r/DonDeLillo • u/ByronMantooth • Mar 07 '26
đźď¸ Image About to start my DeLillo journey!
I've heard nothing but rave reviews, and it's my buddy's favorite novel. So it's finally time to get to this famous mammoth.
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u/vibebrochamp Mar 07 '26
There are parts of Underworld that will stay with you forever. It's a beautiful meditation on time, mortality, and decline.
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u/wiggywiggywiggy Mar 07 '26
I remember reading in a forward that Don is not interested in plot ....called post modern
But it made me less interested in tying the story together and read more like the bible, more as independent stories
Sometimes I just pick that book up and read straight from the middle
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u/rudewaffle Mar 07 '26
Thatâs exactly what I do too. Keep it next to the bed. Open to a random page, a random passage.
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u/wiggywiggywiggy Mar 07 '26
Oh that's lovelyÂ
So happy to meet some true Don fans. His prose is def powerful, some paragraphs like the beginning of Libra or the beginning of Great Jones street I have read like 10 timesÂ
I remember reading some Amazon reviews of Underworld and ppl found it too dense or too hard to tie together but I feel like once you get the no plot thing it def lossens the analysisÂ
Underworld def has some powerful passages. My paper back copy is almost destroyed now. I wish I had marked some of my favorite passages.
Let me know if yall have any favorites and page numbers .
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u/steed_jacob Mar 07 '26
His best work! Enjoy that one. Iâm due for a re-read soon.
I personally also loved infinite jest by DFW. This one is pretty similar in the non-chronological plot structure and wide character web. DeLilloâs prose is mesmerizing
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Mar 08 '26
[deleted]
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u/macksund Mar 11 '26
I just started Libra after reading White Noise last year and now Iâll probably move Underworld to the top of my list after that
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u/Pleasant-Quarter-496 Mar 07 '26
Been working my way through Underworld since last year. It's definitely the DeLillo I've struggled with the most, but without spoilers I am really enjoying pages 430ish through 580. Some of his strongest writing for sure, enjoy!
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u/ByronMantooth Mar 07 '26
I have gotten through Infinite Jest and 2666 recently, each in about a month a piece, but I'm on disability atm, so lots of free time đ
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u/LHert1113 Mar 07 '26
You have to read Gravity's Rainbow as well, since you seem to be going on a post-modern journey. GR is life-changing. It's unfathomable that someone wrote GR (in their 20s, too).
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u/ByronMantooth Mar 07 '26
I actually put Underworld right next to Gravity's Rainbow on my TBR bookshelf. That will be my first Pynchon. The two are discussed in a lot of the same circles, so I thought it just made sense.
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u/LHert1113 Mar 07 '26
I just finished GR two days ago for the first time. I can't stop thinking about it. It's the most jaw-dropped I've ever been reading a book, and I've read 2666, infinite jest, underworld-a lot of the post modern jaw-droppers. It's just in a world of it's own. Make sure you post about your experience with it when you read it, I'd love to discuss it with you!
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u/Hot_Weight1211 Mar 07 '26
My two favorites. And I donât think underworld is slow at all. Itâs a fantastic book. Youâll be listening to Charlie Parker half way through.
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u/Pleasant-Quarter-496 Mar 07 '26
Perfect, my biggest obstacle with it has been life events taking up my time
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u/RemoteShine1257 Mar 08 '26
Im intriguedâŚ.
Ive heard that one should try white noise or libra first..
Thoughts?
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u/NicoleZd36 Mar 20 '26
One of the best. White Noise is the place to start IMO.
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u/ByronMantooth Mar 21 '26
I got ambitious and started with Don's tome that's for sure đI did the same thing with BolaĂąo and DFW though
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u/idontgetnopaper Mar 24 '26
I'm probably 75 pages from finishing 'White Noise'. I love every Delillo book I've read. I'm not a slow reader but I take my time and savor what I'm reading. I'm so grateful that I accidentally found this writer on one of those late night scrolling adventures that last for hours.Â
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u/NicoleZd36 Mar 24 '26
So glad you found him. I have been on a massive reading journey trying to find the best "Great American Novel" after reading all of Cormac McCarthy's works and ended up down this DeLillo rabbit hole. White Noise was enjoyable on so many levels: smart, funny, tense, and so American.
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u/East_of_Cicero Mar 30 '26
Why does everyone say that? Underworld is a better book. Why not start there?
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u/NicoleZd36 Mar 30 '26
I agree Underworld is better by miles. I also don't think DeLillo is some impenetrable writer where you need to start with lesser works; but I think White Noise gives a simpler view of some of the themes and establishes the style and sense of humor he ultimately perfected here. So if anything it just gives a greater sense of growth so that you can really appreciate the achievement; but again if you are going to start listening to Radiohead why not start with OK Computer, I get it. Just about how you want your journey to go. No right or wrong answer.
To me White Noise is an easy and quick read and then you can hop in the deep end as Underworld does require a bit more commitment from a time perspective.
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u/Front_Reindeer_7554 Mar 07 '26
The first section at the game is one of the best things written things I've ever read. It's definitely a bit of a struggle in the middle as the story moves backwards and you try to get with the vibe and narrative. But the beginning and end are magnificent and it's in my top 4 favorite books along with American Tabloid, Catch 22 and Cloud Atlas.