person in the closing chapter as J.D. leaves adolescence behind. Kerouac artfully captures the feelings that accompany a burgeoning love affair even if the characters are only 17. I would highly...

1Report

Copyright © 2025 Thriftbooks.com Terms of Use | Privacy Policy | Do Not Sell/Share My Personal Information | Cookie Policy | Cookie Preferences | Accessibility Statement
ThriftBooks ® and the ThriftBooks ® logo are registered trademarks of Thrift Books Global, LLC
GoDaddy Verified and Secured