Gravity's Rainbow

I loved the scope and general themes at play, and when Pynchon chose to use it, the imagery could be spectacular. I understand the nature of experimental fiction, but this book is at times overly verbose, deliberately confusing and downright self-indulgent. I may have started off with the wrong Pynchon novel, and while I do plan to read some of his other works, I'm not in any hurry as this book felt like the equivalent of running several marathons. Still, I largely enjoyed myself. Will possibly read again, the next time with the reader's guide.

In more ways than one, this book is difficult to read.The prose is hallucinatory, and the content of the novel is similarly psychedelic. Nothing could have prepared me for the truly revolting ideas that are presented in this novel. That being said, this is one of the most entertaining books I have ever slogged through, even if I only understood a small fraction of it. When critics say that it is one of the greatest American novels of all time, they are not kidding, "Gravity's Rainbow" is the most impressive and disgusting text ever published, and certainly the best thing that Thomas Pynchon has written so far.

I have reread Gravitas Rainbow every decade since the initial release. It has different impacts as I age. Along with Cormac McCarthy Suttree and Blood Meridian my favorite works of American fiction. Once you can get started, it is not too difficult. If you can read Faulkner, you can read Pynchon.