This book is one of my favorites. It’s not talked about as much though.
The except on laughter is my favorite:
“I’ve found out why people laugh. They laugh because it hurts so much… because it’s the only thing that’ll make it stop hurting” … “But that’s not all people laugh at.” “Isn’t it? Perhaps I don’t grok all its fullness yet. But find me something that really makes you laugh sweetheart… a joke, or anything else- but something that gave you a a real belly laugh, not a smile. Then we’ll see if there isn’t a wrongness wasn’t there.” He thought. “I grok when apes learn to laugh, they’ll be people.”
What parts?
Most of the free-love vibe isn’t really as groundbreaking as it was in 1961. Also Heinlein does have a habit of inserting what can only be described as thinly-veiled fetish content into his work. And by modern standards I’d call Jubal a pretty obvious Mary Sue.
And generally most novels that could nearly qualify for Medicare tend to have a sort of idealistic tone that registers more as corny and naïve today.
Don’t get me wrong, I still like the book, but I can definitely see how it wouldn’t resonate much with a wider modern audience.
That’s all very reasonable
I suspect back in the days of the 60s counterculture, its message of skepticism about established religions, and about sexual liberation, resonated in ways that do not (as much) these days.