Galatea 2.2

I've generally been immune to Richard Powers's novels: for a time I tried almost every one, intrigued by their premises, but found myself left cold by their earnest brilliance. But my searching stopped when I got to Galatea 2.2. Perhaps because it's his most overtly personal, I found this story of a heartbroken academic who is training an artificial intelligence by feeding it the Great Books of Western literature both moving and intellectually absorbing. Perversely, I haven't read another of his since. I guess I don't feel like I need to; I found the one I love. —Tom Old Book of the Week