Fuck this book. I made it about 140 pages before I put it away and decided to reread McCarthy’s Cities of the Plain. I’ve read War and Peace, Don Quixote, Moby Dick, Ulysses. But this book can kiss my ass. There are so many goddamn words and the plot is seemingly not going anywhere. Is there someone out there that can convince me this is really worth reading all the way through? What if that is the never-ending joke, the infinite jest? Tell people it’s one the greatest books ever and then have them waste their time and see if they will say they actually liked it. It’s like giving someone who has never drank before non-alcoholic beer and seeing if they will act drunk. I’m serious; what am I missing? Who was able to get through this and enjoy it? Let me in on the secret.
Nic Schuck 
I’m curious too. I attempted it once but couldn’t keep at it. Let me know if you find out…
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I have a weird draw to go back to it, that I should finish it just so I can have a valid opinion of saying it sucks.
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Let me know if you do 🙂
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You should, Brother. It’s worth it. And don’t expect me to give you an Edmund Wilson explanation. Not qualified. Did I occasionally put it down in frustration? Yes. Were the end notes laborious? Yes. Was the plot at times convoluted and too Pynchonesque? Unhuh. But I felt such deep sadness. I laughed so fucking hard. I marveled at some of the most beautiful sentences and passages I’ve ever read. I’m not a literary scholar or critic, so I won’t pretend to understand his “genius”, but I was so often moved by this work. And I was inspired. So, yes, it was worth it. I’d give it another go.
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Damn it, man. I was ready to write this book off. I may be revisiting it soon.
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