If you look to The Rear Column for philosophical illumination, you will not find it exceptionally enlightening or original. But it is a highly intelligent piece of craftsmanship, with shrewd command of dramatic strategy, blessed with sharp but not unduly clever dialogue (Gray has displayed that skill elsewhere; here he is after other things)—and firm control over character development and interaction. (p. 148)

John Simon, "Oh, Dad, Poor Dad," in New York Magazine (copyright © 1978 by News Group Publications, Inc.; reprinted with the permission of New York Magazine), Vol. 11, No. 49, December 4, 1978, pp. 146, 148.∗