A review by stewreads
The 42nd Parallel by John Dos Passos
3.0
On one hand, I think this book suffers from being a fragment of a trilogy that was originally published as one single volume. It ends abruptly, many threads go unresolved, and it feels very much like a part of something greater.
On the other hand, I'm glad they split this thing up because I don't think I could do 900 pages of this at once.
This was more experimental than I expected. Chapters told from a wide variety of perspectives are broken up by interludes of ambiguous stream-of-consciousness scenes, as well as collages of news clippings that serve to created a historical mood and setting rather than advance the plot (insomuch that there is a "plot" here). The main chapters feature a series of interweaving narratives that cover the lives of Americans from various upbringings/cultural backgrounds. These stories are interesting, but some are much stronger than others - I braced myself every time a new narrative started because there was a 50% chance it would take quite a while to become engaging.
Overall, I liked this novel and I plan to read the rest of the series (or the rest of the big ass book, to be technical). But... I'm not sure when I'll feel the urge to pick up the second installment. I don't know what I was hoping for with this one, but it didn't grip me as much as it could have.
3.5 stars.
On the other hand, I'm glad they split this thing up because I don't think I could do 900 pages of this at once.
This was more experimental than I expected. Chapters told from a wide variety of perspectives are broken up by interludes of ambiguous stream-of-consciousness scenes, as well as collages of news clippings that serve to created a historical mood and setting rather than advance the plot (insomuch that there is a "plot" here). The main chapters feature a series of interweaving narratives that cover the lives of Americans from various upbringings/cultural backgrounds. These stories are interesting, but some are much stronger than others - I braced myself every time a new narrative started because there was a 50% chance it would take quite a while to become engaging.
Overall, I liked this novel and I plan to read the rest of the series (or the rest of the big ass book, to be technical). But... I'm not sure when I'll feel the urge to pick up the second installment. I don't know what I was hoping for with this one, but it didn't grip me as much as it could have.
3.5 stars.