crying

[Richard Moorman]

If you're having trouble getting started on "Gravity's Rainbow", I suggest
that you read some of the Good Parts first.  My favorite Good Part to throw
at people is the "Disgusting English Candy Drill" which encompasses a
section from page 114 to 120 of the 1973 Viking paperback edition.  I think
this page numbering is maintained in the current Penguin edition.  

A guy named John Singer used to read the Disgusting English Candy Drill
aloud at parties in the '80's, and it was a big hit.  

Start there.  If you like it the least little bit, go back to the beginning
and start ploughing into it.  Give it at least 100 pages before you drop it
for good, just like everyone else said.  

Keep it around for awhile.  I think it took me three or four tries to
really get going on it.  

To help keep the characters straight and the "events" of the novel from all
smushing together, I finally printed out "Some Things That 'Happen' (More
or Less) in Gravity's Rainbow":

http://www.williams.edu:803/Individuals/mbell/RAINBOW.HTM

But you might want to skip that until the second or third time around.  THe
first time you might want to just kind of wallow around in it.