#49 in Classics
Gravity's Rainbow
- 836
- Pages
- about 15 h
- Reading time
- National Book Award for Fiction
- 20th Century's Greatest Hits: 100 English-Language Books of Fiction
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About the book
Gravity's Rainbow is a 1973 postmodern novel by Thomas Pynchon. The narrative is set primarily in Europe at the end of World War II and centers on the design, production and dispatch of V-2 rockets by the German military. In particular, it features the quest undertaken by several characters to uncover the secret of a mysterious device, the Schwarzgerät, which is slated to be installed in a rocket with the serial number "00000".
Where the score comes from
The sources average 8.2 across 214 ratings — not yet many, so the reader vote carries 59% of the weight and the rest pulls toward the Classics average of 7.7. That is how 8.1 comes out. A further +0.10 comes from the small bonus for major awards.
| Source | Average | Ratings | Weight |
|---|---|---|---|
| Open Library | 8.1 | 26 | 12% |
| Hardcover | 8.2 | 188 | 88% |
Frequently asked
How long is Gravity's Rainbow?
It has 836 pages — longer than 95% of the ranked books in Classics.
In this book
Themes this book shares with others — each leads to the best books on it.
If you liked this
Same shelf — Classics — with scores between 8.1 and 8.2, closest to this book.
