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AboutJosephMcElroy
JosephMcElroyisanAmericannovelist,
shortstorywriter,andessayist.

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McElroygrewupinBrooklynHeights,
NY,aneighborhoodthatfeaturesprominentlyin
muchofhisfiction.HereceivedhisB.A.from
WilliamsCollegein1951andhisM.A.from
ColumbiaUniversityin1952.Heservedinthe
CoastGuardfrom19524,andthenreturnedto
ColumbiatocompletehisPh.D.in1961.Asan
Englishinstru...more

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LookoutCartridge
byJosephMcElroy

4.05

ratingdetails82ratings15reviews

With"LookoutCartridge,"JosephMcElroyestablishedareputationasoneofcontemporaryfiction's
foremostinnovatorsanddeftobserversintothefissuresofmodernsociety.Itisanovelofdazzling
intricacy,absorbingsuspense,andthehighestambition:toredeemthegreatclaimofparanoiaonthe
Americanpsyche.
Intryingtofigureoutjustwhoissothreatenedbya...more

MoreaboutJosephMcElroy...

BooksbyJosephMcElroy

Paperback,531pages
PublishedNovember25th2003byOverlookBooks(firstpublished1974)
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TriviaAboutLookoutCartridge

Notriviaorquizzesyet.Addsomenow

QuotesfromLookoutCartridge
LarryMcCaffery:The20thCentury'sGreatest

IhaveinmyheadthingsImaynothaveexactly
seen,justasyouwhoreadthishaveme.

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Jonathanratedit

(showing130of390)

May04,2014

Shelves:favorites

Thisisamasterpiece,asshouldbeclearfrombothmystatusupdatesandthelengthand
ramblingnatureofthisreview(itisonlythebestbooks,Ithink,whichsetourminds
rushingoffinallsortsofdirections).Itisathriller,thoughseldomthrilling.Itisa
mystery,thoughisnevertrulysolved.WemovefromAtoBtoCbydancingbackand
forthbetweenB1.1,A2.3,B.4.7.3,C3.1etc.Dotmatrixstorytelling.Slowlyanimage
emerges.McElroyasksforyourtrust,andyourpatience.I...more
28likesLikeseereview
Jonfaithratedit

Jun07,2013

RecommendedtoJonfaithby:Jonathan

LookoutCartridgeresistsanalysis.Itdoesn'tlenditselftoobjectivemodels.Itlacksa
coreandperiphery.Thereislittledistinctionbetweenitsexteriorandtheinsular.Hell,
asthepagesturn,thenarrativegathersmatter,butnotreallyforce.
Wherewouldthiskinesisgo?Wemeasureintermsofplotdevelopment.Withinthese
pagesthatactivityremainssuspect.
Aspagesareread,certaindetailaccumulate.
Couldwebemorespecific?
Okay,themyriadprojectofrepresentingrealityrepe...more
11likesLikeseereview
Jratedit

reviewofanotheredition

Apr16,2013

Cartwright,thefilmhehelpedshootdestroyed*andhispersonthreatened,ispushedto
engageforcesandindividualsbefore(ifever)hecanfullyconnectthemtohimselforeach
other.Likewise,I'mpushedtoreviewthenovelfeelingtwostepsbehindCartwright's
progress,dizzyin"thegreatmultiplefieldofimpinginginformations".ReadingLookout
Cartridgemeansenduringanearconstantbarrageofinformation,withfewmomentsof
calmbeforetheconnectionsonemakesduringthesunnyrespi...more
10likesLikeseereview
Jamesratedit
Shelves:2012read,100mccaffery

Feb14,2012

Sodense,complex,andfragmentedthataspacedout,letitsinkinapproachtoreading
itseems,initially,tomakethemostsense.However,fullappreciationofwhatMcElroy
achievesissobeholdentothedevelopmentandrecollectionofobscuredetailsthatan
argumentcouldbemadejustaswellfordevouringitasquicklyaspossible.Itsnotthat
McElroysproseitselfishardertoparsethananyofhismorereveredpostmodern
brethren(particularlyGassathisdensest),butitshismanip...more
9likesLikeseereview
JamesDykeratedit
Shelves:theamericanmeganovel

Apr29,2013

ThishighlyoriginalnovelwasmyfirstMcElroy.Itreadslikeafilminitself,McElroy
adoptsahighlyelusive,labyrinthinestylewhichpresentsmorselsofinformation

Morequotes

(thousandsandthousandsofmorsels)whichthereaderhastoattempttoconnect
togetherinordertocomprehendwhatexactlyhasgoneon.Unfortunately,themain
characterisessentiallydoingthesamething.Anauraofparanoiaandeverythingis
connectednesspervadesasthereaderthemselvespiecestogethercorrectlyorincor
...more
4likesLikeseereview
ericratedit

