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Gravity's Rainbow

Gravity's Rainbow

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  • Create Date：2021-04-24 14:55:46
  • Update Date：2025-09-06
  • Status：finish
  • Author：Thomas Pynchon
  • ISBN：0099511754
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Summary

We could tell you the year is 1944， that the main character is called Tyrone Slothrop and that he has a problem because bombs are falling across Europe and crashing to earth at the exact locations of his sexual conquests。 But that doesn't really begin to cover it。

Reading this book is like falling down a rabbit hole into an outlandish， sinister， mysterious， absurd， compulsive netherworld。 As the Financial Times said， 'you must forget earlier notions about life and letters and even the Novel。' Forty years since publication， Gravity's Rainbow has lost none of its power to enthral。

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Reviews

Andrew Rohrman ，

Gravity’s Rainbow or: How I Learned to Trust Nobody and Start Fucking Everyone and Everything I See

Nathan Ethridge ，

Some people hike Mount Everest， others read Gravity's Rainbow。 Either way， both are an act of sadism where the pleasure is in "the journey" （and the building up to it）， not the corpse littered， but scenic， destination。 If you feel a sense of emptiness or loss instead of the expected euphoria， then you probably did it right。 If you've completed Gravity's Rainbow then congrats， you just finished one of the most difficult achievements in literature and didn't die on the hill - I'm sure a few of you Some people hike Mount Everest， others read Gravity's Rainbow。 Either way， both are an act of sadism where the pleasure is in "the journey" （and the building up to it）， not the corpse littered， but scenic， destination。 If you feel a sense of emptiness or loss instead of the expected euphoria， then you probably did it right。 If you've completed Gravity's Rainbow then congrats， you just finished one of the most difficult achievements in literature and didn't die on the hill - I'm sure a few of you even made it back down。 A lifetime of gathering an encyclopedic knowledge of the world and everything in it （plus a bit of rocket science） will never prepare you enough for this experience， so if you haven't read it yet because you're intimidated， my advice is to jump in and take the ride。。。 just don't ask the driver where you're going or how you'll get there。 。。。more

Hikio123 ，

The story is a bit hard to follow。 It's pretty much a book that you have to read twice to really get what the story is about， or what the events are going for。 I really didn't like some of the random sex scenes， which I failed to see what the point of them were other than shock value。 The characters don't really feel fleshed out， they appear， then disappear， and its hard to tell why they were there to begin with。 The story is a bit hard to follow。 It's pretty much a book that you have to read twice to really get what the story is about， or what the events are going for。 I really didn't like some of the random sex scenes， which I failed to see what the point of them were other than shock value。 The characters don't really feel fleshed out， they appear， then disappear， and its hard to tell why they were there to begin with。 。。。more

Patty Carroll ，

Only just started。 Picked it up because it was assailed as the book of the decade。 This author uses more words than a dictionary to describe and event or a view。 But i'm committed。 Only just started。 Picked it up because it was assailed as the book of the decade。 This author uses more words than a dictionary to describe and event or a view。 But i'm committed。 。。。more

Barksdale Penick ，

I listened to this book and enjoyed， although I often was lost in the numerous plot threads， so I decided to read it print and guess what--I was still lost quite often。 I suspect Gravity's Rainbow is like Ulysses--you would really have to have a careful guide to understand all that is going on。 But the overall arc of the story is clear enough。 Our hero Tyrone Slothrope sleeps with many women in London during the end of WWII， and within a few days of every encounter a German V-2 rocket lands in t I listened to this book and enjoyed， although I often was lost in the numerous plot threads， so I decided to read it print and guess what--I was still lost quite often。 I suspect Gravity's Rainbow is like Ulysses--you would really have to have a careful guide to understand all that is going on。 But the overall arc of the story is clear enough。 Our hero Tyrone Slothrope sleeps with many women in London during the end of WWII， and within a few days of every encounter a German V-2 rocket lands in the area。 This comes to the attention of intelligence services， who inanely and incompetently and venially try to understand this phenomenon。 Tyrone ends up on a quest for information about the rocket， leading him wandering through the wreckage of Europe in the immediate aftermath of WWII。Pynchon flashes his command of so many areas--filmmaking， music， chemistry， physics， weaponry， German military life， religious history--the list seems endless--as he leads us through a welter of people， places and situations。 There is so much sex and so many drugs it is hard to credit the story， but I guess we aren't meant to。 It is also often so funny--laugh out loud funny。 I was commenting to my wife that I didn't understand why there was all manner and so much detail about sexual perversion and she asked--Was there bestiality？ And to that point there hadn't been， but the next time I picked up the book I found a lonely Tyrone wandering through sunny fields with a lovely sow and I thought here it comes。。。 But spoiler alert--Tyrone and the sow remain just good friends。 But is seemed as if Pynchon knew the reader would be wondering about how far the perversion would go and so set up that scene right there。When he chooses， Pynchon can write a clear and direct story， where all is clear。 Why then he packed so much diverse and extraneous material is a mystery to me that I will probably never solve。 I also loved he way casual American slang is tossed in throughout when Tyrone answers this or that person--it seems so natural as it comes out。Quite a book， but not for everyone and I probably would hesitate to recommend it。 But I am glad I went through it and will probably read some other Pynchon to see if he stayed a little more directly on course in other works。 。。。more

