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...
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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...
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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,...
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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.
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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...
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