Stewart Mitchell’s Reviews > Sabbatical: A Romance > Status Update

4 days ago I felt a strange urge to read this book, having gone a few years without touching anything from Barth. Today, as I close in on its final 100 pages, I see the awful, inevitable news that he has died at 93. I’ll take this as the universe’s way of letting me say goodbye to one of the greats. Rest in peace.

Loving this so far. As much as I adore The Sot-Weed Factor, I think Barth typically works better in smaller books, as both Giles Goat Boy and LETTERS become exhausting reads by the time they’re through. This one is better because it doesn’t have the same bloat - it’s taking its time but it’s nicely focused

I can already tell this is going to be one of my favorites from Barth