Rating: 
Summary: A glorious catastrophe
Review: The book reminds me of Le Corbousier's take on new york city: "ten times I've said New York is a catastrophe, but 100 times I'll say it's a glorious catastrophe." Infinite Jest is like that...it's a jumble, at times confusing, at times touching, at times fun, at times just boring...like New York, is has the feel of something created by momentous forces, forces that do not always work in a coordinated way, that sometimes step on each other, that can be maddening, perverse, stupid. Yet when you look at the whole, you can't help but love it, its vigor, its quirkiness, its stamina, its...essence. So yes, just understand that this is not a normal book and you can't approach it like a normal book, and you can't expect it to make sense all the way through. Cuz it doesn't. You just have to immerse yourself in its totally idiosyncratic flow, in the impossibly weird but still lifelike near future DFW has fashioned, you need to give the book enough time to get to know the characters, to start to feel them as friends, to start to suffer through what they suffer through...and then, once you're in the IJ zone, once you've become subumed in this more-interesting-than-the-real-reality-reality that the book creates, well, I guarantee you won't want to leave.
Rating: 
Summary: Maybe I am missing the point....
Review: But I have no idea what this book is about. I feel like I am reading a book written by someone with a large vocabulary who's trying to use all his big words. This is a cumbersome book, literally and figuratively. I have no idea what is going on!! Save your money and go look in the bargin area for some good books!
Rating: 
Summary: Incredible, hilarious novel of epic proportions.
Review: This book is so incredible that it is impossible to do it justice simply by reviewing it. you just have to read it for yourself to see what a genius Wallace really is.
Rating: 
Summary: words
Review: If you're like me and have difficulty forming words out of letters, and then forming sentences out of those words, then this is not the book for you. I mean, ... wow, that's a heck of a lot of words. Also, if you're like me and you don't like 'buying things,' then steer clear of this one ...Hey, I like reading just as much as the next guy, but if you're telling me I've got to pay and spend a lot of time doing it -- No Thanks!!!
Rating:
Summary: Basically Man's Best Friend (the book)
Review: I think people are getting all riled up about the cohesiveness of the story because the book is 1000 pages long. You guys are taking it too seriously. The thing no one seems to have mentioned (like, at ALL) is that this book is a hell of a lot of FUN to read! It may take a little while for the Fun to get rolling, but if you have patience does it ever (get rolling (the fun)). Jeez man. Besides which it has a great story and yes Wallace gets very carried away but this can be FUN. Seriously. Wallace has restored my faith in books. There's something to think about.
Rating:
Summary: Editor Needed
Review: It's 1088 pages. This is enough to knock off a few stars. There is simply no way a story can be engaging or compelling for 1088 pages. There is a lot of talk about "genius" and Wallace being a "master". I don't see that at all. While he talks college (dropping philosopher names like calling cards) there really isn't much new here. Rambling has been done for ages by authors too self-assured to consult an editor. The dense novel was perfected by Thomas Pynchon. An interesting story is buried in this novel, crying to get out. And this is where the editor is needed. Novel writing is a process - it is not generally done by one man. The editor has a function in writing. He is an outside voice who can provide valuable criticism. He can assist in making your story readable. It seems whenever an author wants to make a big splash he or she just releases a long, rambling book (or one about a goofy family coming to terms with things). While I like some of what Wallace has to say, the book is an unfiltered, overly literate brain dump. And that's not praise. Geeks are geeks because they focus only on one thing to the detriment of all others. Wallace focused on his self-indulgence and sacrificed his story. I can't applaud that. Part of being an entertainer is gifted selectivity. You must be able to separate the wheat from the chaff. Wallace is giving you everything. Some people seem to like this. But don't believe the hype; you won't learn anything here. Perhaps we should call this auto-erratacism.
Rating: 
Summary: Not Ashamed Not to Love This Book
Review: I wanted to respond to "a reader from San Diego." Yes, there is much to recommend in David Foster Wallace's work. On the other hand, there are many reasons not to love it as well. I admire the chances Mr. Wallace takes with literature and his willingness to experiment and create a work that all rules of commercial publishing should say is completely unmarketable. However, my personal feeling is that his writing draws attention to itself more than is necessary. I prefer to be less aware of the author when I am reading. When reading Dostoyevski, for example, I do not get the sense that the author is showing off like Mariah Carey hitting a squeaky high note that is nearly at a level only dogs can hear. It is misguided to dismiss everyone who does not fall in love with this book as unintelligent or lazy.
Rating:
Summary: Simply the best
Review: My favorite book ever, bar none. But don't take my word for it - go to the message board at the Howling Fantods website and get a feel for the number of readers that are reading this mammoth thing for a second or third time; it's either because this book is *that* good (it is) or Wallace's readers are an addicted lot (they are). Also, a tip: read Neal Stephenson's 'Cryptonomicon' if you haven't - a no less compulsively readable book of similar length.
Rating:
Summary: Consider the cost, my friends.
Review: First of all, this book is really long. It also is very dense, which isn't necessarily bad, but it increases the time invested. I estimate that this book consumed 5 books worth of reading time. This isn't a book to approach lightly; it's like buying a house or adopting an infant. So, tread carefully, fellow reader, for it's a long strange trip. It's a trip with lots of big words scattered gratuitously about, sure to strain even the most prodigious of vocabularies. There are a series of loosely interweaving plots, involving a truly delightful crew. Mr. Wallace send us on an extended amusement park ride with harrowing twists and turns, surprises and quick jerks, then essentially brings us back to where we started. Along this ride, there are probably 100 pages that are among the best pages of prose I have ever read. It's a long ride and I just got a little tired. I wanted the ride to come to the end, but had to endure another 300 pages of his magic because it was so darn compelling. My main concern is recommending the book to the right people, as it is so costly an endeavour. Essentially, this is Trippy Literature. If you like Trippy Literature, and want to endure 1000 pages of one of its finest incarnations, read on you crazy diamond. If you don't like Trippy literature, or you are not sure what "Trippy" means, read Brother's Karamazov.
Rating:
Summary: Outstanding!
Review: I spent much of last summer reading David Foster Wallace's Infinite Jest. In spite of its backbreaking length, the novel is surprisingly manageable. Foster Wallace tells the stories of several outrageous characters, all sharing a common drug addiction. He spins an absurd tale of hypersmart children, toblerone-fiending Arab sheiks, and even conspiring North American secessionists, but through it all, his dictum remains unperverted. Infinite Jest is an awe-inspiring cacophony of wit and creativity. In fact, it has forced the creation of an entirely new genre. Foster Wallace blends elements of Pynchon and Heller, and then adds his own humorous touch. Authors such as Mark Leyner now follow Infinite Jest's lead: in particular, a highly stylized satire and the introduction of a chic class of intellectual youth. Infinite Jest is a solid reassurance that today's writers can rival the best of the literary masters.
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