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neartaking's review against another edition
challenging
mysterious
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
2.0
eunicedlt's review against another edition
dark
funny
mysterious
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
narcissia's review against another edition
2.0
A friend recommended this book to me. It is well written. I understand what it is trying to do. That being said, I found that I was having to force myself to pick it up and read just to finish it. The book felt like it was a lot longer than it really is, because I just wasn't enjoying it. At all.
matissrv's review against another edition
5.0
Jau lasot V. bija skaidrs, ka darīšana ar ģēniju, bet šeit ir jau nākamais līmenis. Pinčons pagaidām vairāk nekā jebkurš cits autors liek man justies kā profānam lasītājam.
ezrasupremacy's review against another edition
finally done with this
no rating because i didn’t understand a single second of it.
no rating because i didn’t understand a single second of it.
danielkallin04's review against another edition
4.0
Pynchon makes clear that you can link any number of things and create a meaning - a connection - and yet that connection could all be meaningless. Like Maxwell's Demon, is the connection but a coincidence, breaking the laws of physics. Like Tristero, is everything just a paranoic desire for some purpose, breaking the laws of history.
Pynchon can make me invested in any of the most meaningless conspiracy theories, captivated by unusual characters - theatre directors, Nazis, DJs, anarchists - and can then tell me its all for nothing and I would not care. The experience of his novels is enough for me - the crying of the lot is more exciting than the identity of the bidder.
Pynchon can make me invested in any of the most meaningless conspiracy theories, captivated by unusual characters - theatre directors, Nazis, DJs, anarchists - and can then tell me its all for nothing and I would not care. The experience of his novels is enough for me - the crying of the lot is more exciting than the identity of the bidder.
valkyrogue's review against another edition
challenging
dark
lighthearted
mysterious
reflective
fast-paced
4.5
guppyur's review against another edition
1.0
Thank god this is over. The first forty-five percent is impenetrable and the remainder is not worth penetrating. I could barely make myself slog through it, and at under 200 pages that's quite a feat. I have no idea why this is considered a classic.
The prose is as tortured as they come. Reading it is like listening to Robin Williams -- every time you latch on to one thought, Pynchon careens off in another direction -- but less entertaining. It bears some resemblance to the also-bizarre but less-terrible Orion, You Came And You Took All My Marbles by Kira Henehan, which was a strange read but one I enjoyed well enough. That was her debut, and if you enjoyed this one I think you may also enjoy the Henehan. I would not be surprised to see Henehan cite Pynchon as an influence.
I hesitate to even describe the plot, thin as it is. It concerns Oedipa Maas, named co-executor of the estate of one Pierce Inverarity, and in the process of executing that duty she begins to discover and investigate a possible long-running conspiracy. Kind of. It hardly merits the name. Along the way Oedipa and the other characters will say and do a great many things that don't make any goddamned sense.
Recommended if you hate yourself. It's even worse than all the people writing unbelievably pretentious reviews about it trying to be cutesy.
The prose is as tortured as they come. Reading it is like listening to Robin Williams -- every time you latch on to one thought, Pynchon careens off in another direction -- but less entertaining. It bears some resemblance to the also-bizarre but less-terrible Orion, You Came And You Took All My Marbles by Kira Henehan, which was a strange read but one I enjoyed well enough. That was her debut, and if you enjoyed this one I think you may also enjoy the Henehan. I would not be surprised to see Henehan cite Pynchon as an influence.
I hesitate to even describe the plot, thin as it is. It concerns Oedipa Maas, named co-executor of the estate of one Pierce Inverarity, and in the process of executing that duty she begins to discover and investigate a possible long-running conspiracy. Kind of. It hardly merits the name. Along the way Oedipa and the other characters will say and do a great many things that don't make any goddamned sense.
Recommended if you hate yourself. It's even worse than all the people writing unbelievably pretentious reviews about it trying to be cutesy.
ethanb79's review against another edition
challenging
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
adholmes3's review against another edition
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? N/A
- Strong character development? N/A
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
0.5