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valeatsbooks's review against another edition
challenging
funny
mysterious
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
fionnualalirsdottir's review against another edition
A couple of weeks ago, I happened to be searching my shelves for a particular book when I came on this one, squashed between two other books on a high shelf so that its slim spine was scarcely visible. And even though I have a lot of other books to read, I got a surge of pleasure out of finding one I'd completely forgotten about. I bought 'Lot 49' soon after joining Goodreads because everyone seemed to be talking about Thomas Pynchon at that time though I hadn't heard of him before. But the burst of Pynchon enthusiasm I experienced must have been short lived because the book never got opened and moved from one lot of unread books to another over the following ten years until somehow it ended up lost on that high shelf. When I found it again, I decided it was a sign: it was time for 'The Reading of Lot 49'.
Well, reader, I started it that very day and was intrigued enough to read several chapters—though it was all quite mysterious and I was a little confused as to what was going on. Then we had some visitors, and one of them had gone to the trouble of finding a book for me he was certain I wouldn't have read. He was so interested in getting my reaction to the new genre he was introducing me to that I set 'Lot 49' aside and began reading Philip K Dick's [b:The Man in the High Castle|216363|The Man in the High Castle|Philip K. Dick|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1448756803l/216363._SY75_.jpg|2398287] instead. A couple of chapters in, I was finding it mysteriously confusing. And I had a déjàvu lu moment. Hadn't I been reading something quite like this very recently? Still, I was intrigued enough to continue reading but the more of it I read the more confused I became until I picked up 'Lot 49' again, when it all became clear. Or rather the two books remained confusing but I had a revelation about the déja lu feeling: both books are set in the 1960s with much of the action happening in California. Both reference WWII a lot, especially the Germans. Both present a kind of alternative history. Both feature fake memorabilia. And both have a befuddled woman character, prone to believing in signs, who is intrigued and confused by a mysterious book.
I really identified with those two women characters!
Well, reader, I started it that very day and was intrigued enough to read several chapters—though it was all quite mysterious and I was a little confused as to what was going on. Then we had some visitors, and one of them had gone to the trouble of finding a book for me he was certain I wouldn't have read. He was so interested in getting my reaction to the new genre he was introducing me to that I set 'Lot 49' aside and began reading Philip K Dick's [b:The Man in the High Castle|216363|The Man in the High Castle|Philip K. Dick|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1448756803l/216363._SY75_.jpg|2398287] instead. A couple of chapters in, I was finding it mysteriously confusing. And I had a déjà
I really identified with those two women characters!
marc129's review against another edition
2.0
Due to its compactness this book obviously is better to digest than "V", that other Pynchon cult book. But it has the same accumulation of mysterious and absurd events and twists. The quest is very recognizable: Oedipa (ridiculous name) must disentangle the heritage of a former lover that passed away, and ends up with a web of mysterious signs indicating the existence of an alternative postal network. The whole novel breathes very well the spirit of California in the sixties, including the psychedelics. I understand that Pynchon wanted to evoke how we as humans are drowning in a forest of symbols and constantly attributing conflicting meaning to reality, but hasn't this kind of approach been done yet by the late 19th-century symbolists? And with more style?
jonathancrites's review against another edition
4.0
I’ve known of Pynchon but honestly don’t read much in his style of literature. I want to push myself this year when it comes to literature and fiction, so I gave this one a try. Wow. I’d describe it as an absurdist, paranoid, quest story that somehow reveals the absurd and paranoid reality we occupy. Short and entertaining read.
joehardy's review against another edition
5.0
This was a wonderfully strange journey through the acidic landscape of 50's-60's Southern California. Dealing with the increasing paranoia of the main character, The Crying of Lot 49 presents the reader with a story that, outwardly, appears incomplete. Like Odepia Maas (protagonist), we are presented with an incongruous conclusion which leaves many questions unanswered. This mirrors the characters' journey through the story, where, on multiple occasions, she avoids (knowingly or unknowingly) following loose ends to their possible conclusions.
I understand why this type of novel would not appeal to everyone. The ending left me wanting, for sure. However, between Pynchon's elegant prose, the duality of humor and tension throughout the pages and the overall bizarreness of the characters and plots, I found Crying to be a delightful read.
I understand why this type of novel would not appeal to everyone. The ending left me wanting, for sure. However, between Pynchon's elegant prose, the duality of humor and tension throughout the pages and the overall bizarreness of the characters and plots, I found Crying to be a delightful read.
runeiia's review against another edition
challenging
funny
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
jwenzel019's review against another edition
3.0
Neither grabbed nor held my attention. The style felt as though Pynchon was trying to force too many metaphors, too much imagery, and lofty vocabulary into individual sentences which detracted from the actual story for me.
jackwnicholls's review against another edition
4.0
The Crying of Lot 49 is an odd book, and it knows it. It's part of the joke.
A young woman begins to uncover a conspiracy when she's named executrix of an ex-lover's will, and her life, and her perception of everything, begins to warp. The book is written to convey her every shifting thought, whim, observation, judgement, feeling, reaction, and more in long running sentences that effectively communicate how she begins to spiral and how she could be the one to spiral in this situation. A cast of strange characters too seek to simultaneously help and befuddle her further along this quest, or both at the same time, and she does the same thing to herself, becoming almost her worst enemy.
But it's a wry book. It's funny and dripping with satirical references and jabs, many of which might be for the writer's own sake. It carries many allusions to myth and literature, and there is a temptation to keep uncovering more about the book after putting it down, pursuing greater understanding by researching and analysing the text further. The title itself is an invitation to uncover its own meaning just as an entry-point to the book's own alluring spiral.
Once the final page is done, the question feels turned to the reader. 'What are you going to do now?' All has been given to you, and yet you're still sat there. Do you want to continue to go into it, or is that feeling the joke? By doing so, are you now the joke?
A young woman begins to uncover a conspiracy when she's named executrix of an ex-lover's will, and her life, and her perception of everything, begins to warp. The book is written to convey her every shifting thought, whim, observation, judgement, feeling, reaction, and more in long running sentences that effectively communicate how she begins to spiral and how she could be the one to spiral in this situation. A cast of strange characters too seek to simultaneously help and befuddle her further along this quest, or both at the same time, and she does the same thing to herself, becoming almost her worst enemy.
But it's a wry book. It's funny and dripping with satirical references and jabs, many of which might be for the writer's own sake. It carries many allusions to myth and literature, and there is a temptation to keep uncovering more about the book after putting it down, pursuing greater understanding by researching and analysing the text further. The title itself is an invitation to uncover its own meaning just as an entry-point to the book's own alluring spiral.
Once the final page is done, the question feels turned to the reader. 'What are you going to do now?' All has been given to you, and yet you're still sat there. Do you want to continue to go into it, or is that feeling the joke? By doing so, are you now the joke?