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wordmaster's review against another edition
3.0
I find Burroughs to be the most serious of the holy trinity of Beat Generation authors. Kerouac was the frenzied energy, Ginsberg the sensitive soul, and Burroughs perhaps the darkest and least romanticizable among them. Junky, like most stories in the "drug lit" genre, starts out exciting and fun but quickly twists into a grim, fallen-from-grace story that sinks further and further down with every page.
Do yourself a favor: get the 1977 edition, the one with Allen Ginsberg's introduction but without the deleted material edited back in. It really helps to give a historical context for the text, a means of transporting yourself into the most receptive frame of mind for this literary curiosity.
3 stars out of 5. There is often a sort of beautiful poetry in the early sections of this voyeur's tale of a seedy underworld that's fascinating to hear of but terrifying to visit. But later on, maybe two-thirds through, it gives way to mostly journalistic writing, short "just the facts" sentences and descriptions as the plot grows repetitive.
(Read in 2017, the tenth book of my Alphabetical Reading Challenge)
Do yourself a favor: get the 1977 edition, the one with Allen Ginsberg's introduction but without the deleted material edited back in. It really helps to give a historical context for the text, a means of transporting yourself into the most receptive frame of mind for this literary curiosity.
3 stars out of 5. There is often a sort of beautiful poetry in the early sections of this voyeur's tale of a seedy underworld that's fascinating to hear of but terrifying to visit. But later on, maybe two-thirds through, it gives way to mostly journalistic writing, short "just the facts" sentences and descriptions as the plot grows repetitive.
(Read in 2017, the tenth book of my Alphabetical Reading Challenge)
marissakellett's review
challenging
dark
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Addiction
emmajolsson's review against another edition
5.0
Honestly don’t know why I’ve become such a WSB fan...but I have.
As with QUEER I don’t know what it was about JUNKY that brought me across the line from hate to love, but something did.
Was it the rawness? That he shows the—and his own—ugly sides and spares no details?
That it feels truer because it’s semi-autobiographical?
That sometimes you don’t know if it’s real or a metaphor or a junky hallucinating?
Or was it simply the language?
Probably all of the above.
It’s not a book that takes you on a swashbuckling adventure filled with magic and heroic characters, it’s more like reading an anthropologist’s tale from the inside.
I seriously get that WSB isn’t for everyone, but damn—give me more!!!
As with QUEER I don’t know what it was about JUNKY that brought me across the line from hate to love, but something did.
Was it the rawness? That he shows the—and his own—ugly sides and spares no details?
That it feels truer because it’s semi-autobiographical?
That sometimes you don’t know if it’s real or a metaphor or a junky hallucinating?
Or was it simply the language?
Probably all of the above.
It’s not a book that takes you on a swashbuckling adventure filled with magic and heroic characters, it’s more like reading an anthropologist’s tale from the inside.
I seriously get that WSB isn’t for everyone, but damn—give me more!!!
psychedelliou's review against another edition
5.0
After giving up on Exterminator, I was pleasantly surprised by this work of Burroughs. It was really informative about drugs in a way that didn’t romanticize them or feel like a “don’t do drugs” pamphlet from your school.
peripheralidiot's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
pxi's review against another edition
dark
informative
reflective
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
mayrad's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
informative
reflective
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
This was okay. I actually have to admit I confused William Burroughs with Augustus Burroughs. I thought this was quite informative and insightful. I learned so much about opiate addiction and I think everyone should have this level of knowledge. It's scary and really angers me that there are so many people enabling the problem. I will read other works by W. Burroughs, especially now that I know his style and can understand what I'm in for.
isabelroper's review against another edition
dark
informative
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25