When Nancy writes "I'm sick of Dan Brown's latest blockbuster," what she really means is: "I'm sick of Dave writing about that book; doesn't he read anymore?" So to prove her wrong, I'm putting all thoughts of "The Lost Symbol" aside to review E.L. Doctorow's "Homer & Langley."

Synopsis: Doctorow, a master at reworking history (think "Ragtime" and "The March") tells the tale of a deadly plot hatched by a mystical society and -- oops, sorry, wrong book. Actually, this is a fictionalized account of the eccentric Collyers, wealthy brothers who became recluses in their Manhattan townhouse, loading it with all manner of junk. Doctorow reimagines their lives, and they way they would have interacted with social changes in America.

Review: Doctorow delivers an interesting character study, though blind, introspective Homer ("a person who had drifted through time lacking any capacity to step out of its stream") is crafted more clearly than his disaffected brother. Langley's manic mission -- to develop a newspaper reflecting his view that people and events are replicated through time -- is poignant. It reminds us of the cyclical nature of events the brothers witness: war, discrimination, social revolution.  

Read it if you like: A fanciful touch of history, told in simple, yet thoughtful, prose.

Avoid this if: You're a stickler for history. Doctorow adjusts the Collyers' actual life spans (they died in the 1940s) to include issues such as the Vietnam war and the 1960s counter-culture.