This novel was a bit of a mixed bag for me.

On one hand, I was truly impressed by the incredible skill of prose that Kerouac employs. His writing is truly wonderful, with a certain charm and fluidity that draws the reader in.

However, on the other hand, there were aspects of the story that didn't quite work for me. While I loved the scenes when the family was together, there were often long stretches of moments that seemed to go on and on with very little meaning or significance to the overall story.

Given the relatively economical nature of the story, it felt like it could have benefited from a bit more tightening and pruning. Some of those extraneous moments could have been cut or condensed to make the narrative more focused and engaging.

Overall, while there were elements of this novel that I really enjoyed, there were also areas where I felt it could have been improved.

Kerouac's tragically beautiful tribute to young death - to souls departed too soon from this unforgiving world - Visions of Gerard offers a profound and poignant glimpse into the sadness that lies hidden behind his words.

In this work, Kerouac's writing becomes a powerful medium through which he channels his grief and longing for those who have passed away. The book is filled with vivid descriptions and emotional expressions that tug at the heartstrings of the reader.

Kerouac's ability to capture the essence of loss and the transience of life is truly remarkable. He takes us on a journey through his own experiences and emotions, allowing us to share in his pain and, perhaps, find some solace in the knowledge that we are not alone in our grief.

Visions of Gerard is not just a book about death; it is a celebration of life and a reminder of the importance of cherishing every moment we have. It is a testament to Kerouac's talent as a writer and his ability to touch the hearts of readers with his words.

Like other authors in the mid-20th century, Kerouac's books often faced a delay in publication. Years would pass between the time he wrote them and when they finally hit the shelves.

Take "On the Road" for example. Published in 1957, it catapulted him to fame. After that, his older works started to gain acceptance from publishers. Jack penned "Visions of Gerard" in 1956, yet it wasn't published until 1963.

For me, reading Kerouac is like embarking on a journey through a portal to a different world. His style is incredibly intense and distinctively his own. His world is a rich tapestry of memories, struggles, and dream states. I've come to realize that all of his fiction has an autobiographical element. I've read a sufficient number of his books to recognize his unique brand of stream-of-consciousness and feel at ease with it.

Gerard was his older brother, who passed away at the tender age of nine when Jack was just four. This was a life-defining event for Jack, who idolized his brother. Looking back, he views Gerard as an almost supernatural figure. I once read "A Death in the Family" by James Agee. Astonishingly, it was published just one year after Kerouac wrote "Visions of Gerard". In both books, a man reflects on his own experience of the death and funeral of a loved one from a child's perspective.

As Jack witnessed the rituals of death among the adults, he made sense of it as best he could. His writing, therefore, may be somewhat unreliable when it comes to memories. However, I found "Visions of Gerard" to be a powerful testament to memory, love, and the loss of innocence.

While this book is notorious for being rather unique within the Kerouac canon and standing out显著地 due to that, there are indeed those who do have an affinity for this book. As a dedicated Kerouac fan, it goes without saying that I've perused it a couple of times. However, to be completely honest, it fails to have a profound impact on me. The writing style feels, I suppose, not at all reminiscent of his later works. In fact, I have a genuine preference for quite a number of his other books.

Nonetheless, it remains an essential read for the die-hard Kerouac fan. But for casual readers? I would highly recommend avoiding it and definitely not starting with this particular volume. It's extremely challenging for me to rationalize awarding it even three stars. However, I'm inclined to give him the benefit of the doubt simply because I have a natural bias in his favor. At least I can admit to this with complete honesty! ;)

A moving Proustian novel

that evokes in a crystal beauty

Kerouac's memory of his tragically late brother.

This novel is a literary masterpiece that transports readers into a world of vivid emotions and profound reflections.

The author skillfully weaves together the themes of loss, nostalgia, and the power of memory, creating a narrative that is both captivating and deeply moving.

