Rating: 
Summary: Density
Review: Awe is the word I would use to describe the emotion I feel towards Thomas Pynchon. "Lot 49" is a masterpiece because of the way that it covers so many aspects of life in so few words.
Rating: 
Summary: Comedy in "Lot 49"
Review: "The Crying of Lot 49" is satirical, trippy, and complex. And while it may be analyzed on many different levels, what strikes me again and again is the comedy of the novel. Anyone who reads "The Courier's Tragedy" section of Pynchon's "Lot 49" and is not rolling with laughter should be examined.
Rating: 
Summary: Confusion, hysteria, paranoia, rambling, etc.
Review: T.P. novel, Lot 49, was introduced to me by an English professor at the university I attend. I can tell anyone that it is the worst novel (fiction for that matter!) that I have ever read. I enjoy reading fiction and I cannot believe that this novel could ever be popular. P's sentences ramble on and on as if he was in a state of mass hysteria or a drug induced coma when he was writing. Not only does this novel not make sense, I have to agree with another reader that it is not in the least bit interesting. I WILL BE FORTUNATE IF I NEVER HAVE TO READ ANOTHER BOOK BY PYNCHON AGAIN IN MY LIFE!
Rating:
Summary: An acid trip down the L.A. freeway of love
Review: Thomas Pynchon is crazy, and this book is crazy too. I have read it three times, and each time it feels as if my head becomes foggy and cloudy and I cannot think striaght about the world or what I am reading. I still dont know what T.P. is about, or this novel. But the prose is stellar, and the way Mrs. Maas descends into the nether-world of paranoia and despair is pretty cool. Also, it is quite funny at times.
Rating:
Summary: Elmore Leonard meets Herman Melville
Review: Pynchon is poetic, razor-sharp, and funny.Lot 49 is an odd trip into the world of a woman who is not quite sure who she is or what all the answers mean. Believe me, after reading this book I know how she feels. I gave this book four stars for the sometimes ethereal prose that comes with it. I didn't give it five stars because of its intrinsic difficulty to get through. However, if you are ready for something strangely wonderful and not just the average mindless fluff, give this book a try. It will make you want to read it more than once.
Rating:
Summary: A profound view of technology, sexuality, and God.
Review: Rarely have I been so profoundly affected by an author's words! I read Lot 49 as part of a literature course this past Spring at Rollins College. I ended up writing two papers about it: "Is Oedipa on a quest for God?" and "Is Oedipa on a quest for her own sexual identity?" The first paper led me to the second in a warp-speed realization that the book is actually about everything! It addresses the holistic nature of the universe. Everything is interconnected; nothing in life happens in a vacuum. I ended up writing my application essay for my masters program on the impact this novel had on my life. Without exaggeration, Lot 49 is now my favorite book. I can hardly wait to read more by Pynchon.
Rating:
Summary: Coming at this from the backdoor
Review: I first heard about this from the S-T (Read the book--you'll know what it means) mailing list, and decided that I ought to read it. While I do not find it particularly humorous (maybe I don't "get" the jokes; the puns seemed flat), I felt that the characters were well-crafted and the plot was very interesting. A lot of the book is quite weird, but it produces a rich and captivating world. This was my first book by Pynchon, but it shall not be my last.
Rating:
Summary: D. E. A. T. H.
Review: I don't think anyone can read this book only once and decide whether they like it or not. There's just way too much in it to digest. I read it once, listened to 4 or 5 lectures on it, and then tried to write a paper on this book 3 weeks later... I thought, "hey, this won't be so bad, I can talk about female empowerment, some weird underground post that tries to deny America any more power than it already has, and paranoia", but when I tried, there was no way. If you have time, I would recommend reading this thing twice right away, and then putting it away for a while (while you research all the references Pynchon makes to all manner of things), and THEN reading it again. Someone once asked Pynchon why he didn't write stuff so it was easier to understand, and he replied with something like, "why should I make it easy to understand? Life isn't easy to understand..." Try this book with an open mind--be willing to accept anything it gives you, and then be willing to think...a lot...
Rating: 
Summary: interesting names do not make interesting characters
Review: Aside from the zippy names and esoteric references, there is very little about this novel that keeps one interested. While Pynchon demonstrates a keen eye for the So. Cal. culture of the 60's, the narrative goes nowhere and takes the reader with it.
Rating:
Summary: Just another opinion
Review: Having read all of the reviews on the list, I am struck by the fact everyone who read it was moved deeply for better or for worse. I think that this book may make more sense initally for those of us who grew up in the sixties but I think that it transcends even that culture to bring even to the nineties a relevance that transcends those years. He takes a "quest" story to a new level and does not give you the usual Aristotelian resolution in the ending. But that's what makes it so attractive to read. He give a woman the leading role and she learns to speak for herself within a system that is obviously trying to subjugate women (the drug experiment she refuses to participate in). She begins to resist the patriarchal system that is implicit within the books text and exemplified by her ex-boyfriend Pierce Inverarity. Pynchon also speaks out against capitalism and monopolies etc. through the situations he place Oedipa in. His use of sign and language to convey meaning without text is amazing; Oedipa, "Mucho" Maas and Dr. Hilarius are prime examples of names that implicate stereotypes or explode them without further explanation of them. The dead are often more alive in this book than the living are and you begin to question what "truth" really is. It is a hard read if you're doing it "just for fun" but if you want to think about what you are reading enjoy the rollercoaster ride that "Lot 49" is. It is provocative, funny, poignant and full of wonderful symbolism that keeps you thinking and rethinking your place in this universe
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