Gravity's Rainbow

This is an author that you cant put down too long before you have to start over. One must have patience reading Pynchon.

Still a breath-taking novel

I have read GR numerous times and each time it is still an education. The book really does require a couple of readings to grasp all its intricacies, and there are passages I still don't understand, but overall, the experience is more than worth it. So, not for the faint of heart, but stick with it and all will become clear in the end. Pynchon is famously reclusive, and really, his attitude is admirable: The works speak for themselves. He doesn't need to put himself in the limelight.
There are dozens of plots, dozens of characters, and through it all some astonishingly lyrical passages, as well as some pretty rough stuff. The book defies easy categorization, and easy description. It will defeat your expectations of time, plot and character -- but is immensely entertaining nonetheless.