The Crying of Lot 49

Rating:
Summary: Don't Ever Antagonize The Horn
Review: Conspiracy buffs, look no further than "The Crying of Lot 49" -- a book that indulges in paranoia so much, you almost expect to see your own name mentioned somewhere in the text. There is an incredible amount of narrative inventiveness on every page, employing a wild concoction of dry humor, non sequiturs, bizarre characters with puns for names, and an endless barrage of references to a wide variety of pop culture, science, and technology. This is the first novel I've read that has introduced the concept of entropy as a narrative device.

The protagonist is a woman named Oedipa Maas who, when the novel begins, learns that her former boyfriend, the wealthy Pierce Inverarity, has died and designated her to be the executor of his enormous estate. Inverarity's assets include vast stretches of property, a significant stamp collection, and many shares in an aerospace corporation called Yoyodyne. As Oedipa goes through her late boyfriend's will, aided by a lawyer named Metzger who works for Inverarity's law firm, she learns about a series of secret societies and strange groups of people involved in a sort of renegade postal system called Tristero. She starts seeing ubiquitous cryptic diagrams of a simple horn, a symbol with a seemingly infinite number of meanings. Every clue she uncovers about Tristero and the horn leads haphazardly to another, like a brainstorm, or a free association of ideas.

This is a novel that demands analysis but defies explanation. My initial interpretation was that it's an anarchistic satire of the military-industrial-government complex, but it's deeper than that. Like Vladimir Nabokov's "Pale Fire," it establishes a very complicated relationship between the author and the reader, where Pynchon seems to be tricking the reader in the same way that Oedipa is unsure if she is witnessing a worldwide conspiracy or if she is merely the victim of an elaborate prank. By presenting Oedipa's investigation to be either circular, aimless, or inconsequential, the novel seems to satirize the efforts of people who try to find order in the universe. Pynchon uses the concept of entropy to illustrate that the more effort (physical and mental) we put into controlling the universe, the more random it becomes.

Rating:
Summary: Pleasantly weird, but unsatisfying
Review: Pynchon is one contemporary writer that it is almost impossible to read without some sort of expectations. The expectations that were met here were the creation of a virtually invisible world that runs alongside and within the world we inhabit--a preoccupation with the esoteric (I can relate) and the justified paranoia that accompanies recognitionn of an organization that operates beneath our perceptions--and remains intangible. As well done as the atmosphere is, I found my self unengaged by the characters and desperate for a more substantial plot. There's a lot to consume here, but not as much as you'd like in the end.

Rating:
Summary: Read this book or I'll blow the horn
Review: This is one of the four books I would have with me when sent off to some Joseph Conrad nightmare.

This book is about paranoia and schizophrenia. I have one, and am probably bordering the other. So this is familiar fodder.

Oedipus is an everyman-woman thrown into a world of inrigue, paranoid Beatle wannabes, a plot involving a ritzy suburban tract development in San Narcisco-LA and San Diego city--its lake, and a popular brand of cigarettes that may contain human bones. Meanwhile, there's a weird secret organization that has something to do with "potsage", not postage, potsage. I can't tell you the name of the organization. Forget I mentioned it.

Intriguing, yes? Insane? Definitely. Pynchon creates hilarious characters in an insane world colored by a weird translucent squeaky clean commercial California haze. Oedipus is Dorothy in an evil Oz, only she's losing her mind. Who's the wizard. Who knows?

One thing's for sure. After reading Crying of Lot 49, you'll never look at a postage stamp the same way again.

Rating:
Summary: Off the charts
Review: "The Crying of Lot 49" taps directly into the root of "banal" literature that was seemingly omnipresent throughout the '60's. This is a difficult, yet very rewarding novel best suited for either a seasoned Pynchon fan or your run-of-the-mill disillusioned American cynic.

Rating:
Summary: This is no coincidence, yes buy it, yes read on.
Review: I started to read THE CRYING OF LOT 49 and didn't get very far. I was so irritated that this "quick read" was dense and challenging, not what I had expected. The main character (Oedipa Maas) is faced with a coincidence in every new situation, which made me think, "there is no such thing as a coincidence if everything is a coincidence"....right? Near tearing the book apart, I put it down and sought help in reading reviews on Amazon. I learned that other people had trouble reading this book (validation), and that I would perhaps not "get" everything out of it from just one read. And so, I picked up where I left off. I read it as I had Faulkner, not trying to understand everything, and not expecting linearity. I found that with my new approach I really liked this book. I thought about it when I was not reading it & laughed out loud at a lot of the incidental characters. Surprisingly, I even got used to Pynchon's writing style. Will I read it again for a deeper, additional level of understanding?........a positive maybe.