Molly Misek ，

To quote a line from the book itself: “It is difficult to perceive just what the f*ck is happening here。” But it’s worth the investment。

Jules ，

Before attempting to read this book， I recommend briefly peaking at the negative reviews。 They are good warnings。This is not a book for everyone， and I don't think I would have enjoyed it had I not had it on my list for awhile， and if I hadn't read other things in my life that mentally prepared me。 The Three Body Problem， The Book of The Law， The Book of Lies， Prometheus and Atlas， White Noise。。。 and a well timed question "I wonder what were Thomas Pynchon's sources？"The book is LONG。 It took me Before attempting to read this book， I recommend briefly peaking at the negative reviews。 They are good warnings。This is not a book for everyone， and I don't think I would have enjoyed it had I not had it on my list for awhile， and if I hadn't read other things in my life that mentally prepared me。 The Three Body Problem， The Book of The Law， The Book of Lies， Prometheus and Atlas， White Noise。。。 and a well timed question "I wonder what were Thomas Pynchon's sources？"The book is LONG。 It took me four months to get through。 The book reads like a cyphered text。 You have to just read it， like poetry， or mummery， that goes on tangents， and be prepared to have google or your smartphone nearby to look up Pynchon's impressive vernacular and historical references。 You start to get the hang of the flow， and though there are hundreds of characters， only two dozen or so really command retention。 Tyrone Slothrop is the story's primary protagonist。 A lot of the names are like names from Charles Dickens novels， some are puns or may refer to character traits or themes within the novel。I also have "A Gravity's Rainbow Companion: Sources and Contexts for Pynchon's Novel" by Steven Weisenburger， but I didn't use it。 I wouldn't read a full plot synopsis and analysis to a David Lynch film like Mulholland Drive before my first viewing。。。 so I abstained from using a Gravity's Rainbow rosetta stone for my first reading。Glad I was open to it and had a lot of fun。 Super weird and surreal。 The book is an experience and an exercise that is almost hypnotic。 It will make you laugh at times， make you question and curious， and maybe even change the way you look at and think about the world。 。。。more

Bryce Johnson ，

Life is too short。 Wow。 Maybe I'll have more patience in twenty years， when I'm retired or something。 Life is too short。 Wow。 Maybe I'll have more patience in twenty years， when I'm retired or something。 。。。more

diem。dedalus ，

Il romanzo massimalista dispiega la narrazione enciclopedica dove， come nel caso di Pynchon， la letteratura si incontra con la missilistica， la teoria dei sistemi， la psicologia behaviorista， e in generale， con le scienze matematiche e fisiche。 Lo scenario – si fa per dire – è quello della Seconda guerra mondiale， la cospirazione paranoica fa il resto: indecifrabili operazioni occulte ordite da temibili multinazionali mosse esclusivamente dalla sete di potere del capitale incarnano il deus ex ma Il romanzo massimalista dispiega la narrazione enciclopedica dove， come nel caso di Pynchon， la letteratura si incontra con la missilistica， la teoria dei sistemi， la psicologia behaviorista， e in generale， con le scienze matematiche e fisiche。 Lo scenario – si fa per dire – è quello della Seconda guerra mondiale， la cospirazione paranoica fa il resto: indecifrabili operazioni occulte ordite da temibili multinazionali mosse esclusivamente dalla sete di potere del capitale incarnano il deus ex machina di ogni fenomeno del mondo。 La paranoia diviene il motore che tutto muove， autentico contrassegno del postmoderno。 E poi， cosa resta？ La droga， per esempio。 L'Arcobaleno della Gravità è stato scritto durante la più grande stagione psichedelica degli anni sessanta， e le stesse istanze di quel movimento influenzano l'intera architettura dell'opera， o meglio: l'Arcobaleno stesso sembra scritto in uno stato misticheggiante indotto da visioni multiple e multicolori， a metà tra LSD， psilocibina e Ayahuasca consumati contemporaneamente。 È lo stesso Pynchon a intrattenersi nel corso della narrazione sugli effetti della "droga" capace di liberare dal dolore， e dotata di un potere rivelatorio， come nei passaggi in cui si parla dell'Onirina e della Metonirina， nella ricerca condotta da Laszlo Jamf。 Il cuore del romanzo andrebbe ricercato proprio qui: nella possibilità di un rinascimento psichedelico， come espansione mistica della coscienza， potenziamento delle percezioni; raggiungere una dimensione autentica dell'esistente velata dal baccano comunicativo e dalla complessità del mondo moderno。 Ciò che si realizza all'interno di questo monumento è una ricerca per la ricerca， come scrive Pynchon in uno dei passaggi chiave: "Da qualche parte， fra i rifiuti e le scorie del mondo， si nasconde la chiave che ci riporterà alla nostra Terra， ci restituirà alla nostra libertà"。 E poi， certo， c'è il razzo – apocatastasi finale， disintegrazione totale， estinzione –， Tyrone Slothrop， i suoi riflessi condizionati che determinano le erezioni isteriche， le piovre giganti， l'Ora Radiosa di Marcel – alla ricerca del。。。 –: l'ascesi dell'umanità intera， "il mostro finale"。 。。。more

