I read this book fast because I didn’t understand it. |
The reputation of Thomas Pynchon is extremely good, and I’ve always meant to read a book by him. I chose The Crying of Lot 49 — originally published in 1966, so it’s a very long-held intention. Maybe the humor in the book didn’t hold up for the long term. I understood all (most of?) the puns and jokes in the names of the characters, and I get the humor but it doesn’t really appeal to me. Maybe it’s past its sell-by date. Mea Culpa.
The review was incredibly long and self-absorbed, expressing more about its own author than about Pyncheon, so I didn’t finish reading it. I take this as a lesson in Pynchon’s essential weirdness. Wikipedia calls the book postmodernism. I don’t think I’ll read any more Pynchon.
The woman detective at the center of the books in this series is a very young wife in 1920s India, and the book is full of local color, including descriptions of the city, of the clothing that people of various socio-economic levels wear, and of the relationships of the local native Indian people with the occupying British people. The plot is somewhat over-complicated plot, and at times seems repetitive and too long. However, there’s lots of food:
A Serious Book
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This is the second book by Ocean Vuong that I’ve read. I’m partway through and will review it soon. I reviewed the earlier one here. |
A Lighter Book: A Mystery set in India
Harini Nagendra: A Nest of Vipers (published 2024) |
“She prepared a simple lunch for herself – coconut rice with toasted sesame seeds and fried curry leaves, along with a simple red pumpkin raita” (p. 63)
“The unseasonal heat of the afternoon had receded, leaving them dehydrated and on edge. She added a pinch of black salt and a spoon of grated ginger to the jaggery water, garnishing their glasses with sprigs of mint. The drink gave them fresh energy, the sweetness easing the last remnants of Kaveri’s headache.” (p. 174)
The first book in the series: I reviewed it here. I liked it better than A Nest of Vipers. |
Connected: A New York Times Article about Saris
Constantly, the author describes the saris that the central character wears, including very elaborate and expensive ones that indicate her husband’s high status as an Indian doctor, and also sometimes very poor quality, worn-out saris that she borrows to hide her identity when detecting. A few days ago, in a New York Times article, I read;
“Not for nothing are so many English words connected with weaving — chintz, calico, shawl, pyjamas, khaki, dungarees, cummerbund, taffetas — of Indian origin.” (Source)
Reviews by mae sander © 2025.
Shared with Deb at Readerbuzz .
18 comments:
I've tried twice---and failed twice---to read Pynchon's The Crying of Lot 49. Pynchon is on a lot of lists that I use for perpetual challenges, including 1001 Books You Must Read Before You Die, and it is short, so I thought it was doable. But apparently it is not for me.
I want to read Ocean Vuong. I look forward to seeing what you think of his newest book.
These are all new to me. I hope you enjoy the ones you still need to finish. Have a great weekend!
Looks like an interesting selection of books. Thanks for sharing the reviews. Have a great weekend.
I haven't heard of this mystery series. Besides that the fact I love mysteries, I really enjoy how you can travel all over the world with different series. Enjoy your weekend. hugs-Erika
I learned a ton about saris in April from an A-to-Z challenge blogger. Let's see if I can find her. Here's her A post: https://nilabose.blogspot.com/2025/04/a-is-for-aprilna-z.html The rest of the posts from April can be accessed in her sidebar.
These books are new to me, I hope you enjoy them.
I haven't read any of these, I hope you enjoy them.
Don't think I've ever heard of these books before, I'll google them. My son and I were in Canada in March, I really love it there and plan to go back.
It’s interesting that you comment on the length of the New York Times review of the Pynchon novel. I often get the sense that some reviewers are trying to rewrite the entire book or are so impressed with their own importance that they have no idea when to stop. They render no good service to either the book or the author by so doing.
I'm very curious about A Nest of Vipers now!
I do enjoy Harini Nagendra's mystery series :)
I remember running across The Sari by Mukulika Banerjee and Daniel Miller which sounds really interesting if you want to learn more about them
Wishing you a lovely reading week
Very interesting -- you write extremely insightful reviews.I'm glad to learn of the Indian series. I know little of that culture and am interested.
Bangalore is Detective Club sounds good I love reading detective series with women detectives, especially and there is also a good one by Osman if you ever heard about it
I will wait to hear what you think of the Ocean Vuong novel. I'm on the library wait list for it. I have not tried Pynchon and for whatever reason I don't think I will start .... thx for the word on that.
Pynchon doesn't sound like an author I'd enjoy either, happy to hear you enjoyed the lighter mystery. Mostly, anyhow. Have a great week!
I don't know that I've read anything by him!
Oh Lord no...I would never be able to read that Pynchon book. It would go right over my head. And around my head and under my head...
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