Reviews

Tristessa by Jack Kerouac, Aram Saroyan

dweisbrodt's review against another edition

4.0

I found this book surprisingly engrossing. I was at first thrown off by the stream of consciousness, but it became a good representation of an impaired person's experience. Jack's infatuation with Tristessa felt implicitly human in its extremity and futility, and a great representation of humanity and its struggle to deal with how illogical feelings can be.

danwhitch's review against another edition

dark reflective medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.25

“Art thou Masochist, lord, art thou Indian Giver, art thou Hater?”

misterdna's review against another edition

dark sad medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5

jazzylemon's review against another edition

5.0

Beat-ifically poetic.

micazowski's review against another edition

4.0

3.5/5
Not my style but the end got to me omg

chambermusic's review against another edition

5.0

good grief

dominicevans99's review against another edition

dark slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

2.5

marylandbibliophile's review against another edition

4.0

Have you ever been in love with someone while your love is not reciprocated by them? Yes? Now imagine that and the person you love is a heroin-addicted prostitute whose native tongue is not the same as yours. That brand of tragedy infests the 96 pages of Tristessa.

buddhafish's review against another edition

4.0

Better and more lyrical than the last Kerouac I read, his 'Satori in Paris'. A short novel about Kerouac in Mexico City, in love with a morphine addict called Tristessa. What a life he had. Some good, classic, Kerouac prose too. I have a library copy so I couldn't underline things so here's just one quote which I remembered from page 18.

'rosy golden angel of my days, and I can't touch her, wouldn't dare get up on a chair and trap in her corner and make her leery human teeth-grins trying to impress it to my bloodstained heart- her blood.'

wolfyboy91's review against another edition

2.0

Couldn't finish. Just didn't have the time or focus to read it. Kerouac is usually a hit or miss with me. He can draw me in with fantastic prose that strings you along with his unique writing style and the rest of the time he is just vomiting words from his mouth to the page. This was the latter.