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1st out of 38 books
—
5 voters
Loon Lake
It is America in the great depression, and he is a child of that time, that place. He runs away from home in Paterson, New Jersey, to New York City and learns the bare bones of life before he hits the road with a traveling carnival. Then one icy night in the Adirondacks, the young man sees a private train roar by. In its lit windows, he spies an industrial tycoon, a poet,...more
Paperback, 272 pages
Published
June 1st 1996
by Plume
(first published 1980)
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E. L. Doctorow's Loon Lake is proof that I can completely read a book from start to finish and still have no clue as to what it's about. I know that a character named Joe from Paterson, NJ travels a lot, follows a train, empathizes for a fat woman sex act in a sideshow carnival, and hooks up with one or two women, one of whom was married to a man who gets killed. I don't know exactly what happens to her husband other than something in the union and Joe from Paterson is framed for a time, and I h...more
Originally published on my blog here in December 2001.
One of Doctorow's more experimental novels, Loon Lake presents a bewildering collection of different techniques: traditional narratives, stream of consciousness, poetry. It is also a novel which continually reminds the reader of others, possibly an easy way for an author to put himself in the tradition of the great American novel; among those which are brought to mind are The Grapes of Wrath and the U.S.A. trilogy.
Loon Lake, a retreat for mil...more
One of Doctorow's more experimental novels, Loon Lake presents a bewildering collection of different techniques: traditional narratives, stream of consciousness, poetry. It is also a novel which continually reminds the reader of others, possibly an easy way for an author to put himself in the tradition of the great American novel; among those which are brought to mind are The Grapes of Wrath and the U.S.A. trilogy.
Loon Lake, a retreat for mil...more
This was a somewhat challenging book to read. Doctorow used various writing styles throughout the book going from 1st person to 3rd person narration, then including a stream of consciousness style (similar to Faulkner) where the narration goes on for several pages without punctuation or clear sentences, he then also includes some passages in poetry. But if you can get through all that, the story is quite interesting about a young man (Joe) during the depression of the 1930s who works as a carniv...more
Oct 14, 2009
Leah
added it
This may be the worst book I've ever read. I'm not kidding. It was awful. Celebrated author, intriguing cover copy, great reviews . . . but it was a complete and utter mess of unmitigated dreck. It wasn't just the fact that the narrative switches back and forth between third person, first person, and bad poetry; or the fact that rules of grammar and punctuation don't seem to exist, making it necessary to go back and read the same sentence several times in the hopes of figuring out what it's sayi...more
At first, I was very surprised with Loon Lake because I didn´t expect it to be as much experimental as it was - good thing that I like such novels. Despite many of the not-so-positive reviews here and despite the fact that they are actually spot-on and true in some statements, I´m gonna have to go with the 5* rating anyways. Reason one: I like experimenting both in form and content, as long as it is not for the sake of the story itself (like it happened in Barthelme´s Dead Father), so this innov...more
I picked this up at a book recycling stall in a shopping centre some years ago and only got round to reading it now. I had no idea who the author was or what the book would be about - there wasn't even a background blurb - which was a rather refreshing way to start reading a novel. But even if I had had expectations, I doubt I would have been disappointed.
The writing seemed effortless, which is not a given with experimental or stream-of-consciousness styles, and was generally a pleasure to read....more
The writing seemed effortless, which is not a given with experimental or stream-of-consciousness styles, and was generally a pleasure to read....more
“A book has its origins in the private excitements of the writer’s mind,” novelist E.L. Doctorow wrote in 1994.”The excitements are private because they’re incommunicable unless they’re rendered, given extension and resolved as a book.
“Years ago," he continued, "driving in the Adirondack mountains, I passed a road sign that said ‘Loon Lake.’ I’ve always been moved by that part of the country but my strong feelings for its woods and streams suddenly intensified and seemed to cohere on those two w...more
“Years ago," he continued, "driving in the Adirondack mountains, I passed a road sign that said ‘Loon Lake.’ I’ve always been moved by that part of the country but my strong feelings for its woods and streams suddenly intensified and seemed to cohere on those two w...more
Joseph Korzeniowski leaves his life in 1930's New Jersey and goes out to look for his own American Dream. Whilst the rest of the country suffers the deprivations of The Depression he finds wealth, lust and poetry in the country retreat of a wealthy industrialist. But violence haunts Loon Lake.
Doctorow is an exceptional writer, capable of telling a complex tale with shifting narratives, which he does here with Faulkerish obtuseness. The voice switches from the first to third person, there is poet...more
Doctorow is an exceptional writer, capable of telling a complex tale with shifting narratives, which he does here with Faulkerish obtuseness. The voice switches from the first to third person, there is poet...more
This is a challenging novel to read. It changes characters, points-of-view, places and times without warning. It drops into unpunctuated stream-of-consciousness now and then. But it is an interesting tale that follows a young man, Joe, from working class New Jersey as he tries to find his way during the Great Depression. He runs up against organized crime, the wealthy, a circus, union unrest, and "Okies" making their way to California. His story is interwoven with the story of a derelict poet an...more
Doctorow is one of my favorite contemporary authors, but it took me several tries to get into this novel. The opening prose has this faux-modernist feel to it, and he lapses back into that at several points without much good reason. That's what put me off -- it didn't feel like Doctorow. But it is good writing (no surprise), and once I allowed myself to get into it I found this to be a interesting if minor pleasure for the Doctorow devotee. The plot concerns the ways in which the lives of a drif...more
I've read (and liked) a lot of Doctorow's stuff, but this isn't good. In fact, it's sort of a mess. The biggest problem is that the story is told from (at least) two perspectives, and one of them is the perspective of a whiny, untalented poet named Warren Penfield.