Matt ，

An *insane* accomplishment。 The rocket as yin and yang。 On the one hand， we desire true human immortality and seek it through space exploration。 On the other hand， we desire true human extinction and seek it through nuclear weaponry。 What stops the rocket from human extinction？ The desire to explore the unknown of space？ Or the strain of the human mind toward external control， the reach into the fabric of gravity and light， the only two substances capable of stopping the nuclear act once initiat An *insane* accomplishment。 The rocket as yin and yang。 On the one hand， we desire true human immortality and seek it through space exploration。 On the other hand， we desire true human extinction and seek it through nuclear weaponry。 What stops the rocket from human extinction？ The desire to explore the unknown of space？ Or the strain of the human mind toward external control， the reach into the fabric of gravity and light， the only two substances capable of stopping the nuclear act once initiated。 Can Slothrop transform an irregular power for prediction into a triumphant rooting into connectedness so severely complete that he would be able to protect his fellow citizens from his fellow citizens？The story circles around Slothrop's adventures and the original destructive rocket， Rocket 00000。 I believe the rocket represents human libido and the destructive ambition of the death drive。 I believe Slothrop represents the ordinary human and how no matter what unique power you may have， you are powerless to the human desire for void。 。。。more

Mark Stencik ，

Gravity’s Rainbow is a Hermetic tome and the deeper you dig， the more that is revealed。 The underlying theme of the novel is the transformation of force and the Hermetic principle of Polarity。 Part one is titled “Beyond the Zero” and the twenty one chapters that follow are a direct reference to the Major Arcana of the Tarot， which are numbered zero （the fool） to 21 （the World）。 “Beyond the Zero” is also a reference to the Qabalistic Tree of Life。 You can think of the Tree as a map of higher stat Gravity’s Rainbow is a Hermetic tome and the deeper you dig， the more that is revealed。 The underlying theme of the novel is the transformation of force and the Hermetic principle of Polarity。 Part one is titled “Beyond the Zero” and the twenty one chapters that follow are a direct reference to the Major Arcana of the Tarot， which are numbered zero （the fool） to 21 （the World）。 “Beyond the Zero” is also a reference to the Qabalistic Tree of Life。 You can think of the Tree as a map of higher states of consciousness starting with 1 or Kether down to 10 Malkuth or the material plane。 But there is a higher and more abstract idea veiled above Kether， the primal “NO-THING” or AIN， which is beyond our comprehension。 "Beyond the Zero" leads with the quote， “Nature does not know extinction; all it knows is transformation。” The transformation of energy into new creations of matter is the objective of the magician （and scientist）。 And this is where Tyrone Slothrop enters the narrative。 Slothrop appears to get erections before a V-2 rocket falls on a particular site， related to experiments conducted on him as an infant by Laszlo Jamf in a deal struck by his father to pay for his Harvard education。 Slothrop is pure sexual energy （Kundalini）， and he is a weapon of destruction or liberator depending upon your creative use。According to the Hermetic Kybalion， the principle of Polarity states that everything is dual and has poles， where the opposites at those poles are identical in nature， but different in degree; hence all truths are but half-truths and all paradoxes may be reconciled。 A black and white example of the use of this Principle are the characters of Weismann （or “white man”） and Enzian and the Schwazkommando （or “black command”）。 In Part 3 “In the Zone”， there are 32 chapters which represent the 32 paths or intelligences on the Tree of Life。 Here， the Swarzkommando learn their real Destiny is to be the “scholar-magicians of the Zone。” They are to decipher the "Text" and understand the transformation of energy from the rockets was not for war and destruction， which is on the surface a distraction for the Preterite stuck in the material consciousness of Malkuth。 Instead their destiny is to discover the Key to the transformation of technology to be put to use for the benefit and ascension of mankind。 Enzian and the black German soldiers that were once under Colonial rule by white Germany are the dawning of the new age。 Whereas the destiny of Weissmann or the “white man” is revealed in his Tarot reading。 Weissmann's card is "Covered by" Key 16， the Tower。 In this Key， the Tower comes crashing down by a bolt of lightning for Weissmann symbolizes old Europe and the building of “security” through colonialism and expansion through war。 The Tower of Babel like Europe itself has collapsed built by bricks of lies。The first part of GR is concerned with mapping the destruction of the V-2 rocket。 Part 4 “the Counterforce” is a direct reference to the opposite or counter pole of the V-2 rocket， the building and launch of the 00000 rocket。 The 00000 is launched with Gottfried in its womb。 Pynchon explains the rocket countdown starting with "10-9-8…1，" originating in the Fritz Lang film， Die Frau im Mond， and then details that this is in direct correspondence to the Tree of Life and the return back to the Creator starting in the material 10th Sphere of Malkuth and working up to the 1st Sphere of Kether。 Gottfried inside the rocket and the launch countdown infers the coming space age birthed from the same war technology of the V-2 that destroyed Europe。 The V-2 represents sexual release on a lower plane and the death and destruction of war; whereas the 00000 represents the literal and symbolic lift off the material plan of earth and an elevation of the sexual energy to higher planes of consciousness。 Thus confirming the new age of man is upon us。 。。。more

