Books: Loose Ends

THE CONFESSION OF A CHILD OF THE CENTURY by THOMAS ROGERS 377 pages. Simon & Schuster. $7.95.

Here, as in his fine first novel, The Pursuit of Happiness, Thomas Rogers deals in blessed innocence. Problems and difficulties exist for Samuel Heather, Rogers' "child of the century." But so do miraculously facile solutions. Happiness does not depend on the sweaty pursuit of knowledge. Heather simply acquires his erudition and wisdom from Rogers, a professor of English at Penn State, and wears it with casual eccentricity. Scenes, values and fortunes change as easily as channels on a TV set remotely controlled from a comfortable...