Instruct: Classify Amazon reviews into positive or negative sentiment
Query: Metaphysics for Postmoderns

This is a brilliant book, only partly a novel, important to read and often thrilling, but not consistently compelling. Several motifs appear. Most resolve into the body of the piece, but a few remain frustratingly obscure. Doctorow's theme is our craving for transcendental and romantic meaning despite the failure of religion. While many postmoderns give a pass to "organized" religions in favor of a vague spirituality, Doctorow knows that if the metaphysical holds any meaning for mankind it must be vetted--tracked and challenged in all its sobersided and pop manifestations--by a community of seekers. City of God invites us in. It is Doctorow's gift that he can connect difficult theological and cosmological ideas and render them simply and vividly for his readers. We get a close-up view of the bleeding edge of contemporary philosophy. While we cannot expect closure to his tale, we can appreciate his wise guidance.