I have intended to read House of Leaves for ages. I jumped in directly after finishing Bangkok Tattoo last night, and so far (up to page 45) the book reminds me vaguely of Nabokov’s Pale Fire.
gh
I lately have had little time for reading things not directly related to my work, so I have not made much progress on House of Leaves. I am up to page 107 and can offer the following observations:
House of Leaves is no Pale Fire.
Love of paper books and typography is evident–no current ebook format could handle this.
I know that this is the age of doing without editors, but really one is needed here.
Some of the barbs in the pseudo-academic sections are hilarious.
Some of the conceits are clearly going to wear thin.
gh
I have read up to page 246, and the going has been very rough. Lest you think that moving from page 107 to page 246 took a solid, uninterrupted reading session of worth, please note that many of the pages in that range are nearly blank.
gh
I have finished this. Other than a particularly long list of names in a footnote that brought Ovid’s dogs to mind, nothing stood out. House of Leaves is too long by half–the framework is a McMansion, the story a mouse. I cannot recommend a traditional reading (cover to cover) of the book, but dipping into its various parts can be an instructive experience.
![[Cover]](http://griersonhuffman.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2007/04/9780375420528.jpg)
I have intended to read House of Leaves for ages. I jumped in directly after finishing Bangkok Tattoo last night, and so far (up to page 45) the book reminds me vaguely of Nabokov’s Pale Fire.
I lately have had little time for reading things not directly related to my work, so I have not made much progress on House of Leaves. I am up to page 107 and can offer the following observations:
I have read up to page 246, and the going has been very rough. Lest you think that moving from page 107 to page 246 took a solid, uninterrupted reading session of worth, please note that many of the pages in that range are nearly blank.
I have finished this. Other than a particularly long list of names in a footnote that brought Ovid’s dogs to mind, nothing stood out. House of Leaves is too long by half–the framework is a McMansion, the story a mouse. I cannot recommend a traditional reading (cover to cover) of the book, but dipping into its various parts can be an instructive experience.
Not recommended.