Underworld by Don DeLillo Readalong #ReadingBigBooks discussion

Let's discuss Prologue and Part 1 of Underworld here.

I’m starting this tonight since my library copy is here! I also need to finish this by the end of February as I have Bleak House planned for March (for which I will clearly need more time). Generally it seems I have a love/hate thing with DeLillo so I’m hoping really badly that I like this! :)

I read the prologue a couple of weeks ago and since reading it I've been dying to pick it back up. Looking forward to getting started :)

I'm starting only today, I'm snowboarding this week and still read Another Country alongside but will do my best not to stay behind to much.

I started yesterday without no idea what the book was about. And I had to go into wiki because of the first topic

------- (baseball) ------- XD I was utterly lost, not a very sporty gal at all.

Katy wrote: "I have just finished the Prologue and wow I need a lie down after that!"

Gosh it was hard to get into the writing, I found that reading it super fast worked better for me, but I also ended up with my heart running out of my chest.

Weirdly, I enjoyed it more that I though at the beginning of it.

I have only read the beginning and so far just "meh" really. Hopefully will read at least 200 pages by the end of the week and have a better judgement to make.

The prologue left me puzzled the way most of you described it. I have absolutely no idea about American football. We play soccer here. Nevertheless I'm very much looking forward to part one. I hope that it's not football oriented ;-). Having said all of that I was impressed with the chase part as much as with the opening few paragraphs regarding sneaking into the stadium. Greatly written.
I’m enjoying Hover parts as well. He was such a devilish but very interesting character, looking forward to see what Delillo will make of it.

Katy wrote: "It was baseball they were playing not American football Kamil. Not to be pedantic just thought I would mention it so you could perhaps picture the game clearer. "

Thank you Katy, doesn't help a great deal much (but only because I’m ignorant as far as American sports are considered). Ok so baseball is the one with guys in tight leggings and bats. I might have to read that part again though:)

Unfortunately, I’m going to have to DNF this. I haven't been up to reading the book since I first read the prologue so decided to start from the beginning again and made it to 155 pages this time. Baseball references are even duller this time around. I understand it’s the national American sport and important and all that…but…not a sports fan here, and I care even less about importance of baseball in American culture/history. But mostly what I’m having issues with is the stale writing style. I feel like calling it stale is still too tame but honestly, this is just not my thing. The dialogue also feels somewhat stilted and there are these tangents that DeLillo seems to relish but just end up making me twitch. The characters also doesn't interest me in any way.

Sorry for abandoning you all! But hopefully many of you will appreciate (and enjoy) it more then I could.

P.S. I used to think of Baseball as “American Cricket” when I was first introduced to it—not sure if that's helpful or more confusing tho! :D

I feel you, Yamini! You put in a good innings (pun intended).

The tangents feel like an exercise in self indulgence a lot of the time. Using a couple of paragraphs to describe a person, e.g random old man in a shop, who turns out to be completely irrelevant to the story, in what is already a ridiculously long book, feels unnecessary to me.
Having said that I'm going to try to continue. Cotter's storyline at the end of part 1 just about saved it for me, and I'm (kind of) interested to see where it goes.

I thought the prologue was great, albeit challenging. I am a sports fan so I enjoyed watching this archive footage of the actual game that's discussed in the prologue. I think Delillo did a good job of bringing it to life, especially including the correct commentary etc.

The further I go I enjoy it more, I find some character to be very interesting although at the beginning it feels like theres a bit too many of them.

Having said all of that, and admitting this guy knows how to use words, sometimes it feels like certain sentences are there just for a show off. They bring nothing to the story. I've said sentences but some paragraphs too - what was the deal about Brian having a rabbit when he was a kid? What was that for?

Baseball references - it's obvious I don't get it.

I admire the writing style, but as said it feels a bit too long winded and ornamented for my taste.

This is the painting that J. Edgar Hoover was looking at at the baseball game



The Triumph of Death by Pieter Bruegel the Elder painted c. 1562

Okay, I've started reading now! Im only at the prologue - and although I dont understand anything about sports (soo funny you got it wrong Kamil, Could have been me as well) I quite enjoy the writing.. However, not in a way where Im swept by it and cant put it down, but in a way where I can appreciate his talent. I hope it gets more interesting though... Does it?? Will he stop talking about sports at some point (soon-ish)? #hopeful

Marie wrote: "Okay, I've started reading now! Im only at the prologue - and although I dont understand anything about sports (soo funny you got it wrong Kamil, Could have been me as well) I quite enjoy the writi..."
Haha Marie I finished the prologue too and though I am not a baseball (or any sports) fan I did find that section to be highly readable. Going to put a bigger dent in it tonight.

Marie the book centres around historical events, apparently this is an important sporting event in America. In Baseball it is referred to as "the shot that was heard around the world" like it's equally as important as "the [other] shot[s] that was heard around the world" the symbolised the opening of the American Revolutionary War in 1775 and the Assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand of Austria in 1914.

Get past the prologue and there is less baseball.