Through the use of rich and descriptive language, the novel brings to life the characters and settings, allowing readers to experience Kerouac's memories as if they were their own.

The crystal beauty of the prose adds an extra layer of elegance and sophistication to the story, making it a truly unforgettable reading experience.

Whether you are a fan of Proust or simply enjoy a well-written novel, this work is sure to touch your heart and leave a lasting impression.

I have an unwavering love for this remarkable book.

It offers a deeply sensitive and poignant depiction of childhood and the profound bond of brotherhood.

The author, Kerouac, is truly a master of his craft.

His words have the power to transport the reader into a world filled with the innocence, joys, and sorrows of youth.

The story unfolds with a delicacy that tugs at the heartstrings, making the reader feel as if they are right there, experiencing every moment alongside the characters.

Kerouac's ability to capture the essence of these themes and bring them to life on the page is nothing short of extraordinary.

It is a book that will stay with you long after you have turned the final page, leaving you with a sense of warmth and a newfound appreciation for the beauty and complexity of human relationships.

Whether you are a lover of literature or simply looking for a touching and engaging read, this book is sure to delight and inspire.

Kerouac's perspectives and recollections on the death of his brother Gerard are truly profound and moving. Gerard passed away in 1926 when he was just nine years old, and Jack was only four.

The way Kerouac describes this tragic event is both beautiful and disconcerting. His words paint a vivid picture of the emotions and experiences that accompanied this loss.

It is clear that Gerard's death had a significant impact on Kerouac's life and writing. This work stands as one of his best, as it delves deep into the human experience of grief and loss.

Through his writing, Kerouac allows us to share in his pain and understand the profound effect that such a loss can have on a person. It is a powerful reminder of the importance of cherishing our loved ones and the memories we create with them.

Overall, Kerouac's work on Gerard's death is a masterpiece that continues to touch the hearts and minds of readers today.

I originally read Visions of Gerard around 2009, towards the end of an early Kerouac reading spree. Among all the novels I read that year (Desolation Angels, The Dharma Bums, Lonesome Traveller, Tristessa, and Visions of Gerard), it probably left the smallest impression on me. However, since it was a favorite book of one of my close friends, I decided to revisit it.

I'm glad I did. Since 2009, I've learned a great deal about Kerouac's life and other works, mostly due to Gerald Nicosia's fantastically exhaustive biography, Memory Babe. Now, knowing more about Kerouac's own life story, especially the early tragic years surrounding his brother Gerard's death, it was much more poignant the second time around. Also, I was better prepared for Kerouac's stream-of-consciousness style, which is beautifully rendered in this short harrowing account of the Duluozes.

Pages 74-76 of the Penguin edition contain some of the most beautiful prose I've ever read anywhere. Those pages are truly stunning - Kerouac was on another plane when he wrote that section.

In this short novella, we can see that Kerouac has built upon the Buddhist philosophical discoveries and statements he laid down a year earlier in 1955 in Mexico City Blues, but here he extrapolates on them in prose format, a format in which he excels, although Mexico City Blues does have its amazing moments and is probably his strongest collection of poems.

Visions of Gerard, written in 1956 but not published until much later, is possibly Kerouac's best Buddhist-infused text in the whole Duluoz legend and Kerouac canon.

He really captures the mystical and tragic loss of innocence and paints us a portrait of sad nostalgia, a nostalgia for a family that once was. This is also very much a novel about his father, Leo, and how his father dealt (or failed to deal) with his own son's death. Not only that, Leo himself would go on to die when Kerouac was still young and at college, and the deaths of these two dear family members obviously left indelible scars in the heart and young mind of this budding writer, who would one day become a legend and the unheralded 'leader' of the beat movement.

While the story is sad (especially the last 20 pages), it is also beautiful as Kerouac captures the saintlike aspects of his younger brother, who is portrayed as a young St. Francis offering breadcrumbs to the birds outside his window, even though he knows that death is slowly creeping up on him.