Rating:
Summary: Tidy little work
Review: Okay it's not his best novel (that'd be Gravity's Rainbow) and it's not his worst novel (that'd be Vineland, which is still darn good, actually) but it is his shortest novel, so if you could say one definite thing about it, that might be it. The length is actually a good thing because is an easy book to hook people on Pynchon by giving them something short and say "Hey look he's great!". Because this is classic Pynchon, as good as anything he's ever done, a great big step forward from V. In these one hundred and eighty pages he manages to cram more prose and ideas and paranoia (because it wouldn't be a Pynchon book otherwise) than most authors can do in twice the space. Simply put, it's a fun book, and for all the trappings of "post-modernism" you can easily enjoy this book without camping out in your local library near the reference section if you just take everything on faith and read it. The story concerns Ms Oedipa Maas, who is executing the will of her late boyfriend and stumbles upon (she thinks) a conspiracy involving either the US Postal System, the Mob and just about everything else, a conspiracy that might stretch back hundreds of years. Or it might not. Pynchon proceeds then to play with Ms. Maas and the reader for the rest of the novel, throwing out obscure fact after obscure fact, toying with her perception of things (are things just happening randonly or is there a guiding force behind them?) and basically having a crackling good time doing so. His prose still consists of long winding sentences with a bit too much detail (it's a postmodern trademark to describe every single item on a desk at least once during the story) at times but the jokes are still funny thirty years later, the story is still good and frankly if you look past the fact that the story doesn't have a neat and pat ending then you'll probably enjoy this very much. Some folks find Pynchon too silly at times, but I think taking anything too seriously is bad and especially literature, where there's so much potential for humor. This is a good example of how you can write a serious, timeless piece of literature and still have the ability to make folks outloud. Remember, Joyce liked fart jokes. Keep that in mind.

Rating:
Summary: Fuzzy Logic
Review: Weird, weird, weird. But I liked it! Its not a jolting weird or an uncomfortable weird, rather a soothing, almost psychedelic weird that places you softly on the couch and let things roll over your brain. At first read thats what it will do, roll over your brain while you try to put the pieces together. For a large portion of it, the oddities of the characters and bizarre humor took me by surprise and in delight of what may happen next. At one point I am on the edge of my seat and other moments I am reclined not sure if want to find out. The few bits which ring out presently are some of the humerous touches that Thomas Pynchon creates. Its like a subtle stylized humor (yet realistice in one manner), and one I have not come across in any other book; a scene that can be so vivid in my mind, yet the writing simultaneously elusive and seemingly vague. I am happy to mention and conclude that the title of the book is well explained in such a way that I found it profound. I picked up this book because of a suggestion by R.A. Wilson, which seemed intriguing, and also the length was more tangible than his milestone Gravity's Rainbow. I figure this might be a good book to start before I embark on such a mission to determine if I even want to tackle it. Nonetheless, the Crying Lot of 49 remains an enigma in my mind that is something that deserves to be read again to clear up the fuzzy spots. Reccomended for those curious about Pynchon without the weight of pages to sweat over. Also reccomended to those who are interested in conspiracy theories and the like.

Rating:
Summary: W.A.S.T.E no time, read this book..
Review: If you've always heard the term postmodern and wondered what it meant this book is for you. But, let me warn you, this book is definately not for everyone, the plot is unique to say the least, and the characters are not what you will find in most novels, but then again, neither is the intellectual stimulation. In little over 100 pages, Thomas Pynchon has written an accessibly managable introduction to postmodern literature. Although this book is rather dense, and is filled with obscure facts and information from seemingly every conceivable specialty of knowledge, it is an enjoyable way to aquaint oneself with one of the most misunderstood genres of modern literature. Just be sure to keep a dictionary, encyclopedia and sourcebook to anarchism handy. The plot revolves around the exciting and often bizarre experiences and wanderings of Oedipa Maas, as she embarks upon a surrealistic journey into the unfamiliar techno-industrial pop culture wasteland of San Narcisco and surrounding counties, after being named executor of an ex-lovers will. In her madcap adventures she uncovers a bizzaire world where everything that she has ever learned crumbles in the face of absurdity and falls into question. It is a world where nazi doctors, secret societies, papal misdeeds, anarchist dreamers, narcicistic ex-child stars, and deranged outcasts all come out of the shadows to invade the "typical" suburban landscape of an average American housewife. This book is concerned with uncovering the realities, or lack thereof, that most people would want to stay hidden, or at the least forgotton. It is about questioning the assumptions that we all hold dear, even if it means coming to terms with a world that is without meaning, without order, and most of all without a coherent design. This is a novel with many questions to be answered, so if you welcome intellectual challenge and desire obscure knowledge this book will certainly not dissappoint. And if you don't quite understand it read it again...

