false http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1238385307m/24836.jpg 24836 2 <i>The Floating Opera</i> and <i>The End Of The Road</i> are John Barth's first two novels.  Their relationship to each other is evident not only in their ribald subject matter but in the eccentric characters and bitterly humorous tone of the narratives.  Both concern strange, consuming love triangles and the destructive effect of an overactive intellect on the emotions.  Separately they give two very different views of a universal human drama. 3117267 1996 The Floating Opera and The End of the Road total:603|5:215|4:239|3:123|2:21|1:5| 603 2447 838 51 4 4 false false Fri Apr 04 06:36:20 -0700 2008 Fri Apr 04 08:27:35 -0700 2008 more...]]> 5 1 false false Mon Oct 01 09:01:33 -0700 2007 Mon Oct 01 17:26:35 -0700 2007
"So I left the ticket window and took a seat on one of the benches in the middle of the concourse to make up my mind. And it was there that I simply ran out of motives, as a car runs out of gas. There was no reason to go to Cincinnati, Ohio. ...more...]]> 4 1 false false Fri Dec 01 00:00:00 -0800 2006 Thu May 10 15:39:14 -0700 2007 Thu May 10 15:51:09 -0700 2007 more...]]> 5 0 false false Mon Aug 10 13:10:18 -0700 2009 Mon Aug 10 13:21:31 -0700 2009 more...]]> 5 0 false false Tue Jul 08 00:00:00 -0700 2008 Tue Jul 08 19:37:12 -0700 2008 Tue Jul 08 20:12:25 -0700 2008 more...]]> 4 0 false false Sun Feb 10 00:00:00 -0800 2008 Sun Nov 25 17:06:36 -0800 2007 Sun Feb 10 10:34:08 -0800 2008 more...]]> 0 0 false false Sun Apr 01 00:00:00 -0700 2007 Fri Apr 27 19:16:43 -0700 2007 Sat May 12 20:15:26 -0700 2007 more...]]> 4 0 false false Sun Nov 02 00:00:00 -0700 2008 Thu Oct 30 08:58:04 -0700 2008 Sun Nov 02 20:07:46 -0800 2008
The story is a bit harsh, ironic, and down-to-earth for all the rationalization that the characters go through to make sense of th...more...]]> 4 0 false false Sun Jan 04 13:59:36 -0800 2009 Sun Jan 04 14:00:56 -0800 2009
This was the first Barth I read. It's much more accessible than Giles Goat Boy or The Sot-Weed Factor....]]> 3 0 false false Sun Oct 25 23:24:05 -0700 2009 Sun Oct 25 23:25:47 -0700 2009 At Swim-Two-Birds he got away with publishing his personal mythology. Maybe someday I'll be able to as well.]]> 5 0 false false Wed Sep 30 00:00:00 -0700 1992 Wed Jun 03 15:31:51 -0700 2009 Wed Jun 03 15:32:52 -0700 2009 4 0 false false Wed Mar 11 14:24:00 -0700 2009 Thu Mar 12 14:25:19 -0700 2009 0 0 false false Thu Sep 10 19:25:32 -0700 2009 Thu Sep 10 19:25:32 -0700 2009 5 0 false false Thu Jan 01 00:00:00 -0800 1970 Sun Nov 04 14:23:52 -0800 2007 Sun Nov 04 14:27:34 -0800 2007 # The Floating Opera (1957)
# The End of the Road (1958)
I believe they're both written at almost the same time, tell the same story with different characters, and have different outcomes. They're fabulo...more...]]> 2 0 false false Thu Jul 31 18:39:21 -0700 2008 Mon Apr 21 13:40:12 -0700 2008 Thu Jul 31 18:39:21 -0700 2008 more...]]> 5 0 false false Mon May 14 11:48:11 -0700 2007 Mon May 14 11:54:12 -0700 2007 The End of the Road....

This book is hilarious and offensive. If anyone has experienced a state of academic paralysis while struggling through grad school, this book might hit close to home. However, the story is also absurd and will ...more...]]> 5 0 false false Sun Jul 01 00:00:00 -0700 2007 Fri Jun 08 16:31:07 -0700 2007 Tue Jul 17 09:29:29 -0700 2007 more...]]> 3 0 false false Sat Nov 01 00:00:00 -0800 2003 Sun Sep 30 19:48:44 -0700 2007 Sun Sep 30 19:52:12 -0700 2007 more...]]> 4 0 false false Mon Apr 27 00:00:00 -0800 1908 Wed Dec 05 11:58:31 -0800 2007 Tue Apr 22 08:24:33 -0700 2008
It's not nearly as ambitious as The Sot Weed Factor, and that's part of what I like about it. It's quick, loose, fresh, and fun. Shows how an interest...more...]]> 4 0 false false Sun Dec 16 21:55:38 -0800 2007 Tue Oct 16 15:11:24 -0700 2007 Mon Nov 05 08:16:55 -0800 2007 more...]]> http://www.goodreads.com/book_link/follow/8?book_id=24836