Bleeding Edge - A Rolling Assessment

[Antonin Scriabin]

I think that *Inherent Vice *was significantly funnier, and more
entertaining.  *Bleeding Edge *has a lot of weak points, and is the only
Pynchon novel I really have mixed feelings about.  IV, COL49, and Vineland
all do much more with fewer pages.


On Mon, Sep 23, 2013 at 11:58 AM, Bekah <bekah0176 at sbcglobal.net> wrote:

> Paraphrasing what the Independent said, quoting the Irish times:  BE is
> not going to make any greatest novels lists but it's a heck of a lot of fun
> to read.
>
>
> http://www.independent.ie/entertainment/books-arts/pynchon-the-invisible-man-of-literature-emerges-again-29594931.html
>
> Imo,  regarding P's oeuvre,  it's somewhat above IV and below the others -
>  AtD,  M&D, GR, being top.
>
> I remember an enormous amount of disappointment when AtD,  and even M&D,
>  came out (as well as TCoL49 and Vineland).  Those books took awhile before
> they were really accepted as being "worthy" of Pynchon.    I don't think IV
> is really accepted yet - not on its own merits  (and I'm not all that happy
> with it, fwiw).   Imo,  folks keep looking to see a replay of GR - or
> nowadays,  AtD.  We get ourselves all hyped up (at least I do) and then the
> reality can't live up to it.   BE is what it is - a fun novel with some of
> P's old themes and allusions to his prior novels scattered throughout.
>  It's more along the lines of William Gibson only funnier, less angst.
>
> Bekah
>
>
>
> On Sep 23, 2013, at 7:53 AM, Carvill John <johncarvill at hotmail.com> wrote:
>
> > Ok well based on the below - my own comments plus Joe's - I'm suggesting
> this thread as a way of tracking our assessment of Bleeding Edge. I'm
> currently rating the book fairly low on the scale, but that will probably
> change (I hope so) and in all likelihood others' opinions will also
> oscillate over time, before finding their level.
> >
> > So I'm suggesting an ongoing discussion (spoiler free, at least for now)
> around how we feel about the new Pynchon novel overall.
> >
> > I feel sadness and anger when I see how Pynchon is treated in the
> mainstream press. As a lifelong Guardian reader, I was shocked (but not
> surprised) that a recent 'Arts Preview' feature failed to even mention
> Bleeding Edge in the literature section, and their review of the book (by
> Theo Tait) was a travesty. That said, around 100 pages into the book
> myself, I am beginning to have serious doubts about this one, doubts I
> never had about IV. Maybe I'll come out of this thinking that it's uneven,
> that it starts badly, but that overall it's as good as Inherent Vice (some
> would say that's no big claim but not me). Maybe others here are loving it
> from the off, or maybe began with great enthusiasm which then waned?
> >
> > I also expect these feelings to change as we move through the Group Read.
> >
> > So, opening bids please....
> >
> >
> >
> >
> > > From: brook7 at sover.net
> >
> > > That said after a slow reading of 10 chapters I am bouncing between
> extremes of amusement, intrigue and strong annoyance.
> >
> > > On Sep 23, 2013, at 4:33 AM, Carvill John wrote:
> >
> > > > I'll eventually be writing some sort of online review myself, and so
> far I'm worried about that. I'm 100 page in and thinking so far this is
> Pynchon's worst book by a mile. I have heard that it picks up and there
> have been a couple of decent passages thus far, but on the whole I am
> finding it quite annoying. If this wasn't Pynchon, I'd be rating this book,
> based on my progress so far, as 'poor'.
> >
> >
> >
> >
>
>
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