Classic, 20th-Century, Penguin Carpenter's Gothic, (Paperback)

from beelzebubba

The whole novel takes place inside the house, which ends up being as much a character as any of the others. Does the house represent existence? Having it intricately Gothic on the outside, a shoddily constructed, falling apart piece of crap on the inside, does that show reality itself to be only ...

from librarianbryan

High satire from this American master. Its briefer length makes it a better introduction that the longish JR. The Recognitions remains the jewel of Gaddis' oeuvre.

from LukeS

This is a book which moves forward almost entirely in a fugue-like conversation. It's so short, you almost don't get used to the style. A woman, who we learn has somewhat diminished capacity, has rented a carpenter's gothic house overlooking the Hudson some distance north of New York City. She ha...

from le.vert.galant

Four stars only because it falls a notch below the others novels I've read by William Gaddis. For someone new to his work, this may be the best first read as it's short and relatively easy to follow.

from HadriantheBlind

One of Gaddis' shorter books, but one that still requires a Herculean effort to read. A gigantic sprawl of dialogue.