Sunil
Definitely not his best work, much too long if you ask me. The length robs you of some of the magic in his other books. The story itself it interesting, but not all that satisfying. it was like running a marathon, only to hop in a golf cart for the last mile.
Man this book...it was a journey. First the end-notes..good god the end notes! As annoying as they were they really helped shape a lot of the anecdotes and characters. Although we didn't really “connect” with the characters, I think they were meant to be a reflection of ourselves in all their myriad faults.
A great novel, and for it's time absolutely legendary. A great reflection on America and the West at the turn of the millennium and oddly prescient about how the world was shaping up for the new one. The most intense introduction to DFW, after years of procrastinating but highly recommended for any true lover of literature. The prose can be a bit much at times, thank god for dictionaries but in the end it probably expanded my own. At the end we're left wondering... what the fuck just happened here! Much like while reading the book, I think I need a little while to gather my thoughts after the long slog (although enjoyable).
Kind of a ridiculous story and heavy handed, but fun to read regardless. I expected a lot more from this book based on the NY Times excerpt. Being a fan of whole dystopian, world going to hell in hand basket genre, I expected a lot more out of this book but nothing new was really added to the conversation. It was just a Corporate Big Brother, rather than the Government overstepping it's power... a counter to the libertarian movement maybe?
It was essentially an extended version of the rant from Johnathan Franzen in the Guardian this past year about how technology is ruining our lives. Is any of this possible? sure, why the hell not. But the idea that everyone was so bendable, and Mae, good god MAE! How easily she adopted everything THE CIRCLE was pushing, without an ounce of critical thought was just...ridiculous and hard to believe.