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Content snapshot
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Violence
A lot
Significant violence including industrial violence, mining disasters, and war
Language
A lot
Heavy explicit language throughout
Sexual Content
A lot
Explicit adult sexual content scattered through the narrative
Substance Use
Some
Drug and alcohol use across the period settings
Emotional Intensity
A lot
The psychological weight of a world losing its innocence; Pynchon's grief for the 19th century
What this book is about
Pynchon's massive 2006 novel spans roughly 1893 to the 1920s, following the Chums of Chance (boy aviators in an adventure serial), the Traverse family (anarchists and miners), and dozens of other characters through anarchism, mathematical discovery, and the approaching catastrophe of the 20th century. Dense, funny, infuriating, and magnificent.
Notes for sensitive readers
Reader-flagged moments and themes that may affect your experience.
Very long and demanding (1,100 pages)
Explicit content throughout
Experimental narrative
Reader Verification
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More Historical Fiction books from the catalog.
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