[elhombrelibre]

I think RAGTIME was the equivalent of Billy Joel’s WE DIDN’T START THE FIRE. Evoke an event or events and call it literature or music with a historic message. It’s all a meaningless mélange when done like this, like a phantasmorgic dream.

[9YearLurker]

Yep—as was the musical, due to his meddling.

[Borges]

The 1981 film was good until it started veering off into social justice territory.

[Borges]

Joel has called that the single worst song he’s ever written and recorded.

[x]

I think RAGTIME was the equivalent of Billy Joel’s WE DIDN’T START THE FIRE. Evoke an event or events and call it literature or music with a historic message. It’s all a meaningless mélange when done like this, like a phantasmorgic dream.

Interesting. It was more a pop novel. It reached a large audience and was one of the last novels to really create a sensation.

The other stuff I saw by Doctorow, The Waterworks and The March wasn't even that good. E.L. was more of an "ideas" writer rather than one who created vivid characters -- and most of his ideas weren't that fresh either.

Anyway, RIP.