Scan barcode
spiderman15's review against another edition
4.0
I would have rated this 5 stars as Kerouac's burgeoning skill, developing his mastery of 20th century American literature, is apparent in the title story. Unfortunately, most of the "other writings" aren't from his pen. Professor Tietchen apparently styles himself a "beat" as he interjects way too much saying very little. The letters from Leo to his son are of historical interest, better served in a letters anthology or other historical type work. But early Kerouac in "The Haunted Life" is worth the price of admission.
thisisjgfoster's review
emotional
informative
inspiring
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? N/A
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
tessjvl's review against another edition
reflective
relaxing
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.5
jim96's review
2.0
Given this is his first attempt at a novel, Kerouac's prose is unsurprisingly immature and uninspiring. He clearly has a lot of great ideas, but tends to tell us them all through over-written monologues rather than showing them to us via the actions of his characters - as he would so aptly come to master in his later novels. The writing does pick up in the final third, particularly with the introduction of Dick who is pleasantly reminiscent of Dean Moriarty, and it is around this point that Kerouac starts dwelling on more substantial themes like the transition from adolescence to adulthood and the uncertainties that accompany one's staring down the barrel of the gun (both metaphorically and literally, in this instance).
heybender's review
1.0
whenever an author's work enjoys renewed popularity several decades after their death, there always seems to be lost manuscripts that bubble to the surface. sometimes, these lost manuscripts provide great insight into the development of the author's style, and sometimes, these lost manuscripts are put out for the sole purpose of cashing in on the dead author's career revitalization. sadly, this book is the latter.
kerouac's writing here is very hacky and reads more like a high school freshman's writing assignment: big words are used simply to show off vocabulary, references to other authors are gratuitously inserted to show off how well read young kerouac was, plotting and character information is told explicitly rather than shown in a carefully crafted manner.
the actual manuscript only occupies about 70 pgs. of the books approximately 190 pgs. the rest of the book is stuffed with rambling notes and journal entries and letters that don't contribute much to the contextualization of the manuscript.
the introduction mentions that kerouac thought he had lost the haunted life manuscript. my guess is he actually realized how horrible it was; his literary reputation would have been better served by letting the haunted life remain buried.
kerouac's writing here is very hacky and reads more like a high school freshman's writing assignment: big words are used simply to show off vocabulary, references to other authors are gratuitously inserted to show off how well read young kerouac was, plotting and character information is told explicitly rather than shown in a carefully crafted manner.
the actual manuscript only occupies about 70 pgs. of the books approximately 190 pgs. the rest of the book is stuffed with rambling notes and journal entries and letters that don't contribute much to the contextualization of the manuscript.
the introduction mentions that kerouac thought he had lost the haunted life manuscript. my guess is he actually realized how horrible it was; his literary reputation would have been better served by letting the haunted life remain buried.
dandreamelissa's review
4.0
It was a good introspective on Jack's beginning as a writer, and I was glad to learn more about Leo Kerouac, Jack's Father. Like the title suggests, the stories in this book have a darkness to them, but I enjoyed it, as any Kerouac fan will.
jasonpacheco's review
4.0
Recently finished The Haunted Life and enjoyed it quite a bit.
A section from The Haunted Life Part 1 ...the cool swishing song of the trees: a music sweeter than anything else in the world, a music that can be seen-profusely green, leaf on leaf, atremble-and a music that can be smelled, clover fresh, somehow sharp, and supremely rich.
I found this book very interesting because it provides Kerouac fans with the missing novella that preceded Town and City and I really enjoyed the letters from Jack's father. Highly recommend this book to Kerouac fans.
A section from The Haunted Life Part 1 ...the cool swishing song of the trees: a music sweeter than anything else in the world, a music that can be seen-profusely green, leaf on leaf, atremble-and a music that can be smelled, clover fresh, somehow sharp, and supremely rich.
I found this book very interesting because it provides Kerouac fans with the missing novella that preceded Town and City and I really enjoyed the letters from Jack's father. Highly recommend this book to Kerouac fans.
laread's review
3.0
This posthumous release of a long-lost manuscript was satisfying to this reader who's read plenty of Beat writing. The story is sweet and allegorical to Jack's own life. I was disappointed to learn of some of his conclusions as written in his notes, such as his disdain for cities, for Burroughs, and for those who take direct action, indeed! (I think that the latter is noble when enacted out of compassion, not seeking self-punishment, as Kerouac suggests.) Anyway, it's a slice of life in America as affected by war times and family struggles and, bien sur, intellectual philosophizing.