The following is commentary on "Thomas Jefferson, Rachel & Me" that I just received by email from a colleague in journalism and writing.

He didn't have to read my book but he did. He did not have to comment or say any more than something quick and easy, whether he enjoyed it or not. So even though I know him (though not well), I believe this is honest stuff and so I truly appreciate it.

I will be reading his book about "the troubles," now out of print, "Blind Pilot," soon. I found a copy on line at a low price; it arrived from a bookstore in England.

"A note to let you know how much I enjoyed the book. The overall strategy of using fiction to comment on the past and the present, and the bond between the two, works wonderfully well. Perfect sang-froid, indeed.

"Also, it's a perfect vehicle for a mediation on families and all the messy ways they work and don't."The miraculously reincarnated Thomas Jefferson was no more comprehensible to me than my own mysterious family." Yes.

"The writing is excellent, which comes as no surprise, with vivd descriptions like clouds compared to tufts of cotton dipped in butter, or making distinctions of a movie star who prefers Tribecca to Bel Air, and a lunch group talking about, among other things, assorted diseases and orthopedic conditions. Or the wisdom to write that there's something both repellent and enchanting about a woman who lies so easily.

"The swearing in ceremony was done with great tension and flair, and the slow coda to the end of the novel was also perfectly choreographed.

"All characters are alive and breathing. (Like Kant, I was intrigued with Jack's surname, and laughed at the academic who wondered if his middle name wasn't Babbit. Come to think about it, I like Kant's name as well.)

"Hats off. And thanks."