Category

Fiction

Reviews and criticism about fiction, with focus on the works of Thomas Pynchon, John Irving, Jonathan Franzen, J.D. Salinger, and Henry Miller.

Important works with satirical elements such as Lewis Carroll’s Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland, Margaret Atwood’s The Handmaid’s Tale, Dave Egger’s The Circle are also featured.

33 posts

The_Circle
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The Circle: A 1984 for Our Time

Published 10y ago -

  Dave Eggers 3 January 2014 Review by Dan Geddes The Circle, Dave Eggers’ novel named for a fictitious Google-like company that profits from its users’ data and destroys individual privacy, is a topical and compelling read. The story takes place in a... More »

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What’s Going On at UAardvark?

Published 10y ago -

By Lawrence S. Wittner Review by Dan Geddes What’s Going On at Uardvark? is a satirical campus novel, one where the university is utterly dominated by corporate interests. Companies outbid each other to have the campus buildings named after them. “... More »

Bleeding Edge
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Bleeding Edge

Published 11y ago -

Essay by Dan Geddes See also: The Crying of Lot 49, Gravity’s Rainbow, Vineland, Inherent Vice, and Dys, an imaginary Pynchon novel Most Thomas Pynchon fans will not be disappointed by Bleeding Edge, his new novel set in New York in 2001. Some may be dis... More »

The Perfect Defective

Published 11y ago -

Clark Casey Review by Dan Geddes Clark Casey’s The Perfect Defective is a hilarious short novella, an enjoyable beach read if your sense of humor includes ribald parody of the LA private detective genre. Aside from the Spade or Marlowe associations, some... More »

In_One_Person
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In One Person

Published 12y ago -

Review by Dan Geddes Note: The first part of this review is for would-be readers and thus contains no spoilers. The second part is further commentary, including spoilers. John Irving would admit that sexual orientation is still an important political issue in ... More »

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The Rosy Crucifixion (Sexus, Plexus and Nexus)

Published 12y ago -

Henry Miller By Dan Geddes See also review of Miller’s The Air-Conditioned Nightmare Henry Miller is sui generis. It is difficult to place his works in a particular genre, though novels may still be the best category. Some have termed his works “au... More »

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The Prague Cemetery

Published 12y ago -

Umberto Eco Review by Dan Geddes Umberto Eco’s The Prague Cemetery is an entertaining tour de force of 19th century European history. Blending history and fiction as in his previous novels (The Name of the Rose, Foucault’s Pendulum), Eco uses the f... More »

freedom
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Jonathan Franzen’s Freedom – Review

Published 13y ago -

Freedom by Jonathan Franzen Review by Dan Geddes Summary: Franzen solidifies his reputation with a worthy follow-up to The Corrections. Note: This review contains spoilers and is intended to be read only after you have read the book. Jonathan Franzen’s F... More »

salinger
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J.D. Salinger – In Memoriam

Published 14y ago -

by Dan Geddes It will probably be impossible for future generations to understand the special place that J.D. Salinger held in the minds of readers in the mid-to-late twentieth century. The Catcher in the Rye remains a classic statement of youth alienation, an... More »

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Inherent Vice – Pynchon for the Masses

Published 14y ago -

Thomas Pynchon Review by Dan Geddes 5 January 2010 See also: Inherent Vice (2014) (movie) The Crying of Lot 49, Gravity’s Rainbow, Vineland, Bleeding Edge and Dys, an imaginary Pynchon novel Inherent Vice is a pleasant surprise. After Against the Day’s... More »

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