Rating: 
Summary: Unreadable
Review: To whomever wrote the review from Washington D.C. titled "I would rather read the IRS Tax Guide": Right on! I am a college student who had to read this book for a contemporary American literature class. I couldn't get past page forty. Pynchon's prose is virtually unreadable and I had to give up. I also didn't find Pynchon's humor very funny. As a classical music lover, I didn't care too much for his joke about the Vivaldi "Kazoo Concerto." Was that really necessary to understand what was going on in the novel?Of course, to be fair, I couldn't understand a thing. My class professor told me that whether I liked the novel or not, that this was how the world is. I told him, "No, it's Pynchon's world, not mine." To those of you who consider yourself on a higher intellectual plane than me and the rest of the general population, I say, all the more power to you. But please leave the rest of us alone.
Rating: 
Summary: Shortest Pynchon and therefore best Pynchon
Review: I think of Pynchon as the Robin Williams of recent (undeservedly) widely-bought, (undeservedly) widely-taught, and (deservedly) widely-unread fiction: in small doses, Williams and Pynchon come off as brilliant, artful, and socially insightful. In increasing doses they become appallingly tiresome; their audience (mostly captive, in the case of Pynchon) starts being bored with the same addled antics over and over; then the audience starts wondering if Pynchon/William's apparent talent is in fact some tiresome neurological condition; finally the the audience ends up accepting this hypothesis, and hoping that the condition is either treatable, or quickly terminal. So, read /just/ this short book and have a chance at enjoying Pynchon.
Rating: 
Summary: You might have to read it more than once to understand.
Review: From the man who once jumped out of a second-story window in a Mexico City hotel in order to avoid being photographed comes a novel that examines whether the notion of political freedom is perhaps a contradiction in terms within a society where the free exchange of ideas is regulated- if not controlled- by government. Along the way he pokes fun at everything from poor trends in music to the arrogance of Northern Californians toward residents of the southern half of the state. A must for anyone who finds the smaller humors in life oftentimes illustrate the larger problems and issues.
Rating:
Summary: An Incredible Book Often Ruined by Bad Teaching
Review: While I consider this to be one of the most amazing texts ever written, it also suffers greatly from being taught badly by misguided college instructors and from being misrepresented by others whose exposure to it was under less-than-ideal conditions. To wit: I have used this text in a freshman composition classroom, and by and large these students have enjoyed it, found it both interesting and challenging, and above all something worth discussing. In contrast, nearly every graduate student I know who was "taught" the book in a graduate course unequivocally hates it (or, worse yet, smugly thinks that it can be summed up as an exercise in violating reader expectations). In the wrong academic context, Lot 49 can be an awful experience; however, if read outside such a context, or in some other open frame of reference, it can be a truly incredible and rewarding read. I find that every time I read it, every time I use it in a classroom, something unexpected develops out of that experience, very often, in the latter case, as a result of student insight and discussion. (And, if you have nothing to do with academics, by all means, read Lot 49, and forget (at least for now) that it has ever been the subject of academic discussion!)
Rating:
Summary: horrifically perverse and nightmarish
Review: Horrifically perverse and nihilistic. The anguished, incoherent screams of a soulless predator caught in the trap of its own existence. Should never have seen the light of day.
Rating:
Summary: reserved endorsement
Review: While Pynchon's circular, postmodern storytelling techinques can be misleading and frustrating; the story emerges as a compelling condemnation of everything America stood for at the end of the second world war. After reading this novella, you will never be able to drive through a suburban strip mall again.
Rating:
Summary: Just a question
Review: People seem to be responding to other comments, so I have some. I am near ending the book, so far it is interesting, unfortunatley, much of the symbolism has gone over my head. I understand the basic ideas, perhaps I am over thinking the novel, but after reading these other reviews which have been inflated with big words and little content, I am not certain that I am on the same plane of intellect as some of my fellow readers. What I will say, trying to get though the intellectual snottiness exhibited here by readers who dare not insult Pynchon ( a human- flawed as his writing certainly is, too), is that this book is interesting on a surface level even if all of the symbolism is ignored, just follow the thoughts the writing gives about the world, as you read it, you must be aware, but you must follow your own instinctual ideas concerning content. That is where this book is a grand success- it is interesting enough to keep attention focused, well written to allow thought, deep to allow much interpretation. Don't be dissuaded by other reviews; get what you can from the book...there is so much to get, all will be rewarded. For example,I found a theme present in the book to deal with the projecting of worlds and perceptions of worlds ( the tower comparison and the theatre director's speech , as well as Pierce's influence from his own projection). Before I go, a final comment: Though Pynchon's writing is spectacular (such as near page 100 where he describes all those she sees with the mute horn sign), reading Grisham does not mark a degenerating society, rather intellectual ecstasy, found from sniffing too many musty volumes another intellectual ( working in a system that is fed by Grisham readers) told one to read, marks a social degeneration that is based on a reluctance to admit equality, freedom of ideas, and the notion that reading of any type is good... some may not be fortunate enough to only enjoy high literature, but I never heard any Grisham reader claiming to be reading Fitzgerald, they know what they enjoy, and they know its place.
Rating:
Summary: First two pages blues
Review: I was forced into reading this book as an example of postmodernist literature. As I attempted to read it, I found it impossible to read past the first two pages, losing attention with the unusual stream of consciousness style of Pynchon's writing. Finally I made a breakthrough, and found myself in the most tightly-packed, symbolism-ridden novel I have ever read. It was indeed gripping, and it was only my caffeine-induced stupor that prevented me from reading it at a more deep level. It has proved fruitful to me with its example of adversary culture, fighting against the technocracy and alienation of a postmodernist society, and refresingly it was really funny as well. One of the great American novels of the 20th Century, capturing the spirit of the sixties as well as "The Great Gatsby" did with the twenties, and as well as "Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas" captured the spirit of Hunter S. Thompson's paranoid, acid-fried state-of-mind.
Rating:
Summary: A brilliant piece of 20th century literature
Review: Lot 49 is a unique book, and one of my favorites of all time. I read it for the first time years ago in a class which had T.S.Eliot's Wasteland as central theme, and it was in this context that I came to explore its different levels of meaning. The most fascinating quality of Lot 49 comes from its weaving a highly colorful tapestry, where comical anecdote, subcultural jargon, social satire, historical revelations, and philosophical discourse on moral values are all entertwined. The result is a complex, highly entertaining concentrate of food for thought that I'm not about to forget, and a book to which I am in fact deeply attached. (For those who have trouble understanding the underlying themes, try reading Grant's "Companion to Lot 49", or the York Notes.)
Rating:
Summary: I hated this book
Review: This book, I'm sorry to say, was a waste of time. that's all I have to say
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