Reviews of Vineland

01/14/90 - New York Times by Salmon Rushdie: "Vineland, Mr. Pynchon's mythical piece of northern California, is, of course, also Vinland, the country discovered by the Viking Leif Ericsson long before Columbus. It is Vineland the Good; that is to say, this crazed patch of California stands for America itself. And it is here, to Vineland, that one of America's great writers has, after long wanderings down his uncharted roads, come triumphantly home."

03/23/90 - The Tech - Mark Webster: "The Tube is ubiquitous. Life is defined, framed, imitated, and irradiated by the Tube. Movie and TV show titles have dates next to them as if they were references for the story. Pynchon can pack more historical, literary, scientific, and entertainment references into a single sentence than anyone.

The tone of Vineland is softer, more conciliatory than in past works. There is a hopeful sense of coming together that contrasts with the apocalyptic Gravity's Rainbow. Could the years be mellowing Pynchon? No matter, his talents remain sharp, and it's good to hear from the master of the absurd again."