Book description
By far the shortest of Pynchon's great, dazzling novels - and one of the best.
Suffused with rich satire, chaotic brilliance, verbal turbulence and wild humour, The Crying of Lot 49 opens as Oedipa Maas discovers that she has been made executrix of a former lover's estate. The performance of…
Why read it?
3 authors picked The Crying of Lot 49 as one of their favorite books. Why do they recommend it?
This book taught me that you can surf the line between realism and the incredible (even the ridiculous). The main character, Oedipa Maas, is my favorite heroine because of her openness to every tantalizing possibility (and the possibilities keep ramifying infinitely).
Everything in this book is both fully a symbol and fully itself.
From Aaron's list on get you out of the box.
In this male-heavy list, this book refreshingly provides a female protagonist to follow into a maze with no discernable exit. Oedipa Maas is underwater from the outset as she wanders around California, the exact vector and identity of danger never quite clear (though it has something to do with warring, private postal services).
Like many post-modern, maximalist works, there are far too many abstract references to parse at the moment, but the overall ride is a delight just the same.
From Patrick's list on absurd humor, twisty plot, and a beating heart.
I love a good conspiracy story, and this is one of the whackiest, most original ever. Steeped in 1960s culture and packed with literary and pop-cultural references (and itself referenced by William Gibson, Star Trek, and Radiohead, amongst many others), the story follows Oedipa Maas as she tries to unravel a nefarious plot that spans the centuries.
Every time I reread the novel, I discover something new, and I’m sure I still don’t get even half of the allusions. The book is zany and funny, but I can’t help wondering whether this conspiracy might not have some basis in…
From Martin's list on novels to impress a cocktail party crowd.
If you love The Crying of Lot 49...
December on 5C4
Magical realism meets the magic of Christmas in this mix of Jewish, New Testament, and Santa stories–all reenacted in an urban psychiatric hospital!
On locked ward 5C4, Josh, a patient with many similarities to Jesus, is hospitalized concurrently with Nick, a patient with many similarities to Santa. The two argue…
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