Did Not Finish: Parrot and Olivier in America by Peter Carey

Parrot and Olivier in America is literary historical fiction, set in early nineteenth century America. In many ways, the life of the French aristocrat Olivier mimics the experiences of Alexis de Tocqueville, while his companion in adventures, Parrot, is an older Englishman, the son of a printer.

I think I stopped around page 75 or 100 (but it might have been as soon as page 50) of 400. GoodReads describes the novel as "irrepressibly funny," but if so, I must have given up before reaching the part where the humor starts. I had kind of expected this to be a lighthearted romp through early America, but instead it was quite serious, and the development of the storyline was taking forever. (Parrot and Olivier were not yet embarking on their journey to America when I quit reading.) Also, I found Carey's writing dense and sometimes confusing. Given my current limited amount of time and the stack of books I have waiting for me to read for review, I decided that this is a novel better left for a later reading when I can sit down longer and appreciate it more.