Jul24,2008

It'ssortofhardtoknowhowtoratethisone.I'vefalsestartedseveraltimesoverthepast
fewyears.Itjustnevergrabbedme.SoItookitbackpackingandtentconfinementdueto
mosquitoesallowed/forcedmetogetintoit.Thereisastoryhere(bizarrebutsomehow
obfuscatedintoblandness),butyouhavetobedeterminedtoseekitout.Thissituationis
finebymeinmanycases,butIspentafairportionofthisbookstrugglingmorethanI
reallywantedto.Thingsjumprapidlyandunex...more
1likeLikeseereview
Maxratedit

reviewofanotheredition

May06,2015

"Ifno,keeploopingifyes,proceed."
TimHeideckergotreallymadatTheAVClubwhenareviewergaveTheComedyanA
butthensaidthatthevastmajorityofpeoplewouldn'tenjoyit.Iseewherehe'scoming
frombutlike,Idon'tknow,Ithinkthere'sagreatdegreeofvalueinhavingasupremely
positivereviewthatalsoacknowledges,hey,asanartworkorwhateverit'samazingbut
asaconsumerproductit'sacompletefailure.
Whichiswhatthisbookis.Ikeptthinking"ohman,thisisra...more
Likeseereview
Nicoleratedit
Shelves:dispobustendhal,seriousbooksforgradstudentboys,unfinished

Oct09,2014

MypostInfiniteJesthighhasledmevariousplaces,includingthisone,thathaveturned
updisappointing.(Tobefair,alsoplacesIfoundfoundgreatlyrewarding.)Ifindthat
manypostmodernprojectsaretryingtosolveaproblemIdon'thave.ThebooksIlove
fromthiscategoryhavesomethingmore,dosomethingfurther,somethingwhichasyetI
canonlydescribeinanIknowitwhenIseeitmode,butwhichhastodowithsincerity
orhumanityorempathyorevensomethinglikejoyorplay...more
Likeseereview
Willratedit

Jan03,2013

"Itwasallmeant.Noquestionthere.
Alignmentseast,westandfromwhatI'dheardaboutmoonsetseenfromhereover
MountClishamIcouldnowjustmakeoutitsslopesastheweakeninglightandthedimly
dissolvingcloudleftthepeakanissue,onestoneofthetoplimbofthecrosswasleaning
eastbutthestoneswereremarkablyupright.
Meant,however,bywhoknewwhatinterlappingdesires?Theconstellationwhoserise
theredhairedwomanhadsaidshewouldwaitforIguessedmightbetheP...more
Likeseereview
Bobratedit

Jul04,2012

AfterenjoyingASmuggler'sBiblesomuch,andbeingpleasedI'dfinallyIgotteninto
McElroy,Iplungedintothisshortlyafter,andtooksixweeksfinishingititpractically
ruinedreadingformeasIstubbornlycarriedon.PerhapsnotMcElroy'sfaultofcourseI
neededtobeontopofamountain,notcaughtupinoneofthebusiestperiodsofmylife.
ButMcElroydoesn'tmakethisoneeasyalongramblingparanoidtale,reminiscentof
Pynchonexceptalmostnothingactuallyhappens,inw...more
Likeseereview
Reidratedit

Sep01,2008

Whoo,boy...well,thisisoneofthosebooksIamgladIreadbecauseitwasextremely
wellwritten,butamalsogladtohaveoverwithbecauseitissointricatelyand
confusinglyplotted.Itiswritteninastreamofconsciousnessstylethatobscuresas

muchasitrevealsandrequiresthememoryofanelephanttokeepalloftheplayersand
plotstringsinplace.DoIrecommendthisbook?Well,ifyouhavethetimeandenergyto
takeiton,itisafascinatingbook,andalmost(butnotquite)...more
Likeseereview
Corvidratedit

reviewofanotheredition

Apr29,2015

Cartwright,middleagedbusinessmanofquestionablerepute,andhisfriendDagger,
bothAmericanslivinginLondon,decidedtomakeafilmtogether.Theyshotabout10
scenesofthefilmandCartwrightkeptawrittendiaryoftheshooting.Butbeforethefilm
couldbeprocessed,someonebrokeintoDaggersflatanddestroyedmostofit.Thisisthe
basicpremise,orwhatweknowupfront.Whatfollowsisaneverwideninggyreof
Cartwrightsinvestigationintothecircumstancessurroundingthef...more
Likeseereview
Alohamarkeditastobuy
Shelves:20whenencyclopedic,zmcelroyjoseph

Nov03,2012

HoldingoffonthisuntilmaybeaneBookcomesout.Ihaveenoughhardbacksof
encyclopedicnovelstokeepmepreoccupiedforalongtime.TomLeClairconsidersthis
McElroy'sbestnovel.I'mimpressedwithWomenandMenmyself.
Likeseereview
JimLeckbandratedit

Dec16,2012

TheaudienceforthisbookperhapsconsistsofthesetofallauthorsnamedJoseph
McElroy.Evenwithinthatset,thenumberofsatisfiedreaderscouldwellbetheempty
set.
Likeseereview
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