...vibrant ... Dear Ann steers clear of politics; this is not a war novel. Mason is more invested in charting Ann’s inner life as a passionate disciple of literature and how a first great love casts a shadow over the rest of her life ... a crisp collage, the whole of a life greater than the sum of its parts. Mason’s in complete command, from the alternate-reality premise right to the shocking plot twist at the end. Despite its serious themes, Dear Ann is a limpid, riveting read, set in a deceptively light register
...poignant ... a profound examination of grief, regret and memory, wrapped in a compelling story of first love. Mason’s confident writing does not miss a step ... this book is as true as they come.
a series of letters in the midst of Ann’s fantastical ideas about where her life could have gone. This format gives Bobbie Ann Mason a chance to concoct a sweet love story but also wrestle with the possibilities of the road not taken, as well as the chance to find a gold ticket in what is real ... The ’60s, the music, the drugs, the clothing, the ideas are all so enticing, and even the inclusion of the hard facts about the Vietnam War gives the era a sheen of glowing perfection that seems wrong for Ann’s Kentucky upbringing (her mother’s letters to her about life back on the farm are interspersed with the other letters she uses to create a timeline). It feels as if there is a depth missing here in place of gentle reflection and surface-area fantasy. However, Mason does a good job of accessing the actual past and editing it to make the most impact on her characters ... a perfect book for quarantine as we think about what has been, what will now not be, and what we now most hope for in all of our lives.
The structure of the book is challenging at first, but once the story of young Ann moves to Stanford, it is hard not to get caught up in the energy of the Summer of Love. Ann’s life, as it was and is and could have been, is a perfect cypher for human experience as we age. We question if we have done all we can, reckon with the moments we’ve failed, and agonize over choices that weren’t as brave as we wish ... One of the purest joys of the book, though, is in Ann’s area of study: English. For English majors, or those enamored with their survey courses in college, or the average bibliophile, the literary references and jokes are an absolute joy ... Dear Ann is an engrossing and beautiful book that gives on every page.
Mason’s time-shifting narrative can be difficult to follow, but she vividly recreates those heady counterculture days as a poignant backdrop for the regrets one often faces when one follows one’s head instead of one’s heart.
...a deeply moving meditation on one woman’s life choices and the road she didn’t take ... Mason vividly evokes the exhilaration and excitement of being young during such tumultuous cultural and political changes ... A beautifully written homage to the 1960s by a mature writer at the top of her literary power.
Reality and fantasy clash in the flawed latest from Mason ... The characters, however, suffer from a lack of emotional depth, and Ann, Albert, and Jimmy come across as stand-ins for stereotypes of the era ... The time-jumping setup, meanwhile, is clunkily handled. This convoluted tale will leave many readers feeling as if they’ve missed a crucial piece of the story.
