Richard Crawford

I came across Pynchon from watching "Inherent Vice", which, like GR has a meandering plot line, little character development and a largely meaningless denuement, but is saved by it's first class cast. On, then, to "V", and "Bleeding Edge" - both of which I enjoyed, the latter extremely so. I had bought Gravity's Rainbow but not got around to reading it until months later. I was particularly interested in the comments of the Pulitzer prize committee: "'unreadable,' 'turgid,' 'overwritten' and in parts 'obscene'" I have to concur. I managed to finish the book and took it on more as a task, but I gained little from it. The characters are many and unmemorable, the plot lines are either vague or obscure, and the author's constant reference to historical events and technical details smacks of narcissism. Moreover, what some portray as surrealism, just seems to point to a lack of understanding of the processes of narration. Disappointing and irritating.