I've read Gravity's Rainbow twice -- the first time took me nearly a year, obviously in fits and starts punctuated by entire other books.
I think it's misleading to speak of its style in the singular; the style jumps around a lot. The first time I thought the first roughly 1/4 was a much harder slog than the rest. The second time it didn't seem so much different. So I don't know. But there certainly are tough passages to slog through, funny ones that are a breeze, sections where he discusses things I'd on the whole rather not think about, yadda yadda yadda. Worth reading? I thought so. In some ways I liked it better the second time... in some ways I liked it less. I probably won't give it a third read for quite some time if ever.
In any case, anyone who'd take up two pages of a novel with that story about DeMille and his young fur-henchmen can't be all bad. (BLAM! BLAM! BLAM! BLAM! BLAM! BLAM! BLAM! BLAM! BLAM! BLAM!)
Lot 49 is a fun read -- though apparently Pynchon himself thinks very little of it. Well, what does he know?
I've read V and Vineland but they didn't leave a big impression one way or the other. Somehow I missed even hearing about Mason and Dixon until now.
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Date: 2004-03-11 06:46 pm (UTC)I think it's misleading to speak of its style in the singular; the style jumps around a lot. The first time I thought the first roughly 1/4 was a much harder slog than the rest. The second time it didn't seem so much different. So I don't know. But there certainly are tough passages to slog through, funny ones that are a breeze, sections where he discusses things I'd on the whole rather not think about, yadda yadda yadda. Worth reading? I thought so. In some ways I liked it better the second time... in some ways I liked it less. I probably won't give it a third read for quite some time if ever.
In any case, anyone who'd take up two pages of a novel with that story about DeMille and his young fur-henchmen can't be all bad. (BLAM! BLAM! BLAM! BLAM! BLAM! BLAM! BLAM! BLAM! BLAM! BLAM!)
Lot 49 is a fun read -- though apparently Pynchon himself thinks very little of it. Well, what does he know?
I've read V and Vineland but they didn't leave a big impression one way or the other. Somehow I missed even hearing about Mason and Dixon until now.