A Naked Singularity - finished!

[Becky Lindroos]

I and many (most?) others agree that the manuscript needed an editor before being published by the Uni of Chicago.   I can’t even remember the story he told his niece (ha!),  but there were several parts I thought were simply extraneous.   Also,  there was too much space given to what were really digressive thoughts and ideas.   Casi thinks too much and Benitez seems not to think at all.   

I rather enjoyed the boxing parts and Googling the factoids.  It’s incredible that even with all this extra stuff included,  the narrative never really bogs down and that’s simply due to the smart and funny language. 

That next to the last chapter - about Casi's family afterwards talking about a new baby and love?   I think a minor theme was the closeness of immigrant or Hispanic families  (in contrast to the jungle of the DA’s office).   And I also think it’s supposed to give the reader hope that Casi won’t get into trouble again because he has strong roots there.  

That same chapter, btw,  has an epigraph which says,  “Nature and Nature’s Laws lay hid in Night: God said, 'Let Newton be!’  Alexander Pope”   -  and so everything gets happy and light - (night, darkness and confusion is the usual situation.)  -    

The actual last chapter was cool to me,  but the epigraph said,  “This epigraph is a lie.”  and tying up the ends was kind of fantastical.     

Becky 


> On Jan 11, 2017, at 1:06 PM, Keith Davis <kbob42 at gmail.com> wrote:
> 
> I didn't skip anything, but I thought the story he read to his niece was pretty much superfluous. I'm not a boxing fan, but found his writing about it pretty compelling, for the most part.
> The next to last chapter(?), near the end anyway, seemed a little extraneous, too. 
> Some of the dialogue is really hilarious.
> Overall, some tasteful editing would be good, but still a great read.  (I know I said that already.)
> 
> 
> Www.innergroovemusic.com
> 
>> On Jan 11, 2017, at 3:52 PM, Becky Lindroos <bekah0176 at sbcglobal.net> wrote:
>> 
>> The connection to boxing is pretty much thematic.  There’s nothing in the crime plot which really ties there.  But the connection to Dane’s search for perfection along with Casi’s troubles (loosely mirrored in the the career of Benitez) is what interested me.  It didn’t go really deep though.  By about 2/3rds of the way through I saw it and started really paying more attention.  
>> 
>> Becky 
>> 
>> 
>>> On Jan 11, 2017, at 12:18 PM, kelber at mindspring.com wrote:
>>> 
>>> I plead guilty to skimming the boxing digressions. I see in your review that they tie in at the end. Is it a quick, obvious tie-in, such as a "why we fight" or "we struggle because we must" sort of comment, or is there something thematically deeper? You don't actually have to give me a detailed answer - just feeling guilty for not paying more attention. :-)
>>> 
>>> Laura
>>> 
>>> -----Original Message-----
>>>> From: Becky Lindroos <bekah0176 at sbcglobal.net>
>>>> Sent: Jan 11, 2017 12:54 PM
>>>> To: pynchon -l <pynchon-l at waste.org>
>>>> Subject: A Naked Singularity  -  finished!  
>>>> 
>>>> Whew!   Brilliant book which could have used an editor - lol -  Loved it!   Thank you Pynchon-l because I doubt I would ever have come across it on my own.  
>>>> 
>>>> There’s a legal thriller tucked in here,  but it’s deeply woven into a systems/ideas novel.   My review:  https://beckylindroos.wordpress.com/012017-2/a-naked-singularity-by-sergio-de-la-pava/
>>>> 
>>>> Becky -
>>>> Pynchon-l / http://www.waste.org/mail/?list=pynchon-l
>> 
>> -
>> Pynchon-l / http://www.waste.org/mail/?list=pynchon-l

-
Pynchon-l / http://www.waste.org/mail/?list=pynchon-l