Dave F. said...{Expletives, many of them, deleted} I won't be able to discuss the book today. I have a truck in a sinkhole to deal with. I liked the book and I think I heard it's being discussed as a film... AINT IT COOL NEWS has the story:
http://www.aintitcool.com/node/47639 There's also a video of Pynchon talking about the book that's worth a lookie-see.
Evil Editor said...Welcome, chattel.
Zachary Gole said...Didn't quite manage to finish the book, unfortunately (for the same reason I haven't been here the last week or two -- first focused on finishing my NaNoWriMo novel, and then taking some time off for decompression), but I got through most of it (and still intend to read the rest, even if I didn't get to it in time for the chat). I admit at first it didn't really grab me, and I thought it was going to be a bit of a slog, but around page 22, when the protagonist is arrested by Bigfoot, it started getting interesting to me. I'd never read anything by Pynchon before... he was on my (very long) list of authors I figured I ought to be more familiar with and planned to read someday.
Evil Editor said...I thought this was well done. Take the noir detective novel like The Maltese Falcon or The Big Sleep, and set it in the drug era in California with a hippie Private Eye...I was liking it until a chapter that I think was an acid trip, which lost me for a while, but then I got back into it. Lots of characters, some of whom are gone so long I can barely remember who they were, but the main character(s) were great and the plot was ingenious. No idea if I'd like other Pynchon, as this isn't his normal genre and style, but I may read this again one day.
Zachary Gole said...Yeah; like I said, it didn't grab me at first, but that may be just because it's not a genre I usually read, so it took me a while to get into it. Once I did get into it, I enjoyed it; I tend to like stories that involve a lot of diverse characters whose paths keep crossing in different ways, and there were always enough questions still unanswered to keep the anticipation high. I especially liked the complicated relationship between Doc and Bigfoot... or actually, when it comes to it, between pretty much any pair of characters who interacted significantly. There weren't really any straightforward friendships or foeships here; the interactions between characters tended to be a more complex mix of cooperation, rivalry, and one-upsmanship.
Evil Editor said...Normally we have half a dozen people who remember to show up. Guess they're out Christmas shopping. Yes, the Bigfoot/Doc relationship (which you probably haven't reached the end of) is the one that stands out.
Zachary Gole said...The acid trip bit (if it's the one I think you're referring to) threw me a little too, because it was the first fantastic element in what had till then been a story that, while perhaps not strictly speaking entirely grounded in reality, was at least free of any element of the supernatural. And it seemed a little late in the book to be suddenly throwing something like that in. But yeah, it was a bump in the road, but it didn't derail the book completely for me.
Evil Editor said...Can't imagine the LAPD liking the book. They took a hit in LA Confidential among others. They used to have a good rep in the Dragnet days.
Zachary Gole said...Hm... since it's a period piece, though, I don't know whether the LAPD would find it quite as bothersome as if it were set in the present day. Sure, it portrays the LAPD as having been corrupt in the sixties, but that's not quite the same thing as explicitly claiming they're so corrupt now. Still, yeah, not exactly complimentary.
Evil Editor said...I liked the massive number of references to movies, TV shows, music. Hawaii 5-0, Gilligan's Island, Beach Boys. Helped keep it grounded in its time. Took a lot of research, I'm sure, making sure he didn't screw up.
Zachary Gole said...Yeah, the amount of research that would have to go into a period piece like this is impressive. There's the geography, too; I live in the Los Angeles area, so I was familiar with most of the locations he described (though I'm sure they've changed a lot in the last forty years), and there was nothing that struck me as obviously off.
Evil Editor said...I guess it's kinda silly having a chat with just two, so I suggest we let those who couldn't make it submit their comments at their convenience. Possibly we'll try a weekday for the next one. Having finished the book about five minutes before the chat, and you not having finished it, I'm sure we'll think of more things to say with time. And others will chime in.
Zachary Gole said...Yeah, a two-person chat does seem sort of silly, and rather than strain for things to say to keep the chat going, it's probably best to leave it as you suggest. Maybe there'll be more people next time...
Evil Editor said...Sorry your first chat wasn't more fun, Zachary. The next one will be better, as everyone will feel guilty about missing this one.
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stacy said...S%^&!!!!!!!!!!!!!I just moved back to Chicago and in my mind I'm still on Eastern time. So sorry! Guilt is right. I hope you come back, Zachary!
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As you can see, my cat says Hello.