Monica Meagher ，

Had some interesting thoughts and storylines but it felt as long as it is at times。

Jaime Sánchez ，

Anarchic nonsense 。。。 I have to admit I cheated and just started jumping randomly forward。 After over 100 pages I was still wondering what the book was really about beyond these sorts of micro stories somehow connected。 The bits I read after did not cleared or changed that view。 The end， didn’t either。 I really understand why they made guides to read it。 But is definitely not a book I would ready for fun。

Sally Grey ，

I tried the audio version and after a couple of hours I didn’t care to listen further。 No hook for me at all。 I tried。 Glad I didn’t have to hold the printed volume to read it。

Nolan Rabine ，

Yup， worth it。

Dylan McMahon ，

It's difficult to say much of anything about this masterpiece that hasn't already been said。 Yes， it's absurd， and crass， and encyclopedic。 Yes， it's maximalist in sensibilities and international in plot and scope。 It's "super difficult" （which we'll address later）。 So what？ But here's what they don't tell you:This book is an absolute blast to read。It's hilarious， for one。 From crass sex jokes， sardonic references to World War 2 （A Japanese man decides to wait out the war in Hiroshima。。。 Guess h It's difficult to say much of anything about this masterpiece that hasn't already been said。 Yes， it's absurd， and crass， and encyclopedic。 Yes， it's maximalist in sensibilities and international in plot and scope。 It's "super difficult" （which we'll address later）。 So what？ But here's what they don't tell you:This book is an absolute blast to read。It's hilarious， for one。 From crass sex jokes， sardonic references to World War 2 （A Japanese man decides to wait out the war in Hiroshima。。。 Guess how that goes？） stupid puns （a hall dedicated to experimenting on dogs is called the Abreaction Research Facility。 ARF for short。 Dogs？ ARF？ Get it？）， and full on farcical slapstick （Battles with evil octopuses！ Falling through trees！ Monkeys barfing on ships！）， this book was among the funniest I've ever read。 Of course， running parallel to the hilarity of Gravity's Rainbow is horror。 The paranoia and fear of this book is palpable; as you read of societies so consumed by erotic dreams of death， destruction， and weapons with which we wage both， that their very architecture is inspired by the arcs of rockets， you feel the twinge of anxiety run through you。 Some sections of this book are legitimately terrifying。 That schizophrenic tone， Pynchon's facing of genocide and eventual extinction with a smile and a song， that makes this book special。 It really is a shame that this is regarded as "way too difficult" or "challenging"。 Yes， there are some parts here that are abstruse beyond belief， passages that will make you scratch your head。 But running alongside this are limericks （This book is in many ways a musical！）， surprisingly emotional side stories that acknowledge the horrific legacy of World War 2， and so， so much more， that will keep you going。 It's inexhaustible; it's a bottomless book that you will never tire of。Trust me: this is worth your time。 Learn to stop living and love the book。 READ IT！ 。。。more

Tom Buske ，

I'll have to think about this book for a while before I talk about it。 I'll have to think about this book for a while before I talk about it。 。。。more

Sandy ，

Turn away now！！ You may be young and naaive like i was and may think this book sounds great！ IT'S NOT。 Please if you did not grow up in the 1940's and do mushrooms and speed this book is not for you。 I hope i was just out of my element because so many people love this book。 And I honest to god hated it。 With every fiber of my being。 Turn away now！！ You may be young and naaive like i was and may think this book sounds great！ IT'S NOT。 Please if you did not grow up in the 1940's and do mushrooms and speed this book is not for you。 I hope i was just out of my element because so many people love this book。 And I honest to god hated it。 With every fiber of my being。 。。。more

Evin Grody ，

Would also leave no stars: picked this up as a "Classic I 'should' read" but it's ludicrous， dense， and there is so much more out there that is so much more enjoyable to read and actually knows 1） what a woman is and 2） how to write about them。 Did not even come close to finishing: life is too short。 Just put down the shitty book and find something pleasant to read。 Would also leave no stars: picked this up as a "Classic I 'should' read" but it's ludicrous， dense， and there is so much more out there that is so much more enjoyable to read and actually knows 1） what a woman is and 2） how to write about them。 Did not even come close to finishing: life is too short。 Just put down the shitty book and find something pleasant to read。 。。。more

