V by Thomas Pynchon
"V" is a complex novel that intertwines two parallel narratives. One follows Benny Profane, a discharged U.S. Navy sailor involved in a group of bohemian artists and hooligans called the Whole Sick Crew, while the other narrative is a series of historical accounts researched by Herbert Stencil, who is on a quest to uncover the identity of an entity known only as V. The narrative oscillates between various global locations and time periods, including Egypt in 1898, Southwest Africa in 1922, and Malta in 1919, among others. The book explores themes of entropy, human connection, and the nature of identity.
The 455th greatest book of all time
Purchase from
Bookshop.org or
Amazon
- Published
- 1963
- Nationality
- American
- Length
- Moderate
- Pages
- 300-500
- Original Language
- English
- Avg User Rating
-
(3.9)
- Alternate Titles
- None
If you're interested in seeing the ranking details on this book go here
This book is on the following 11 lists:
- 26th on In Which These Are the 100 Greatest Novels (ThisRecording.com)
- 59th on 4chan’s Literature Board’s Aggregate Top 100 Books for the Decade 2014 - 2024 (Reddit)
- 85th on The Modern Library's 100 Best Novels: The Readers' List (The Modern Library)
- 1268th on Our Users' Honorable Mention Favorite Books of All Time (The Greatest Books Users)
- 1000 Novels Everyone Must Read (The Guardian)
- 1001 Books You Must Read Before You Die (The Book)
- As if You Don't Have Enough to Read, Fiction Edition (New York Times)
- Best Books (Fiction, Prose) : Experts Choose Their Favourites (The Book "Best Books")
- Donald Barthelme’s Reading List (Believer Mag)
- Harold Bloom's The Western Canon (The Western Canon (Book) by Harold Bloom)
- The 100 Novels That Have Most Enthralled "Le Monde" Since 1944 (Le Monde)