So I finally finished Gravity's Rainbow yesterday. First, I want to say thank you to those who suggested and voted for it last summer - I probably never would have picked it up otherwise, and I'm very glad I did.

I loved it but found it very hard going. It required a lot of concentration, so I couldn't read it when tired etc, which is partly why it took me so long to finish it. I don't have much free time and I read a lot for work, so by the time I get to fun-reading my brain is often quite addled, so I find fitting in this level of concentration difficult. The other part of the reason I took so long is I often found that after I put it down, I wouldn't pick it up again for several weeks. I was a bit put off by the difficulty, but mostly it was because it just doesn't have that kind of page-turning narrative that compels you to finish it - not a bad thing, just an observation. I found it stuck with me more than a lot of other books though - with most books, if I'd taken this long to read them, I'd have to start again/give up because I'd have forgotten the beginning, but not this one. It'll be interesting to see how it sticks now I've finished.

I'm very interested to read other Pynchon, but a bit intimidated after GR, though at least some of his others are shorter, which reduces the commitment. Does anyone have thoughts on this?