Dennis Rudnicki ，

There's nothing to say but pure genius。 Tommy P is the man。 There's nothing to say but pure genius。 Tommy P is the man。 。。。more

Syd ，

Dense， ambitious， difficult。 After a few false-starts I finally gave the time and devotion needed to finish this magnum opus of the most challenging proportions。 Every page is a plot worthy of it's own novel。 Every sentence needs submission。 Over 400 mechanical characters who lack warmth and life but are pieces on an impossible chess board in a game of nuance and depth。 It's maddening and frustrating yet intriguing and beautiful。 The novel's final sentence fits onto its first， making the book a Dense， ambitious， difficult。 After a few false-starts I finally gave the time and devotion needed to finish this magnum opus of the most challenging proportions。 Every page is a plot worthy of it's own novel。 Every sentence needs submission。 Over 400 mechanical characters who lack warmth and life but are pieces on an impossible chess board in a game of nuance and depth。 It's maddening and frustrating yet intriguing and beautiful。 The novel's final sentence fits onto its first， making the book a thing to be continually reread。 Not today。 。。。more

Brett Glasscock ，

more than anything， it was just kind of boring。 also almost everyone in this book is a pedophile。

Barbara Andreotti ，

There's a quote in the book that I think summarizes very well my feelings about this book: "What？" ~ R。 Nixon There's a quote in the book that I think summarizes very well my feelings about this book: "What？" ~ R。 Nixon 。。。more

