Probably the most unconventional novel I've ever read, Gravity's Rainbow is strangely compelling and simultaneously horrifying. I don't think I've ever been so fascinated by a work of fiction. It's not nearly as difficult to read as some might lead you to believe, but it's definitely not structured in a way that most readers would appreciate or understand initially. I couldn't put it down, but I can see how some might be frustrated by the vague structure of its plot and the seemingly endless streams of consciousness and characters. It requires a little more concentration to read than most, but well worth it. ( )

That’s it. I give up. Look, I’ve plowed through many books – good, bad, pathetic (think The Time Traveler’s Wife), insufferable, insert your favorite adjective here. I had to stop after 30 pages of Ulysses, but I realized I wasn’t in the frame of mind to properly read it and will return some day. But this complex piece of gobbledy-gook is not worth any more of my time. 329 of 759 pages and I give up. In fact, I gave up a month or two ago, but thought I might go back. This week I returned, and I just can’t get up the gumption to care. I checked some reviews to see what I might be missing. Seems I got the plot. What I didn’t get is why I should care about plunging my way through this Sargasso Sea of a novel to get to that plot or an understanding of the relevance it all has. And reading the reviews I learned that I missed the nuances within that sea – that the number of sections in each chapter matches the eternal equinox or some such psycho-babble. Maybe it’s all true – but I just don’t get it. And I just don’t want it. ( )

There is no denying that reading GRAVITY’S RAINBOW is an undertaking and I don't pretend to understand everything that Pynchon is up to in the novel. One thing is for sure though, it is a novel like no other. I still think about parts of the book all of the time... Not for the faint of heart, but well worth the effort. ( )

Between the autumn of 1944 and the spring of 1945 the Nazis bombarded London with V-2 rockets. Hundreds of V-2s hit London and thousands of Londoners were killed. The rockets travelled faster than sound so if you heard it, you’d survived.

It’s against this background of terror that Pynchon’s novel is set. Onto this historical starting point, Pynchon weaves increasingly bizarre and surreal flights of fancy as his hero, Tyrone Slothrop, pursues the secret of the V-2 across Europe and is in turn pursued by enemies and former allies alike.

Gravity’s Rainbow has a reputation as a ‘difficult’ book and it doesn’t take long to see why. It’s frequently difficult to work out who is speaking, who is narrating and where the scene is taking place. The narrative shifts in time without warning and the chronology is often unclear, as is the scene’s place in the overall plot. Oh, and the action regularly stops for song and dance numbers.

The book is split into four sections, each of which is further divided into episodes. The first section, set in London, introduces Slothrop and a supporting cast of scientists, agents and soldiers and is the easiest to understand. The second section has Slothrop transported to France where he is being spied on by his own side, apparently because the rocket is somehow connected to his libido. In the third section Slothrop is chased across The Zone as he hunts for a particular rocket. The fourth section draws everything together, after a fashion.

The book seemed to get more difficult as it went along, with section four being particularly baffling. Perhaps that was because of the density of the novel by that point - there are more than 400 characters - or perhaps I was just getting frustrated with my growing confusion.

Gravity’s Rainbow was my rollover book from 2008. I’d read about two thirds of it by the end of the year but didn’t have the time to devote to finishing it. It’s a book that requires and rewards concentration. Pynchon’s writing is stunning. I was constantly in awe of the way he shifted perspective throughout scenes - even when I didn’t know what this new perspective was. There’s a fluidity and a subtlety in the way Pynchon shifts his gaze that I’ve rarely seen from any other author.

He alters tone effortlessly too. As I’ve already mentioned, Gravity’s Rainbow is a musical, with characters frequently bursting into song and, occasionally, major dance routines breaking out. There are plenty of moments of comedy: I loved Slothrop ordeal by English sweets and the Nazi architect with the exploding cigar.

Inspired silliness is my strongest impression of the book but there is plenty of seriousness. Pynchon’s acknowledgement of the concentration camp labour used to build the V-2 is poignant without being cloying and there’s real anger in his treatment of the way major corporations got into bed with the Nazis.
Full review: http://www.26books.com/?p=549

I started reading this novel with the best intentions of paying attention and not losing track, but I caved in a few episodes into Part 3, at which point I increased the speed at which I turned the pages (and thus decreased my comprehension.) I can appreciate the many different voices speaking in this work, giving it a richness of colour not dissimilar to a good Rushdie novel; cultural and historical references are flung at the reader whenever a page is turned, all possibly worthy of looking into (being a mathematical physicist, I liked the accurate references to rocket engineering.) All in all, it seems I should return to this when I'm ready to invest the time and attention required. ( )