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61dccain's review against another edition
5.0
William Gaddis made his own rules to write by and when he relaxes the rules, the brilliance is clear.
seanwatson's review against another edition
not as lofty as the recognitions, not as comic as j r, carpenter's gothic is still gaddis with his teeth bared. as i was reading it over the past week i was reminded of cassavetes' love streams, an incredible film that takes place almost entirely within a single house and where the characters' inability to communicate ultimately spells their doom. virtually all the exposition in this book is in the dialogue, which is occasionally given substance by gaddis' beautiful descriptions of physical action and landscape, and we discern the plot through single sides of telephone conversations, violent arguments, stuttering speech, knocks at the door, the radio, and magazine articles recited aloud. as with the sheer accumulation of noise in j r the experience of reading this book can be overwhelming, especially for the first hundred or so pages, but every seed that gaddis sows is ultimately reaped. carpenter's gothic is apparently considered minor gaddis, but i loved it for its rage towards american commodification and artifice, and for its faith that there may still be the possibility of balance in the universe. great book.
va87's review
challenging
funny
reflective
tense
medium-paced
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
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