ISBN: 0-553-34801-1 Order from: Amazon.com
An amusing, but dated plot, polished style, and excessive view-hopping and introspection make for a mildly pleasing and slightly irritating book.
Reviewed by David on August 09, 2003
Genre: Fiction (Humor)
Synopsis: In a small Indiana town, the lives of several people intersect as they struggle with their fears and desires. A slow-thinking but surpringly inventive farmer takes a stand to keep the world safe from the encroaching Communism and world conspiracies; a flamoyant Hungarian immigrant schemes to have her granddaughter, Maggie, produce a great-granddaughter, and the said Maggie worried about the coming nuclear armageddon.
Full Review: This book is full of fancyful inner dialogue, much of it witty or amusing, and some just repetitive. The characters are colorful and are colorfully neurotic, and are easy to like.
Unfortunately, the introspection goes a little overboard, and the resulting commedy frequently slows to a crawl. The frequent view-hopping between several human and canine does not contribute much to the enjoyment of the resultant narrative.
All in all, it's a witty, literate comedy, but the thinness of its plot and the excessive angst-filled introspection result in less than complete satisfaction with this book.
Overall: 4.5; Plot: 4.5; Characters: 5.5; Style: 6; World-building: 5.5; Originality: 6;
Copyright date 1988, Doubleday (Bantam), April 1990, Trade paperback, 371 pages
ISBN: 0-553-34801-1 Order from: Amazon.com