Nick Carraway LLC ，

[cw spoilers， language， sui]1） "A screaming comes across the sky。 It has happened before， but there is nothing to compare it to now。It is too late。 The Evacuation still proceeds， but it's all theatre。 There are no lights inside the cars。 No light anywhere。 Above him lift girders old as an iron queen， and glass somewhere far above that would let the light of day through。 But it's night。 He's afraid of the way the glass will fall—soon—it will be a spectacle: the fall of a crystal palace。 But comin [cw spoilers， language， sui]1） "A screaming comes across the sky。 It has happened before， but there is nothing to compare it to now。It is too late。 The Evacuation still proceeds， but it's all theatre。 There are no lights inside the cars。 No light anywhere。 Above him lift girders old as an iron queen， and glass somewhere far above that would let the light of day through。 But it's night。 He's afraid of the way the glass will fall—soon—it will be a spectacle: the fall of a crystal palace。 But coming down in total blackout， without one glint of light， only great invisible crashing。"2） " [。。。] Lord Blatherard Osmo was able at last to devote all of his time to Novi Pazar。 Early in 1939， he was discovered mysteriously suffocated in a bathtub full of tapioca pudding， at the home of a Certain Viscountess。 Some have seen in this the hand of the Firm。 Months passed， World War II started， years passed， nothing was heard from Novi Pazar。 Pirate Prentice had saved Europe from the Balkan Armageddon the old men dreamed of， giddy in their beds with its grandeur—though not from World War II， of course。 But by then， the Firm was allowing Pirate only tiny homeopathic doses of peace， just enough to keep his defenses up， but not enough for it to poison him。"3） "She's worth nothing to them now。 They were after Schußstelle 3。 She gave them everything else， but kept finding reasons not to pinpoint the Captain's rocket site， and there is too much doubt by now as to how good the reasons were。 True， the site was often moved about。 But she could've been placed no closer to the decision-making: it was her own expressionless servant's face that leaned in over their schnapps and cigars， the charts coffee-ringed across the low tables， the cream papers stamped purple as bruised flesh。 Wim and the others have invested time and lives—three Jewish families sent east—though wait now， she's more than balanced it， hasn't she， in the months out at Scheveningen？ They were kids， neurotic， lonely， pilots and crews they all loved to talk， and she's fed back who knows how many reams' worth of Most Secret flimsies across the North Sea， hasn't she， squadron numbers， fueling stops， spin-recovery techniques and turning radii， power settings， radio channels， sectors， traffic patterns hasn't she？ What more do they want？ She asks this seriously， as if there's a real conversion factor between information and lives。 Well， strange to say， there is。 Written down in the Manual， on file at the War Department。 Don't forget the real business of the War is buying and selling。 The murdering and the violence are self-policing， and can be entrusted to non-professionals。 The mass nature of wartime death is useful in many ways。 It serves as spectacle， as diversion from the real movements of the War。 It provides raw material to be recorded into History， so that children may be taught History as sequences of violence， battle after battle， and be more prepared for the adult world。 Best of all， mass death's a stimulus to just ordinary folks， little fellows， to try 'n' grab a piece of that Pie while they're still here to gobble it up。 The true war is a celebration of markets。 Organic markets， carefully styled 'black' by the professionals， spring up everywhere。 Scrip， Sterling， Reichsmarks continue to move， severe as classical ballet， inside their antiseptic marble chambers。 But out here， down here among the people， the truer currencies come into being。 So， Jews are negotiable。 Every bit as negotiable as cigarettes， cunt， or Hershey bars。"4） "'You were in London，' she will presently whisper， turning back to her wheel and spinning it again， face averted， womanly twisting the night-streaked yarn of her past， 'while they were coming down。 I was in 's Gravenhage'—fricatives sighing， the name spoken with exile's lingering—'while they were going up。 Between you and me is not only a rocket trajectory， but also a life。 You will come to understand that between the two points， in the five minutes， it lives an entire life。 You haven't even learned the data on our side of the flight profile， the visible or trackable。 Beyond them there's so much more， so much none of us know。。。。'But it is a curve each of them feels， unmistakably。 It is the parabola。 They must have guessed， once or twice—guessed and refused to believe—that everything， always， collectively， had been moving toward that purified shape latent in the sky， that shape of no surprise， no second chances， no return。 Yet they do move forever under it， reserved for its own black-and-white bad news certainly as if it were the Rainbow， and they its children。。。"5） "She has moved away， releasing his cock into the cold room。 'What's it like in London， Slothrop？ When the rockets come down？''What？' After fucking he usually likes to lie around， just smoke a cigarette， think about food， 'Uh， you don't know it's there till it's there。 Gee， till after it's there。 If it doesn't hit you， then you're O。K。 till the next one。 If you hear the explosion， you know you must be alive。''That's how you know you're alive。''Right。' She sits up， pulling underpants back up and skirt back down， goes to the mirror， starts rearranging her hair。 'Let's hear the boundary-layer temperatures。 While you're getting dressed。'"6） "Just for the knife-edge， here in the Rue Rossini， there comes to Slothrop the best feeling dusk in a foreign city can bring: just where the sky's light balances the electric lamplight in the street， just before the first star， some promise of events without cause， surprises， a direction at right angles to every direction his life has been able to find up till now。"7） "We are safely past the days of the Eis-Heiligen-St。 Pancratius， St。 Servatius， St。 Bonifacius， die kalte Sophie。。。 they hover in clouds above the vineyards， holy beings of ice， ready with a breath， an intention， to ruin the year with frost and cold。 In certain years， especially War years， they are short on charity， peevish， smug in their power: not quite saintly or even Christian。 The prayers of growers， pickers and wine enthusiasts must reach them， but there's no telling how the ice-saints feel—coarse laughter， pagan annoyance， who understands this rear-guard who preserve winter against the revolutionaries of May？They found the countryside， this year， at peace by a scant few days。 Already vines are beginning to grow back over dragon's teeth， fallen Stukas， burned tanks。 The sun warms the hillsides， the rivers fall bright as wine。 The saints have refrained。 Nights have been mild。 The frost didn't come。 It is the spring of peace。 The vintage， God granting at least a hundred days of sun， will be fine。"8） "'So Marvy was right。 They didn't disarm you guys。''They didn't know where to find us。 We were a surprise。 There are even now powerful factions in Paris who don't believe we exist。 And most of the time I'm not so sure myself。''How's that？''Well， I think we're here， but only in a statistical way。 Something like that rock over there is just about 100% certain—it knows it's there， so does everybody else。 But our own chances of being right here right now are only a little better than even—the slightest shift in the probabilities and we're gone—schnapp！ like that。"'Peculiar talk， Oberst。'"9） "Kekulé dreams the Great Serpent holding its own tail in its mouth， the dreaming Serpent which surrounds the World。 But the meanness， the cynicism with which this dream is to be used。 The Serpent that announces， 'The World is a closed thing， cyclical， resonant， eternally-returning，' is to be delivered into a system whose only aim is to violate the Cycle。 Taking and not giving back， demanding that 'productivity' and 'earnings' keep on increasing with time， the System removing from the rest of the World these vast quantities of energy to keep its own tiny desperate fraction showing a profit: and not only most of humanity—most of the World， animal， vegetable and mineral， is laid waste in the process。 The System may or may not understand that it's only buying time。 And that time is an artificial resource to begin with， of no value to anyone or anything but the System， which sooner or later must crash to its death， when its addiction to energy has become more than the rest of the World can supply， dragging with it innocent souls all along the chain of life。 Living inside the System is like riding across the country in a bus driven by a maniac bent on suicide。。。"10） "Gomera was the last piece of land Columbus touched before America。 Did he hear them too， that last night？ Did they have a message for him？ A warning？ Could he understand the prescient goatherds in the dark， up in the Canarian holly and the faya， gone dead green in the last sunset of Europe？"11） "You will want cause and effect。 All right。"12） "It all poises here。 Passageways of routine， still cogent enough， still herding us through time。。。 the iron rockets waiting outside。。。 the birth-scream of the latest spring torn across rainy miles of Saxony， route-sides littered with last envelopes， stripped gears， seized bearings， rotted socks and skivvies fragrant now with fungus and mud。 If there is still hope for Gottfried here in this wind-beat moment， then there is hope elsewhere。 The scene itself must be read as a card: what is to come。 Whatever has happened since to the figures in it （roughly drawn in soiled white， army gray， spare as a sketch on a ruined wall） it is preserved， though it has no name， and， like The Fool， no agreed assignment in the deck。"13） "The black faces pass by， mba-kayere， some glancing at him curiously， others too involved with their own exhaustion， or with keeping a tight guard on a covered wagon containing the warhead section of the 00001。 Enzian on his motorcycle stops for a moment， mba-kayere， to talk to the scarred， unshaven white。 They're in the middle of the bridge。 They talk broken German。 Tchitcherine manages to hustle half a pack of American cigarettes and three raw potatoes。 The two men nod， not quite formally， not quite smiling， Enzian puts his bike in gear and returns to his journey。 Tchitcherine lights a cigarette， watching them down the road， shivering in the dusk。 Then he goes back to his young girl beside the stream。 They will have to locate some firewood before all the light is gone。This is magic。 Sure—but not necessarily fantasy。 Certainly not the first time a man has passed his brother by， at the edge of the evening， often forever， without knowing it。" 。。。more

