From Library Journal
Dennis
Boutsakaris reads skillfully from DeLillo's carefully abridged opus (LJ
9/1/97), which begins with an extended prolog describing a memorable
1951 World Series game. The baseball hit in the game's climactic home
run becomes a focal point for the sprawling novel. The ball's various
owners are meticulously profiled as 40 years of American history and
culture are sketched. The resulting panorama of the modern age is
reminiscent of E.L. Doctorow's splendid Ragtime, yet ultimately the
audio fails to move or engage the listener. DeLillo's powers of
description are acute, and the intricate structure he has devised for
his story is a marvel, but these overpowering virtues seem wearyingly
mechanical. The lengthy parade of characters is collectively
forgettable. The underlying theme of garbage provides an air of quiet
desperation to the grim litany of current events and interwoven plot
lines. Not recommended. John Owen, Advanced Micro Devices Lib., Santa
Clara, Cal.
Copyright 1997 Reed Business Information, Inc.
