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3.88 AVERAGE
3.88 AVERAGE
I'm a slow reader in general, and especially slow when I'm not enjoying a book. So, make it over 800 pages and it will take me a while to get through it. With multiple story lines (I'll be generous) and different time periods, this book takes some work to read. DeLillo's writing always impresses me, but the overall structure of the novel just didn't work for me.
Picked up a used hard cover copy of this and it was beautifully set in the Electra typeface. It was the first used hardcover I’ve bought that was worn. Internally in portions you could see the pages come apart, probably from someone setting the book upside down for long periods of time. I envisioned a previous reader setting the book aside for weeks at a time due to life getting in the way of their reading adventure.
The book is simply amazing and the most coherent post-modern novel I’ve ever read, though the author apparently refers to this work as a response to post modernism. I would recommend it as the post-modern book to read if you’re going to read only one. It has the narrative structure of a post-modern novel without frivolously difficult vocabulary. This makes it a very accessible novel to read.
The book is not too long. It’s just right.
The book is simply amazing and the most coherent post-modern novel I’ve ever read, though the author apparently refers to this work as a response to post modernism. I would recommend it as the post-modern book to read if you’re going to read only one. It has the narrative structure of a post-modern novel without frivolously difficult vocabulary. This makes it a very accessible novel to read.
The book is not too long. It’s just right.
The only reason I read this -- make that attempted to read this (gave up at about the half-way point) -- is because a couple of the blurbs on David Mitchell's Number9 Dream compare him to Don DeLillo.
That comparison is fair insofar as inventive use of language, but that's about it.
Perhaps I should have known better when I read the 60 page prologue that seemed to function more as a set piece than as integral to the story's set up. This is a novel absolutely swimming in back story featuring characters I could care less about. At the 450 page mark I would have thought I'd be invested in at least one of the cast of multitudes, or curious to see whether the seemingly disparate strands of the story come together, but instead it was oh, so easy to kick this (heavy) sucker to the curb. Sad thing is, I like meaty novels and really, really wanted to like this one.
I would add that if you're the kind of reader for whom telling little observations and clever writing are more important than plot and characterization, you might really enjoy Underworld.
That comparison is fair insofar as inventive use of language, but that's about it.
Perhaps I should have known better when I read the 60 page prologue that seemed to function more as a set piece than as integral to the story's set up. This is a novel absolutely swimming in back story featuring characters I could care less about. At the 450 page mark I would have thought I'd be invested in at least one of the cast of multitudes, or curious to see whether the seemingly disparate strands of the story come together, but instead it was oh, so easy to kick this (heavy) sucker to the curb. Sad thing is, I like meaty novels and really, really wanted to like this one.
I would add that if you're the kind of reader for whom telling little observations and clever writing are more important than plot and characterization, you might really enjoy Underworld.
Don DeLillo's "Underworld" is a very modern novel. The thing is, I despise modern novels. I have no interest in baseball. I couldn't even remember the character's names partway through this.... I just found it so very dull. I didn't care what happened to the baseball, who got killed and why or about Marian and her husband's martial troubles.
I know this novel has received heaps of acclaim and praise... so I'm sure it's wonderful if you're into these types of books, but this one definitely wasn't for me.
I know this novel has received heaps of acclaim and praise... so I'm sure it's wonderful if you're into these types of books, but this one definitely wasn't for me.
This is a long novel. It jumps forward and back in time a lot (from 1951 to the late 90's) but is not hard to follow. A consistent (large) group of characters - well drawn and compelling. The central theme is certainly the cold war but there are several others. My first experience with DeLillo and an excellent one.
There's some very nice writing in this novel, some superb, absolutely engrossing passages. Yet there's also a sense that all of that writing doesn't really add up to anything in the end.
The GoodReads one-star reviews for this monster are hilarious and worth reading. This "masterpiece" is not.
sicuramente un capolavoro epico, ma troppo troppo lungo e che si potrebbe riassumere nelle storie di tutti coloro che hanno ruotato intorno ad una pallina da baseball, meglio di Libra che mi era piaciuto ancora meno, ma sicuramente inferiore a Running Dog che invece mi è piaciuto molto.
informative
reflective
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No