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indierthanthou's review against another edition
4.0
May I suggest the Pynchon prix fixe? Conspiracy theories, bizarrely cheesy rock-and-roll songs, high concepts, and oddball names.
Pairs well with Lethem's Chronic City.
Pairs well with Lethem's Chronic City.
lukeandbooks's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.5
gadrake's review against another edition
Cover: Urban, technology, sparkly, black background
Mood: Seems Fast-paced
Back Cover: Mysterious Computer-Lined Tunnel
Setting: New York City Spring 2001
Subject: Fraud, Scams
Female Protagonist
No author photo, born 1937
Language: Sarcastic/Urban as in "yo" or "sucks"
Age appeal: 20s to 40s
Author's name in large print as he is a National Book Award winner
Pages: 477
Hardcover
Complex Plot, Detailed
Readalikes author: Neal Stephenson
Mood: Seems Fast-paced
Back Cover: Mysterious Computer-Lined Tunnel
Setting: New York City Spring 2001
Subject: Fraud, Scams
Female Protagonist
No author photo, born 1937
Language: Sarcastic/Urban as in "yo" or "sucks"
Age appeal: 20s to 40s
Author's name in large print as he is a National Book Award winner
Pages: 477
Hardcover
Complex Plot, Detailed
Readalikes author: Neal Stephenson
george_miller's review against another edition
1.0
Possibly the weakest Pynchon’s novel I’ve read, even worst than the hated (that I happened to love) Vineland.
motionless7's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
funny
lighthearted
mysterious
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
ericsmooth's review against another edition
4.0
“After a while not interested so much in where she might get to than the texture of the search itself” of course Pynchon himself would best put into words what’s so great about reading Pynchon
josephks's review against another edition
4.0
For recent Pynchon, really wonderful, though if his work is not a taste acquired, don't bother. I listened to it on CD, mostly in the car, and on the first day I was listening to it I laughed so hard that I rear-ended the car in front of me at a light. Really. So reading this book cost me hundreds but I did enjoy it anyway!
h2oetry's review against another edition
5.0
A very good book, one that will surely get better with age and rereads. Finished this a month and a half ago. Schoolwork's kept my reviews from being written completely. I will hopefully get around to finishing them.
mescalero_at_bat's review against another edition
4.0
went back to this one after not connecting the first time - the book really picks up mid-way, and i think, in my case, it just took a while to connect with the voice and the prose.
pynchon, as his readers know well, dives deep into the place and time he is writing about, and this particular chapter of new york isn't one i was deeply familiar with - i was also probably coming off a big AGAINST THE DAY high, and the prose here just felt hushed, repressed, stunted ...
but of course, that's what this novel needed, the compression one feels in new york city, being surrounded by so many people, it's easy to feel invisible, not there, not noticed. there's a good bit of keeping things under wrap in this book - especially the sections after THE BIG EVENT.
SPOILERS:
and but so, yeah, nyc after 9/11 ... like most of america, people seemed to just want to get back into whatever swing of things they were used to - and act like nothing ever happened. there was a war, of course, but on the soil of another country - a very dirty war that enabled most americans to keep their hands clean and keep most of the horrors at a distance. most americans like the idea of "justice" - whatever that means in this particular case - but don't like to get their hands dirty.
the internet seems like a perfect alter-ego for the story line. there is the surface web - where shopping and beautiful (cosmetically enhanced) images abound - and then there is the deep web, where the hackers and covert stuff is running the games that keep the surface reality in place.
this all fits so well together in BLEEDING EDGE - and on this second reading i really came to appreciate that. not my favorite pynchon, but damned good, i think.
pynchon, as his readers know well, dives deep into the place and time he is writing about, and this particular chapter of new york isn't one i was deeply familiar with - i was also probably coming off a big AGAINST THE DAY high, and the prose here just felt hushed, repressed, stunted ...
but of course, that's what this novel needed, the compression one feels in new york city, being surrounded by so many people, it's easy to feel invisible, not there, not noticed. there's a good bit of keeping things under wrap in this book - especially the sections after THE BIG EVENT.
SPOILERS:
and but so, yeah, nyc after 9/11 ... like most of america, people seemed to just want to get back into whatever swing of things they were used to - and act like nothing ever happened. there was a war, of course, but on the soil of another country - a very dirty war that enabled most americans to keep their hands clean and keep most of the horrors at a distance. most americans like the idea of "justice" - whatever that means in this particular case - but don't like to get their hands dirty.
the internet seems like a perfect alter-ego for the story line. there is the surface web - where shopping and beautiful (cosmetically enhanced) images abound - and then there is the deep web, where the hackers and covert stuff is running the games that keep the surface reality in place.
this all fits so well together in BLEEDING EDGE - and on this second reading i really came to appreciate that. not my favorite pynchon, but damned good, i think.