Nothing But Blue Skies differs from other McGuane novels in the contours of its main character and in the direction of its relations between men and women. A comparative reading of this novel and an earlier McGuane text like The Bushwhacked Piano (1971) would thus be a real advantage, in setting the differences more clearly in relief. In lieu of this, it would perhaps be revealing to consider the possibilities of where McGuane's point of view differs from Frank Copenhaver's, and where they converge.

1. Do the lyrics of the song "Blue Skies," perhaps familiar from the Willie Nelson version, shed light on the story of Frank Copenhaver?

2. Which of Copenhaver's criticisms of American business seem the most pertinent? (The conversion of the slogan "It's a Sony" to "Be Sony" is one that sets him off.) Is he as much a cause of this kind of thing as...