Warwick’s review of Vineland > Likes and Comments

Wow, great review, and yes, it is a book that demands re-reading...my personal favourite Pynchon and perhaps favourite novel period. And it has his best song ("I'm A Cop") too! ;)

Not to mention best academic in-joke (the Italian Wedding Fake Book by Deleuze and Guattari)!

Heh, yes – I liked the Japanese musical instrument manufacturers Tokkata & Fuji. The jokes (and songs) in this one are fab.

Wow

The Marquis de Sod!
(He'll wheep your lawn into shep!)

Thanks for the review. I’ve always loved Vineland and you’ve definitely nudged it up the to-reread list for me!

Thanks Ben. This is the first time I’ve reread one of his – actually I almost never read books again – and I really enjoyed the experience.

Excellent review, one of the finest I've read this past year. I tried reading Vineland when first published but I couldn't get into it - I still wanted novels to read as if written by Hermann Hesse - a sure sign I was not at the literary level to appreciate this fine novel.

Aw, thanks, Glenn. I'm not sure it's about literary levels, though – I can understand people being nonplussed by his style no matter what they're used to. I didn't really understand much about the book when I first read it, I just knew I loved the experience of reading it – so this time, on a second go around, I was paying particular attention to how the hell he actually put it together.

I am in awe at your ability to write a comprehensible review of this book. It's so long since i read Vineland, I am only left now with the impression of having vaguely enjoyed it while being utterly confused throughout

Thanks Robert, but I did have to read it, spend 15 years thinking about it, and then read it again to finally get my head around it!

Great review, Warwick! I've read only one by Pynchon - The crying of lot 49 and was required to read it second time to enjoy it fully. This one looks also great- as you mentioned that it contains all the gifts of Pynchon. Thanks for it, will be trying it soon.

Reading this right after Lot 49, instead of tackling his trickier works, and I’m satisfied so far. So far I’m really enjoying it. I’m sure I’m missing some of the finer details but I’m taking this slower than most books so I can get as much out of the experience as I can. This review encourages me to keep reading. Thanks!

Great! Don't worry too much about the details, just concentrate on enjoying the ride.

Brilliant review - brought it all back for me.

Thanks Sarah!

Been toying with the idea of rereading this one, and I think I will in the upcoming weeks thanks to sort of stumbling upon this review again (I recall reading it after I read the novel too). Your reviews are always so insightful and interesting, Warwick; among the best I see on the site, if not in fact the best. Thanks.

Stian, thank you so much! I got a lot out of this the second time round – it's so dense that there's sure to be a lot to rediscover.

Awesome review, Warwick. You've gained a follower.

Cheers for that!

Great review! Makes me want to read it again.

Do it!

Superb review, even though my star rating was lower (mainly because I think his characters were less interesting somehow than the doorstop novels') you hit every great point of it.

Thanks man.

To Warwick: Beautifully written review! Just recently I read that Paul Thomas Anderson may be adapting VINELAND for his next film. So I have begun re-reading it. Way back in 1990 I read about half the book and abandoned it. Now just 37 pages in I am jazzed by Pynchon’s prose and humor and utter brilliance and hip savvy. Your wonderful piece about the novel gives me the impetus to read the book all the way through. His tone reminds me of INHERENT VICE, which is not surprising. Many thanks!

Thanks! If anyone could do it PTA could, though I will never be particularly interested in a film adaptation since it's the prose itself that I most love about Pynchon.

Amazing review Warwick but I still don't want to read the book lol !

I won’t force you!

I started reading this a long time ago but didn't finish because I found it pretty conventional next to "V." or "Lot 49", looks like I should give it another try

Superb review! I read and loved this back in 2008 and am thinking of a reread (have it in front of me now) and was looking through a few reviews. I’m convinced now!

Thanks Piers. To be honest I very rarely reread books, but this experience made me wonder if I should do it more.

Since its publication I've read Vineland 3 times now and each time over those years I've appreciated its power and unique treasures more and more.

Impressive review! I felt relieved to read what you thought because it helped clarify a lot for me. Like you so eloquently said, he makes you wonder if you’re really reading this stuff or if you horribly misunderstood haha. Like, wait, was that Godzilla? Haha.

I mean, I think it was…

Great review. It's like every 10th pages could be potentially the start of a new novel.

A brilliant review, beautifully written. Many thanks!

Thanks James!

Thanks!! Me too. Still nothing else like it out there…

Also looks like it might be the next PTA movie adaption?

Oh really!? Not sure how I feel about that.

I agree. He managed a decent job at Inherent Vice but Vineland seems both more mundane and also far wackier somehow. I think it could be done, but a lot of care would need to be taken with the more "supernatural" elements.

Tremendous review of a still-underrated masterpiece.

Thanks man. I really think it is underrated, but maybe if this PTA movie happens, more people will discover it.

the appealing slenderness

I confess (mea culpa!) that is my usual criteria for selecting works by authors I feel I ought to read, but don't wish to, which I'm afraid includes Pynchon. At least the colorful subplots sound somewhat fun...

I get it. But at least this isn't one of the huge ones, which can definitely be very daunting!

It's been far too long. I really, really need to reread some Pynchon.

U had me at UFO abduction🤩

Yes that's a good bit!

Thomas pynchon

You said it, Jeffrey. Thomas…Pynchon.