Evan’s Reviews > Gravity’s Rainbow > Status Update

The digressive jags are coming hot and heavy now and I can't help but admire the audacity of it. Who else but me is going to laugh at a reference to "Norma Shearer's closet" unless you know minutiae about the history of MGM studios in the 1930s?

There's something to be said for knowing historical and pop-cultural references of the early 20th century to get lots of the laughs in this, and luckily through life-long study of these things, I do. But I can't imagine a neophyte tackling this and just having all this wash past them. Anyway, we are so close.

Up till now I've been a good boy and have read the text only but I think I'm going to employ Mr. George Guidall's audiobook in tandem to help me make it to the finish line. I decided not to use him for most of the book because he reads it very fast, but now that I have my bearings (as much as one can in this) I'm amenable.

100 pages out. Def gonna be taking a break from maximalism after this -- in this year of maximalist novels -- because I'm bloody right exhausted. Just read a whole chapter about the history of a light bulb named Byron. Yeah.

Took a few days off from this to do library reorganization and necessary house chores.. I kinda want this over with. It's wild and readable but also likely not my thing. Let's power through.