The Crying of Lot 49
by Thomas Pynchon, Antonio-Prometeo Moya · first published 1965
60% recommend37% neutral4% critical
Why HN recommends it
Short, funny, paranoid novel that is the most approachable way into Pynchon, far easier than Gravity's Rainbow; suits readers new to him, including those in tech who enjoy its engineering and California references.
Summarised by Claude from recommending comments
Oedipa Maas, executor of the will of Pierce Inverarity, journeys through a bizarre underground of secret societies, jazz clubs, beatniks, and her own psyche. Readers accustomed to postmodern literature will revel in Pynchon's second novel.
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Thomas Pynchon is a great inventor of names. From "The Crying of Lot 49" alone, we have: Oedipa Maas Wendell "Mucho" Maas John Nefastis Stanley Koteks Mike Fallopian ...and so forth. Granted, the humour in "Lot 49" is a little more juvenile than, say, "Against the Day".
on “What Kind of Name Is That? How to Name Fictional Characters” ↗Huh? The only Pynchon I read was "The Crying of Lot 49", but this was easy to read, hilarious, and extremely topical for anybody working tech in California.
on “Who the Hell Is This Joyce (1928)” ↗You might want to read 'The Crying of Lot 49' by Thomas Pynchon, or not. It's a fairly short book.
on “Don DeLillo deserves the Nobel” ↗It's amazing but a pretty tough intro to Pynchon. If you're going to read him I would recommend "The Crying of Lot 49" (a fun short novel) or "Slow Learner" (A set of short stories). "Inherent Vice" would maybe be a fun one to start with too. It's not for everyone in any case. One of my best friends jokes about the…
on “Don DeLillo deserves the Nobel” ↗…that. It’s an insanely fun book once you have accepted you are not supposed to get everything. Pynchon is probably my favourite author all things considered. Still I think starting with Inherent Vice, The Crying of Lot 49 or Vineland is probably a good idea.
on “8-Part Film Adaptation of Tolstoy's Anna Karenina Is Free Online” ↗…linked Wikipedia article is about the original source of "Yoyodyne" > Yoyodyne was introduced as a fictional defense contractor in Thomas Pynchon's V. (1963) and featured prominently in his novel The Crying of Lot 49 (1966). Btw, Lot 49 is a wonderful book and chock full of little cultural memes like Yoyodyne.
on “Suspected counterfeit components found in ejection seat after fatal F-16 crash” ↗The Crying of Lot 49 -- Thomas Pynchon
on “Ask HN: What literature do you read?” ↗…Nabokov would be any of Despair, The Real Life of Sebastian Knight, or Transparent Things. If you like Nabokov, you may also want to try: Rushdie, Salman - The Satanic Verses Pynchon, Thomas - The Crying of Lot 49
on “Ask HN: Interesting (Non software) books?” ↗I recently read Thomas Pynchon's "The Crying of Lot 49", which is amazing and dense and hilarious. Highly recommended, but it's not an easy read, so be forewarned. It's short enough that you can easily power through it on a plane ride or whenever you have…
on “Ask HN: Good books?” ↗TIE!!! "The Crying of Lot 49" by Pynchon // "The Demolished Man" by Bester // "Ubik" by Dick !!!
on “Ask HN: What is the most mind blowing book you've ever read?” ↗It reminds me of Thomas Pynchon's writing in which he threads together various bits of historical information to explain current events in a new light, 'The Crying of Lot 49' is a good start for anyone interested but unfamiliar with Pynchon.
on “A History of the Silmarils in the Fifth Age” ↗Keep reading! I felt the same way but ended up really liking it when I (finally) finished it. His style is tough, especially in that one. The Crying of Lot 49 would be an easier way to get into Pynchon, if you haven’t read that one yet.
on “The Most Abandoned Books on GoodReads (2019)” ↗One of Yale’s open courses has a lecture that covers The Crying of Lot 49[1]. A good place to start for anyone reading Pynchon for the first time. Gravity’s Rainbow is my personal favourite, but takes an enormous amount of work as a reader. His far-reaching and darkly conspiratorial…
on “Thomas Pynchon, famously private, sells his archive” ↗The Crying of Lot 49 is my favorite of Pynchon's works; I've given many a copy to friends as gifts.
on “Thomas Pynchon, famously private, sells his archive” ↗"The Crying of Lot 49" is the only Pynchon novel I was able to complete (bailed on "Gravity's Rainbow" and "V"). I think it was an easy enough introduction to Pynchon for this lightweight so I can certainly recommend it as…
on “Thomas Pynchon, famously private, sells his archive” ↗