Superb

What's there to say about the material that hasn't been said already? This was my second outing with Gravity's Rainbow after reading the paperback, and I enjoyed it.
Guidall's narration is superb with the only real gripe being that between the occasional take, there was a slightly different tone to his delivery for a line or two, but that is absolutely reaching for nitpicks in an amazing performance. It's so good, that I'll probably look into more of his performances. Everything from accents to female voices completely sold me, and he captured both elements of whimsy and more serious tones.

Pynchon's book, well, it is what it is, and worth a listen or read. It's a mastercraft that does a number of things lesser authors simply couldn't get away with. Beautiful work that warrants my highest recommendation even though it may not be for everyone. Dip a toe in, and see how you like it.

Vous avez donné votre avis sur cette évaluation.

Vous avez donné votre avis sur cette évaluation.

3 les gens ont trouvé cela utile

Guidall is a master

The narration brings this challenging and sometimes disorientating text to life. It gave me a new perspective to reading the text. An excellent companion to the book. Every sentence is beautiful as written, and brought to life by Guidall’s unique, endearing, and unforgettable voice.

Vous avez donné votre avis sur cette évaluation.

Vous avez donné votre avis sur cette évaluation.

Phenomenal narration

I'm not going to review the novel itself: it's a classic and you can find tons of reviews elsewhere. I would like to point out, however, that the narration was phenomenal. I think it made the book better, and especially, funnier, than it would have been had I read it on paper. It's not often I think that about an audiobook.

Vous avez donné votre avis sur cette évaluation.

Vous avez donné votre avis sur cette évaluation.

No wonder Pynchon is a recluse

While it may very well be that I, the unsophisticated reader/reviewer, "don't know $hit from Shinola," I will nonetheless take liberty in postulating that as far as graphic descriptions of human coprophagy fetish scenes go, I'd be content never to come across another in my bibliomaniacal pursuits. I found it gratuitous and serving no literary value. The first few "dirty" limericks were mildly amusing, but I was disappointed to discover that I would have to endure them throughout the text. The book also contains multiple cringeworthy thinly (or perhaps not so thinly) veiled pedophilic references. And I'm no prude. I've read and appreciated Bukowski, Miller, de Sade. For some reason this just missed the mark for me.

Much more esteemed critics than myself heralded this book as one of the most challenging pieces of modern American literature, drawing comparisons to Catch 22 and Slaughterhouse 5. Being as I am, more of a man of letters than a rocket scientist or a mathematician, I confess that the scientific jargon and countless equations flew over my head faster than the velocity of a V-2. And if that's what makes the book challenging, then I concede the point.

Granted, Mr. Pynchon's language skill is sublime and there were a few poignant passages. Also, having been previously ignorant of the South West African rebellions as well as the ill-fated Russian expedition during the Russo-Japanese war, the history lessons were appreciated.

Mr. Guidall's performance was nothing short of brilliant, but then again, he always is. I was particularly impressed with his near-native speaker pronunciation of German phrases.

Vous avez donné votre avis sur cette évaluation.

Vous avez donné votre avis sur cette évaluation.