Lee and Beth, thanks so much for your comments. (And, Beth, I’m a big Connie Willis fan, and I’ve read Kage Baker’s company novels!)

There was also quite a bit of activity on this question on my Facebook page.

Here’s the tally:

Put the Book Down: 2 (Lee and Beth)

Don’t Read the Uncut version: 1 (Facebook friend Janet)

Keep Reading the Book: 3 (FB friends Karl, David and Ian)

You see for yourselves Lee’s and Beth’s comments, but here’s more info from my Facebook Friends:

Karl says the positives of Stranger in a Strange Land outweigh the negatives, and I should go ahead and finish reading it. (He actually prefers Heinlein’s Job: A Comedy of Errors to Stranger.)

Likewise, Ian says read the book, and reveals that the women play a bigger role in the latter part of the novel.

David says read it “once.” He also reveals that he can’t really read Heinlein any more without wanting to hurl the book across the room. (Our FB conversation then turned into a Frank Herbert appreciation thread!)

Janet says it’s probably a mistake to read the uncut version, because “Heinlein really needed editing.” I agree, especially when it comes to character Jubal Harshaw’s pontifications!

I still don’t know what I’m gonna do with this sucker. I may pick it up again and give it another chance. Or it may end up in my box of books to contribute to the Metro Friends book sale. I’ll be sure to let you know what I ultimately decide.

In the meantime, folks, thanks so much for the discussion. When it comes to this book, I suspect talking about it is more enjoyable than reading it!