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jesstaurant's review against another edition
challenging
funny
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.5
waggeldoris's review against another edition
I was struggling to go on reading. Just not relatable
cavemanking's review against another edition
4.0
“He smiled, perhaps now trying to salvage whatever was going soundlessly smash, its net of invisible cracks propagating leisurely though the air between them. "Please don't be mad."”
You ever hear that one song by Italian musician Adriano Celentano which was designed to imitate what an American pop song sounds like to non-English speakers? That is what reading this book (and I imagine other works by Thomas Pynchon) feels like. You understand English and the book is written in English but something is off. As if your brain is realizing it’s just not getting it after a few sentences. Sentences don’t end the way you thought they would, certain words used feel unusually placed making you think they’re typos but are technically grammatically correct, locations and characters seem to appear and exit in between sentences, etc. I respect the hell out of this author for being able to understand literature on such a dense level that he’s able to go out of his way to methodically mangle the medium sentence by sentence, similar to Picasso using Cubism to attack traditionalism when he was fully capable of painting Leonardo da Vinci-esque works, but that doesn’t mean it’s an enjoyable read or even a comprehensible read. I’m not sure it’s meant to be either of those things so as an experiment it fully succeeds in challenging literary analysis but I don’t know how many other books in this style I’d be able to finish. I don’t see myself ever reading this again or really recommending it to anyone but I’m glad it exists. Someone else’s review on here of “this is the kind of book that makes people hate books” is not something I’d particularly argue with.
The song is called Prisencolinensinainciusol by the way. Genuinely catchy while being an extremely interesting insight into non-English speakers’ interpretations of songs we take for granted as being obvious
You ever hear that one song by Italian musician Adriano Celentano which was designed to imitate what an American pop song sounds like to non-English speakers? That is what reading this book (and I imagine other works by Thomas Pynchon) feels like. You understand English and the book is written in English but something is off. As if your brain is realizing it’s just not getting it after a few sentences. Sentences don’t end the way you thought they would, certain words used feel unusually placed making you think they’re typos but are technically grammatically correct, locations and characters seem to appear and exit in between sentences, etc. I respect the hell out of this author for being able to understand literature on such a dense level that he’s able to go out of his way to methodically mangle the medium sentence by sentence, similar to Picasso using Cubism to attack traditionalism when he was fully capable of painting Leonardo da Vinci-esque works, but that doesn’t mean it’s an enjoyable read or even a comprehensible read. I’m not sure it’s meant to be either of those things so as an experiment it fully succeeds in challenging literary analysis but I don’t know how many other books in this style I’d be able to finish. I don’t see myself ever reading this again or really recommending it to anyone but I’m glad it exists. Someone else’s review on here of “this is the kind of book that makes people hate books” is not something I’d particularly argue with.
The song is called Prisencolinensinainciusol by the way. Genuinely catchy while being an extremely interesting insight into non-English speakers’ interpretations of songs we take for granted as being obvious
leoberenson's review against another edition
mysterious
sad
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.25
outdoorminer's review against another edition
dark
funny
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
breakphonics's review against another edition
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
sonypainstation's review against another edition
5.0
In this age where we have access to a near infinite amount of information, Reality becomes whatever we want it to be. We decide what we want to be true, and then find the scraps of evidence we need to confirm it. Oedipa says: Shall I project a world? This put me in a bit of an existential dilemma about what is actually real about Reality. In that state, Pynchon felt like he understood the complexity of the post-modern world, and actually had something to say about how we can operate in it as individuals.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Homophobia and Racial slurs
Minor: Pedophilia
corteccia's review against another edition
funny
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
madfil's review against another edition
1.0
(19 July, 2012)
Could not suspend my disbelief for something as ludicrous as this. Also, I could not believe that Oedipa would leave everything behind to be the executor of an ex-boyfriend's will. Paranoia? Reality? Either way I did not, do not, and will not care. Even Maxwell's demon could not redeem this.
Solipsism at its worst.
Spoiler
Worldwide conspiracy regarding mail delivery... right.Spoiler
As gullible as she is stupid, a series of coincidences makes her believe there is an underground organization that will stop at nothing to control your mail - yep, you read that right, your mail!Solipsism at its worst.