Ned Bartlett ，

I was physically shaking with excitement coming into the last few pages of this book - pure ecstasy at having finally finished it。 Unfortunately， I knew within about 50 pages that it really wasn’t going to be my cup of tea， but even that was a huge understatement。 This work， to me， is clearly written by someone with a very unhealthy relationship with strong narcotics - written at a time when nonsense like this could win national book prizes。I simply can’t understand how an author/editor could re I was physically shaking with excitement coming into the last few pages of this book - pure ecstasy at having finally finished it。 Unfortunately， I knew within about 50 pages that it really wasn’t going to be my cup of tea， but even that was a huge understatement。 This work， to me， is clearly written by someone with a very unhealthy relationship with strong narcotics - written at a time when nonsense like this could win national book prizes。I simply can’t understand how an author/editor could read back over a month’s writing， read an excerpt of this， and say in all good faith “that’s excellent”。 Far from being relaxing to read， it’s a highly stressful experience。 I couldn’t， in good faith， ever recommend something like this to anyone， and if I did I would be because I’d clearly be keen to remove them from my radar。 While I half-enjoyed the opening gambits about being able to predict the distribution of bombs falling but not being able to predict where the next one will fall， and the psychological sexual conditioning of Slothrop， my only takeaway from this book would be Pynchon’s description of two amicable kamikaze pilots as ‘suicidekicks’。 In 900 pages of chapterless drawl， that’s some seriously slim pickings。A great friend often tells me that a good way of telling whether a book is going to be painful and nauseating is if it has the words “vintage” on the front and a red spine。 In this case mate， you couldn’t be more right。 My first one star ⭐️ 。。。more

Winter Rose ，

I like how the main characters met each other， I love the plot and everything about this book。 Good job writer！ If you have some great stories like this one， you can publish it on NovelStar， just submit your story to hardy@novelstar。top or joye@novelstar。top

