Bdp,
"Gravity's Rainbow" is a great, great novel IMO, but be advised...
It's +/- 1200 pages long and can be a tough slog if you aren't familiar with Pynchon's MO. It might be a bit akin to reading "Finnegan's Wake" as your first shot at James Joyce.
I read the Pynchon novels more or less in chronological order, which is a good way to ease into his universe. However, the two preceding novels. "V" and "Crying of Lot 49" are quite not in the same league. "Lot 49" is short and great fun, tho, so I might start there, anyway.
Critics differ greatly on ranking the Pynchon novels (other than "Rainbow", which AFAIK is pretty much universally admired). I really love "Against The Day" but it's another very long, very complex way to start that Pynchon journey. You could also start with "Inherent Vice" (which was recently made into a movie by PT Anderson, where one of my favorite filmmakers meets my favorite novelist). It's an easier read and, even if it never reaches the heights of Pynchon's best stuff, it wouldn't be a bad place to start.
Even if it is sometimes a bit drug addled, the Pynchon novels are definitely my absolute favorite fiction in the world, so - Enjoy the trip! (pardon the pun).
"Gravity's Rainbow" is a great, great novel IMO, but be advised...
It's +/- 1200 pages long and can be a tough slog if you aren't familiar with Pynchon's MO. It might be a bit akin to reading "Finnegan's Wake" as your first shot at James Joyce.
I read the Pynchon novels more or less in chronological order, which is a good way to ease into his universe. However, the two preceding novels. "V" and "Crying of Lot 49" are quite not in the same league. "Lot 49" is short and great fun, tho, so I might start there, anyway.
Critics differ greatly on ranking the Pynchon novels (other than "Rainbow", which AFAIK is pretty much universally admired). I really love "Against The Day" but it's another very long, very complex way to start that Pynchon journey. You could also start with "Inherent Vice" (which was recently made into a movie by PT Anderson, where one of my favorite filmmakers meets my favorite novelist). It's an easier read and, even if it never reaches the heights of Pynchon's best stuff, it wouldn't be a bad place to start.
Even if it is sometimes a bit drug addled, the Pynchon novels are definitely my absolute favorite fiction in the world, so - Enjoy the trip! (pardon the pun).