America's Most Critical Journal since 1999
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 »
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 »
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 »
By Jonathan I. Israel See also: Amsterdam: A History of the World’s Most Liberal City The Island at the Center of the World The First Salute Review by Dan Geddes Although it is now a constitutional monarchy, the Netherlands was once a republic, the first... More »
New Close Readings of The Crying of Lot 49 By Robert E. Kohn Review by Dan Geddes New Close Readings of The Crying of Lot 49 comprises twelve essays by Robert Kohn, a former economics professor, who turned to literary studies in his retirement. Kohn is ... More »
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 »
The First Salute: A View of the American Revolution by Barbara Tuchman Review by Dan Geddes Summary: Barbara Tuchman’s compelling view on the American Revolution highlights the key role played by The Netherlands in the struggle, first as arms merchant vi... More »
The Island at the Centre of the World: The Untold Story of the Founding of New York by Russell Shorto Review by Dan Geddes Historians have often treated the establishment of New Amsterdam by the Dutch as a footnote to the history of the United States. The Brit... More »
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 »
The Cocktail Party The Cocktail Party, The Centenary Edition, Harcourt Brace by T.S. Eliot Review By Dan Geddes 10 January 2000 The Cocktail Party is a twentieth century morality play, one that argues that people must accept their burdensome roles as decision ... More »
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 »