The First Third by Neal Cassady Summary and Reviews
|
List Price: Our Price: $2.43 You Save: $13.52 (85%) Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days Category: Book See more book details and other editions |
|---|
Book Reviews of The First Third
Book Review: Neal was a man of action, not words.
Summary: 3 Stars
I have read beat literature for years and am completely fascinated with the culture and characters of the time. I've read Kerouac, Kesey, Wolfe, Ginsbug and was impressed with them all. When I finally scrounged up enough money to pick up this collection of Cassady's writings, I was very excited about what I expected to find. And then I started reading.Cassady had some great ideas, but his prose was forced and eclectic. He doesn't have any one writing style. Instead he jumps from style to style, sometimes as often as he breaks for paragraphs. It makes for some very frustrated reading at times. The other problem is with the editing of the novel. I'm not terribly concerned with grammar and punctuation, but several times a page there were editing mistakes. Whether this was a carryover from the original document or a mistake of the actual editor I can't say, but it again distracts one from the true thread of the book.
Overall, I would have to rate this collection fairly poorly, for its inconsistancy and lack of real purpose. I don't mean to demean from the legend that Neal Cassady was, but I simply believe that he was a man of action, not of words.
Book Review: The 1st 3rd
Summary: 4 Stars
This is a must read for any beat fan since its Neal Cassady in his own words. Good family background and thorough childhood description. The other writings were more interesting to me personally wanting to hear more about the second third. I dont know, this review [stinks].Book Review: The Holy Goof!
Summary: 3 Stars
Although I like Neal's letters (I wish that most of the infamous "Joan letter" was not lost) at the back better than the book itself, I believe it is still an important story in the BEAT Canon. Cassady was the energy behind two iconic books: On the Road and Electric Kool-Aid. He was a physical and mental marvel and that seemed to have a genuine kindness behind his madness. He never seemed able to escape his demons, however, and died too young. Still, his energy is still felt in some circles today and I have never met a fan of the BEAT Generation that wasn't a fan of Neal Cassady.Book Review: The Pen Was Just Too Slow For Neal Cassady
Summary: 2 Stars
A few chosen people are meant to be artists. Of the artists, there are painters: others sculptors, musicians, poets or writers. For some, like Neal Cassady, their medium was Being.
Although a muse for the likes of Ginsberg, Kerouac, and Ferlingetti, and in many ways the adrenaline to the Beat Generation, Cassady was not a writer. Writing wasn't Neal's gig. Perhaps the pen was too slow for him; the medium just couldn't convey his essence. Rather Neal was a live show. It seems cruel to find him trapped on paper - like watching a tiger at the zoo, the wild drained off through those all confining bars.
The first few chapters of The First Third are slow and seem forced. However, the vibe changes drastically once Neal's family tree is throughly discussed. It's as if Cassady has quit the pretentious wordplay and dictated thoughts to paper, which give the remainder of the book a much more genuine feel.
The most enlightening segment of the book is the select correspondence between Neal, Jack Kerouac, Ken Kesey and others. It provides an insight into Neal that is raw, unedited and seems a much more accurate description than Cassady's own attempt at biography.
Book Review: The inspiration
Summary: 5 Stars
Absolutely wonderful piece of writing. If only Cassady had had the time (there was never enough) to write more than this snatch of autobiography...