Commonweal review of M&D

[Toby Levy]

My father-in-law, a long time Commonweal reader, passed along the current
issue (August 15th) to me because of the review of Mason & Dixon.

The reviewer, Frank McConnell, is Commonweal's meadia critic and lit
prof at UC-Santa Barbara.  It's an absolutely glowing review in which he
describes M&D in the opening paragraph as "not only the most stunning novel I've
read in the last twenty years, but one of the most stunning novels I've
read, comma, period."  He tells of being a Pynchon fan sinced reading V.
in 1963.  In the middle of the review comes these insightful words of
praise:  "this is why I believe Pynchon is the only living and maybe the
ONLY American novelist who deserves to be called 'great' -- it is a
novel full of nostalgia for the departure of God."  McConnell concludes
the review with with "This is the book of a lifetime, and God bless
him for it."

I thought nobody could heap higher praise onto M&D than Moody did in the
Atlantic Review, but I think McConnell manages it.

Toby