Maybe Doctorow felt Penfield's story was interesting (it isn't) -- more likely, it's just there because the main story is too insubstantial. The main character is Joe, and he goes from a circus to the Loon Lake retreat of a multi-mill...more
Maybe Doctorow felt Penfield's story was interesting (it isn't) -- more likely, it's just there because the main story is too insubstantial. The main character is Joe, and he goes from a circus to the Loon Lake retreat of a multi-mill...more
I bought this book because of the author, (years ago I read Ragtime, which was excellent), I did not know anything about it, but what a pleasant surprise. The story plays off in the era of the Great War and the Great Depression. It is very well written, and the story is interesting. One point of criticism, the author makes use of different styles in the narrative, from poetry to normal punctuation to chapters without punctuation. I found the latter irritating because of the different possible me...more
Disjointed, unsuccessfully self consciously poetic. To do away with the formalities of linear storytelling and the conventions of grammar and punctuation you require a grand vision or other compensatory factors not present here. This book never achieves an authenticity of voice for anyone, is not a good historical record nor a uniform commentary on wealth or class, and is at times forthrightly misogynistic.
Confusing. Jumping from character to character, person to person, prose to poetry, punctuation to no punctuation. There were moments where the writing was surprising that would keep me reading, and then, disappointment. What really drove me crazy was there wasn't one redeemable character -- not one person I would want to spend any time with -- not one that seemed human.
this was a kind of topsy-turvy meditation on the different worlds of america, rural and urban, rich and poor, male and female, etc., told from multiple at times jaggedly dissonant perspectives, it was more of a reflective piece than a novel, more like a song. worth reading, but don't expect the latest blockbuster-type creed of perfect seduction.
Underrated? Hard to imagine why this isn't a movie. Engaging, at times lyrical prose weaving history with fiction. Strong characters. Slaughterhouse-Five-like departures into a different space that enliven the narrative, with a flavor suggesting perhaps Kafka's idea of a Greek chorus. A great read - for many years I returned to this book semi-annually.
many people don't like this book because they think it's too confusing--it shifts between first and third person point of view, pose and poetry, and different times and settings. i think it's really good because its another one of doctorow's works that reflect on the act of writing as an art form and the process of writing itself.
Stylistically this book annoyed me. I'd just start to get engaged in a plotline, or interested in a character, when Doctorow's labored efforts to mimic Faulkner would again force me to parse the narrative repeatedly. There are many elements of a compelling story here, many snapshots of what happens to basically decent people whose circumstances land them on the edge of survival and at the fringe of mainstream America. But when characters are disaffected and prone to unpleasant behavior, they nee...more
I love Doctorow, but this really wasn't what I expected. Whenever I thought I knew what was going on, I didn't really, and some of the scenes are hideously graphic, but at times it was the best, most inspired thing I'd ever read.
Reader Beware: I created a long-needed "weird" bookshelf after reading this one.
Reader Beware: I created a long-needed "weird" bookshelf after reading this one.
Really hard to get into and stay there. Parts of it were really good, but then off he goes another direction. Not his best effort. If it wasn't Doctorow I wouldn't have wasted my time.
Con verdadero placer he leido por tercera vez esta inclasificable novela donde la historia real de una España convulsa y una Barcelona en pleno desarrollo industrial entre las dos exposiciones universales, se mezcla y confunde con la increible fábula de Onofre Bouvila pobre pícaro sin malicia pero con inteligencia convertido al final, en un ganster sin moral ni escrúpulos políticos o sociales que traba conocimientos de la índole de Alfonso XIII o Rasputín y todo bañado del sin par humor negro y...more
Challenging read, and I'm glad I didn't give up. Granted, I'm never a big fan of stream of consciousness (sp?), but definitely thought it didn't serve the story here.
Dec 24, 2008
jj
added it
Not for sensitive souls. Powerful images that really disturb. Still can't get the circus woman scene out of my head.
this was my choice for our book group - I really enjoyed it!
The intrigue in this book really kept my attention, and the parallels to historical figures made it so Doctorowesque. As in City of God, he is playing with the stream of consciousness, which does get a bit laborious at times. It is still a fine read.
I used to summer at loon lake!
Loon Lake... about a lost soul
Disappointing for Doctorow.
Oct 02, 2012
Rick
added it
O
good
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Famous American Jewish writer, Edgar Laurence Doctorow is the author of several critically acclaimed novels that blend history and social criticism. Although he had written books for years, it was not until the publication of The Book of Daniel in 1971 that he obtained acclaim. His next book, Ragtime, was a commercial and critical success. As of 2006, he held the Glucksman Chair in American Letter...more
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Dec 04, 2012 08:07am