This is one of Kerouac's best novels. The only two novels that might top this are Visions of Cody (the first part and last part) and the wonderful Doctor Sax. It's definitely worth a read.

I'll offer an apology in advance. This is rather a rambling and not very good review.

I truly liked this book. It's my very first Kerouac book. During the initial half of "Visions of Gerard", I made an attempt to stop reading it. I pondered why I was reading it and what I would gain from it. It was difficult to read and a bit depressing. However, I just couldn't put it aside. I think there was the thought of having to know how the story concluded. I also believe I wanted to finish the book simply for the sake of finishing. But then, there was the allure of Kerouac's writing style. I'm not certain what it would be termed - beat, stream of consciousness, or something else. It enhanced the emotion of the book as his long sentences contributed to building up the anxiety of the situations in the story.

As a Christian, I found the book to be sad. This is because I firmly believe that God permits bad things to occur for our good and not to punish us. Sometimes, when bad things happen, we have the feeling that God doesn't care about us. We might feel hopeless. Some of the characters in the book seemed to give in to the hopeless feelings. It seemed to me that the point of view from which the story is told (Jack's 4-year-old character) was somewhat beneficial in reading it. The innocence of Ti Jean appeared to add hope since he failed to understand the difficulty and the pain of what was taking place around him. He idolized his older, sickly brother and knew that Gerard's death signified the end of his suffering.

This book made me cry harder than anything else ever has.

From the very first page, I was completely drawn into the story. The characters were so vivid and real that I felt as if I knew them personally. Their joys and sorrows became my own, and I couldn't help but be moved by their experiences.

The author's writing was so powerful and emotional that it reached deep into my heart and touched a chord. I found myself crying at the most unexpected moments, as the story unfolded and the characters faced their greatest challenges.

Even now, long after I've finished reading the book, I still think about it often. It has left a lasting impression on me and will always be one of my favorite books. I would highly recommend it to anyone who is looking for a truly moving and unforgettable read.

The beginning novel in the ongoing Duluoz Legend offers a decent look into the brilliance that Kerouac would later attain. However, this glimpse arrives rather late.

Jack Kerouac's prose has a unique style. He is like a middle passage, a vessel constantly taking and giving. His state of reverie always emphasizes the prettiness of things, even if they are just pretty in their destruction. This constant observation and absorption leave little time to stay in one place, a trait that benefits his work.

Yet, "Visions of Gerard" suffers from the same traits that make some of his other work successful.

Capote's famous quote about Kerouac's work, "That's not writing, that's typing," is well-known among Kerouac fans and those who have delved even slightly into beat-culture. Maybe Capote read "Visions of Gerard." To think his comment was directed at the nomadic quest for beauty in "On the Road" or the exploration of indulgence in "Big Sur" is almost absurd. Despite the success of Kerouac's style in other works, "Visions of Gerard" is flaccid and plodding, going nowhere fast.

A strong finish comes too late in "Visions of Gerard." Only the last twenty or thirty pages are necessary to see what Kerouac was trying to achieve in starting the Duluoz legend: the loss of not a saint, but the idea of sainthood and its impact on Jack Duluoz/Sal Paradise/Jack Kerouac in the years to come.

Apart from a few good lines here and there, the pages before the end are nearly worthless. Kerouac spends too much time in one place, spinning his faux-poetic prose into nothing. The word-web of beauty that wasn't.

Ol' Jack can get boring and annoying in his struggle to type out his thoughts. For diehards, go ahead and read "Visions of Gerard." It goes quickly, and the last 20-30 pages have the sad wonder that only Kerouac can deliver. When he starts writing through his thoughts instead of typing them, he finally gives the reader a chance to see Gerard as the fallen angel he may have always been. Unfortunately, by the time Kerouac gets into his groove, the reader is already lost and uninterested, moving away from the same ordinary things that Kerouac rails against in his other works.

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