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Aug 17, 2012mikeladd rated this title 5 out of 5 stars
Beautifully written, one of the defining books of my life. Is it long-winded in parts? Yes. Are you going to learn more about "Theosophy" than you ever, ever wanted to learn? Yes. But are you going to bear witness to an author pushing the boundaries of what someone can accomplish with the English language, and do so with humor, and warmth, and intelligence? Yes. I can't abide by the fact that this novel has a two-star rating because someone criticized its "slow plot." I can understand where that person comes from because sometimes I want a book which is more plot-focused and less "literary," but come on. It's Saul Bellow. Giving this novel two-stars? Do you have any idea what it would take to write something like Humboldt's Gift? And then to give it two stars? Goodness. At least give it three? I mean, that is "above average." Surely you can give one of the greatest modern novelists an "above average" on one of his singular works. If not, why rate it at all. Why am I getting all up set about this? I don't know.