Tom > Recent Status Updates

This book is seriously a goldmine. There is so much context and history in here for some of the most important music ever made.

Just finished volume 1, the book is great so far. The characters felt very fleshed out and three-dimensional even from the start. I love Elizabeth in particular, and her relationship with Jane. It definitely is reminiscent of War and Peace, so it was cool to learn that it takes place at the same time!

Finished up with Part Two, this is where my memories of the book get even more hazy. I remember Tchitcherine vaguely but not much of his story, so I'm very excited for Part Three. That being said, the second part is tremendous. Things slow down just enough to flesh out Slothrop's arc to perfection. The Proverbs for Parnaoids are great, and this whole section is so vivid, cinematic, hilarious, and thought-provoking.

Just finished Part 1 "Beyond the Zero". This first part seems to be most concerned with the nature of history, control, and cause/effect. It's hard to put down my thoughts within the character limit here, but there a lot of brilliant passages that examine history and politics through Pynchon's views. GR flips between being chilling, powerful, disgusting, and hilarious with skill. The scale of the novel is just insane

Going in for a reread on this one, gonna take it slow and really try to get the most out of it. Not sure I understood much the first time through 😅

Just finished Part Two, having a blast with this book so far! It's got that classic Dostoevsky interpersonal drama and inner turmoil that I love about TBK. It's certainly no Karamazov, but I can definitely see traces of this in that book.

Probably has made me laugh more than any book I've ever read. It's funny and poignant, simultaneously heartbreaking and heartwarming, and just so full of life. Wouldn't be surprised if this launched me into a full-on Steinbeck bender. I've only read The Grapes of Wrath and that was in high school so it's long overdue I suppose.