Motherless Brooklyn discussion

Lethem's best book, IMHO (actually, the only one that's really good at all), is Gun, With Occasional Music.

They've all been way above average, but IMHO Fortress of Solitude is a minor masterpiece.

I agree on the greatness of Fortress of Solitude, but Motherless Brooklyn is great fun too.

Gun, With Occasional Music is certainly the most fun of his that I've read (and it shares Motherless Brooklyn's use of a P.I. protag), but "best" over all for me is F.o.S.

I've only read Motherless Brooklyn and look forward to trying either Fortress or Gun, With this summer.

Parts of Fortress of Solitude appeared as the short story View From a Headlock in the New Yorker. You can read it online. The novel veers into magical realism in the third act.

Gun... reads like Philip K. Dick at his zaniest trying to do Raymond Chandler.

Adrien wrote: "Parts of Fortress of Solitude appeared as the short story View From a Headlock in the New Yorker. You can read it online. The novel veers into magical realism in the third act.

Gun... reads like P..."

Thanks for the tip, Adrien, and the descriptions.

Here you go everybody. I'll consider this the official list of Lethem's best novels. I'll also consider this discussion closed. You're welcome.

1. Fortress of Solitude
2. Girl, In landscape
3. Gun, With Occasional Music
4. Motherless Brooklyn
5. As She Climbed Across the Table

(D'OH! Just realized I still have yet to read Chronic City. Sorry. I'm a terrible Jonathan Lethem fan)

6. You Don't Love Me Yet
7. Amnesia Moon

damn, late to the party as always. Motherless is the best because of its extraordinary woird detonations and what it does to language. I found Fortress a bit heavy going to be honest./ Can I put in a late and meaningless vote for Chronic City which is flawed but still a work of genius. However, JL may need to do like Tarantino needs to stop[ having guns in movies, and stop writing about the microcosm of New York. He's lanced that boil now time to move on to bigger canvases

Never to late, Marc. I hope everybody realizes my last comment was mostly tongue in check and more than a little trollish, especially the "discussion closed" part.

Fortress was the first Lethem book I ever read, so I think maybe that's why it's my favorite. I finished Chronic City a month or so ago. If I had to revise my list I'd put it right below Motherless Brooklyn, but I know I'm in the minority.

haven't read "Gun..." it always sounded a bit mental to be honest, but it's garnered a lot of votes here so I'll check it out. Thanks chaps and chapesses

Chronic City is my favourite Letham book so far. A touch of the surreal illuminates a view of life today that I really found compelling and tragic.

I also read Gun... recently, and the comparison to PK Dick is clear. But don't overlook Ross Macdonald. It is almost like a homage to Lew Archer.

1st one of his novels I've read and I liked enough to pick up a few more of his books.

I also enjoyed You Don't Love Me Yet, though it was very different from Motherless Brooklyn.