It's me right?

I'm having a hard time with Thomas Pynchon work particularly V. and Gravity's Rainbow. Yet two of my friends recommended it to me as great books and had no trouble reading it.

Did you have trouble understanding his writing?

What's so hard to understand about his writing? Most of it is pretty straightforward.

Dude, everyone says this. They're right. His books are very difficult. They're also very good. Don't be afraid to hit up an encyclopaedia or the internet if you're having difficulty with something in there - he's a very information-dense writer.

People who "have no trouble" reading Gravity's Rainbow are either lying or they didn't read it correctly, they just acknowledged the words on the page.   I am an avid reader, usually tearing through three novels a week, and GR crippled me.  It took me two months to wade through and understand and I could have spent a lot more time than that.

I would start with The Crying of Lot 49, it is his most accessible book (and his shortest), which isn't to say it's not going to mindfuck you.   Happy reading.  Pynchon is god.

>>4
You're certainly correct in some sense, but there's nothing particularly confusing about Pynchon's prose, is what I was trying to say. It's pretty straightforward.