Rating:
Summary: The Detective Novel Pynchon style
Review: This is the best of the best when it comes to the modern detective novel by Thomas Pynchon. I am a long time fan and can say that Pynchon's detective sleuth is coming into high fashion at last. I read Pynchon along with David Lehman's reissue of "The Perfect Murder: A Study in Detection" and found the two books perfect companions for anyone who loves the classic WHODUNIT in a brave new view.

Rating:
Summary: This is the one to get!
Review: There are two kinds of people who like Thomas Pynchon, the way there are two different kinds of people who like chocolate: those who *like* Thomas Pynchon, and will froth endlessly at the mouth telling you exactly how great a writer he is, how Gravity's Rainbow, V, and the like are THE greatest novels of the post-war era, how reading him simply forces you to think about life, America, and so on, in a whole new way, how vitally important all this is, etc. Other people, as the saying goes, would just as soon have some fruit. I used to fit in the third category: those who simply didn't see the fascination.
I can't exactly tell you why I bought Gravity's Rainbow, but I can remember it was one of the biggest literary media blitzes of the early 70's: my copy has the full die-cut, gold-toned treatment of a Major Bantam Release. I can remember diving into it, getting three or four pages in, relishing the conceptual hijinks of the banana breakfast, and then getting thrown back aground a few pages later. Subsequent trials yielded an appreciation of his skill with song lyrics and limericks, his love of the perverse, and of fairy tales, but no real interest in the book as a whole. Throughout the years, I've had numerous "countercultural" friends tell me how much they would like to see me read it, only to be utterly shocked at my assessment of him as impenetrable. OK, guys, he uses allegory and symbolism, he sides with American intellectual progressivism, and he's a conspiracy fan. But where's the plot? the characters? Any kind of book at all? It's enough to make me dig out real-life OSS propagandist Cordwainer Smith. (Come to think of it, I didn't like anything else I read of Pynchon's..until...)

I just told that story to tell you this one: I *like* Lot 49. Let's lay aside the symbolism, the allegories, and the weird wordplay for a minute -- despite the wacky names and farcical turns, this story is not only compelling, but believable, if only because we aren't presented with cut-and-dried explanations and moral stances. Was there, in fact, an illegal courier system (here called Tristero, or the WASTE system) in the electronics business in California during the 60's? Were there similar systems using the same name elsewhere, here and in Europe? Were they all the same organization? Is the Tristero system responsible for murders and assassinations? Is this all just a joke? Who knows? The case can equally be made that Oedipa Maas is a) uncovering a secret organization, b) being led around by friends and employees of her recently deceased (maybe) ex-boyfriend, c) slowly going insane, or d) simply a victim of odd circumstances. In this story, Pynchon's gift for writing songs and poetry help to flesh out the general versimilitude: if you listen closely, you can hear the music the acid punk band plays, the speeches of "The Courier's Tragedy", and the dramatic soundtrack to "Cashiered". Written just before "the counterculture" went from being unrelated-except-by-age political activists, rock & rollers, and psychological researchers to a unified coalition of radicals, Oedipa Maas is neither a pawn of the military-industrial complex nor is she a stereotyped hippie-manque. She's simply a nice Californian housewife whose husband works for the local AM radio station and whose old boyfriend wanted her to sell off his stamp collection after he died, and whose subsequent adventures led her into very murky (and skeleton-infested) waters indeed. My belief is that he wrote this book, got a lot of praise for its "literary" qualities, and then decided to concentrate on those instead of on writing good, readable stories.

To me, one of the most interesting things about the novel are the very real-seeming glimpses of the transistor era in Silicon Valley -- the egalitarian camraderie, the way that ingenuity and intelligence is rewarded just as much on the loading dock as in the boardroom. In real life, a few years later some people very much like them decided to use computers to set up an alternative means of communication between large military and research facilities that, for a long time, operated very much like Tristero. You're using it now.