Frederick ，

This review of GRAVITY'S RAINBOW will not merely contain spoilers but be one。 No sane discussion of this book will fail to give away key points。 The entire thing is a soufflé。 I stick a pin in it and it will pop。 But it will still be edible。 Imagine this book as yet unread。 I can tell you what I thought of it， but if you haven't read it， it will still be， for you， an unpopped soufflé。 Yes， I will tell you my thoughts on GRAVITY'S RAINBOW。 Think of it this way: I'm coming out of a restaurant。 I r This review of GRAVITY'S RAINBOW will not merely contain spoilers but be one。 No sane discussion of this book will fail to give away key points。 The entire thing is a soufflé。 I stick a pin in it and it will pop。 But it will still be edible。 Imagine this book as yet unread。 I can tell you what I thought of it， but if you haven't read it， it will still be， for you， an unpopped soufflé。 Yes， I will tell you my thoughts on GRAVITY'S RAINBOW。 Think of it this way: I'm coming out of a restaurant。 I recommend the soufflé。 Just because I tell you about its surprising delights doesn't mean you won't feel the same surprise and delight as you taste the soufflé put before you。 So， my enjoyment of the dish I just had shouldn't take away from your experience。 One thing you should remember， of course， is， you may not WANT any soufflé after you read about what the characters in this 776-page waddayacallit put in their mouths。But does reading MOBY-DICK make a reader want to go whaling？ Not this reader！ Read on， MacDuff:That's as far as I go in trying to mimic the tone of this book。 Already， I can see， from what I've written， that I simply fall into the hipsterism that Pynchon himself is never actually guilty of。 I am not being facetious when I say that GRAVITY'S RAINBOW， strictly as prose， is unrivaled in American literature。 Pynchon has to have had role models， but he avoids their mistakes as surely as he avoids those of his contemporaries。 From my own reading experience I can say that， if Thomas Pynchon takes a cue from Melville， he categorically rejects Melville's chief flaw: The convoluted sentence。 Let's say bomb-making is to GRAVITY'S RAINBOW as whaling is to MOBY-DICK。 Both authors know more than 99 per cent of readers will about the professional activities of the characters in their books。 Melville， of course， DOES give you something of a course in whaling。 But he wants us to appreciate what a man on a whaling ship does。 Pynchon knows the reader already hates physicists。 （Who does one admire more？ A man pulling on a rope for thirty minutes in order to raise a sail that weighs a thousand pounds or a guy in a sweaty suit working a pencil to a nub for eighteen hours？Both men are necessary to world-shaping industries。 But we like the sailor automatically。 We want to mock the thinker。） That both authors are describing essentially destructive industries is clear。 Read MOBY-DICK again if you haven't already。 It is about a world that eats its own。 So is GRAVITY'S RAINBOW。 Both books condemn an industry which sacrifices drones。 （Ahab is not merely getting his men to join him in his mania; he has commandeered the ship HIS masters have entrusted to him。 He despises the profiteers。 If the fat cats allow the suffering of scores of men on each ship they send out， he， at least， will make sure the men suffer for HIM and not THEM。） MOBY-DICK and GRAVITY'S RAINBOW make the case against plutocracy。 Pynchon's sentences flow， always。 Melville's do so with less frequency。 This leads me to another point: Because Pynchon is of our time， it is easy for us to miss that he is a very different cat from， say， Hunter S。 Thompson。 Thompson is saying "Here is how things look when you're on acid。" Joseph Heller， wildly funny in CATCH-22， is trying to convince us of the absurdity of bureaucracy。 Vonnegut， who certainly sees the world chained to the military-industrial complex， is， nevertheless， a believer in simple kindness。 Not so for Pynchon。 By the way， he is still alive。 As of this writing - March of 2021 - he is about 84。 Hunter S。 Thompson would be Pynchon's age if he were still alive; Vonnegut and Heller were of the generation featuring in GRAVITY'S RAINBOW。 I had simply assumed Thomas Pynchon was about 96。 One of the canonical novels of the Second World War was written by someone who， by all chronological indications， should have been writing about Woodstock。 Instead， he delves into the mind of a morally compromised hard scientist working on rockets for the Nazis at a base just a mile from a concentration camp。 And HE is the sympathetic character。 （Not that he's the protagonist; but his story seems to me to be the heart of this book。 It is at the very center， and I think this is deliberate。 His story works as a novella。 Stefan Zweig could have written it， but he killed himself during the Second World War。 He was the author of THE ROYAL GAME， about a chess master。 Pynchon could have written that if Zweig hadn't。） That section of the book seems to me to be in the German tradition。 It is Expressionist; a literary equivalent of something by Mahler。Another reason Pynchon's prose might not seem to the average good reader particularly spectacular is that he uses the present tense。 Everybody uses it now。 Before about 1970， the present tense was used as a sort of parody of stage directions。 （Melville and Dickens use it that way。） But by 1985 or so every think piece in the NEW YORK TIMES was written in the present tense。 （"I'm trying to tie my shoe， but I keep thinking about Iran-Contra！"） Pynchon uses it without pointing to it， somehow。 I think， then， that Pynchon speaks the lingo， but from a deep source。 I have never seen English used with such precision as in his book。While much of GRAVITY'S RAINBOW is hallucination， I feel quite sure it is not meant to describe hallucination。 It is， in itself， hallucinatory。 I only got about thirty per cent of what I read， but as with the parts about physics or bureaucracy， when what was going on at any given moment or from paragraph to paragraph eluded me， I never got the sense that I was being asked to conclude that something was definitively the result of， say， drunkenness。 This may not seem important， but， because the action is confined to （or， at least， goes no later in time than）， 1944-45， I can't say， as one would when reading Ken Kesey， "Oh！ This is LSD。" Much of the kick of sixties and seventies literature was a Pied-Piper call to mind-altering substances。 Thomas Pynchon is not interested in that。 The hallucinatory quality of GRAVITY'S RAINBOW is closer to fantasy writing than to De Quincey。 GRAVITY'S RAINBOW is not of a piece with the drug advocacy of its era。 Its ethos is not "Tune in， turn on， drop out。" It's not even akin to A NAKED LUNCH。It is about human nature。 It deals with depravity and atrocity。 It is a fundamentally German novel， written in British English by an American at a time of existential terror。 。。。more

Gregory Christensen ，

Excess characters， drugs， porn， war， erections， & asides。 I grok， but meh。 #10WordBookReviews

Reference

google book https://www.google.com/search?tbm=bks&q=Gravity's Rainbow

hathitrust digital library https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/ls?q1=Gravity's Rainbow&field1=ocr&a=srchls&ft=ft&lmt=ft

The British Library https://bll01.primo.exlibrisgroup.com/discovery/search?query=any,contains,Gravity's Rainbow&tab=LibraryCatalog&search_scope=Not_BL_Suppress&vid=44BL_INST:BLL01&lang=en&offset=0