Vineland

[MASCARO at humnet.ucla.edu]

davemarc concludes his pots:

>I think *Vineland* is a fine, fun book.  I'm interested in what TRP has to
>say, even when it doesn't conform to what my idea of what he ought to say.  
>

I just wanna strongly concur and say I like the way you put it.  I actually think 
VINELAND is a major achievement, and not a fall off from GR--no time to justify 
this opinion right now--but what davemarc sez is sadly too true.  A lot of 
self-anointed TRP--experts--and others, Rushdie for example--gave tepid early 
reviews of VINELAND precisely because it didn't conform to their ideas of what 
book shouldacouldawoulda followed GR (and that 17 year hiatus, of course, which 
Paul D. puts in perspective through his arithmetical calculations).  I really hate the 
dismissive, or worse, damning w/ faint praise tone of much VINELAND 
commentary (though not all; there'a a few fans on this list, I wot).

john m