Take a photo of a barcode or cover
3.64 AVERAGE
3.64 AVERAGE
"Operation Shylock is at once a spy story, a political thriller, and a confession, pulsing with intelligence and intense narrative energy."
Hard disagree. Roth has such range and I have enjoyed some of his other books in the list. But this just felt like self indulgence. He plays a few mind games at the end which are almost worth making it through the rest for, but not quite. It's more introspection than thriller, and has one of the worst drawn female characters I've ever read, and there has been a lot of competition on the book list for that.
Hard disagree. Roth has such range and I have enjoyed some of his other books in the list. But this just felt like self indulgence. He plays a few mind games at the end which are almost worth making it through the rest for, but not quite. It's more introspection than thriller, and has one of the worst drawn female characters I've ever read, and there has been a lot of competition on the book list for that.
adventurous
funny
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Great concept and has some amazing moments & ideas but is definitely struggle to get through its very repetitive nature.
adventurous
challenging
dark
mysterious
reflective
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
slow-paced
dark
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
N/A
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
This book is really good for the first half and then gets a bit full of itself at the end.
(Read 1994, reread 2018)
4.5 stars.
Upon rereading 20+ years later, Operation Shylock loses a half star or so relative to the superior books that Roth wrote after it. But it’s still a pretty damn essential part of the Roth canon and certainly one of his best books up to this point. The questions around Jewish identity in relation to the post-WWII European Jewish diaspora and the contradictions inherent in the establishment of the state of Israel after the Shoah still feel very (and sadly) relevant today.
But it’s Roth tying these questions to personal issues of identity and his own mental state that was fragile from a near-suicidal breakdown (brought on by an ill-advised Halcion prescription) that makes the book so interesting. At first, the use of “Philip Roth” as the protagonist here comes off as unbelievably insular. But as the book progresses, his narrative ploy becomes more warranted. Using his own near insanity in confronting his Dostoyevsky-like double as a proxy to explore the contradictions inherent in the realization of modern day Israel is a perfect way to confront the ambivalence so many of us Ashkenazi diaspora Jews have about it. Roth’s often exasperating provocation is quite apt for such exasperating subject matter.
4.5 stars.
Upon rereading 20+ years later, Operation Shylock loses a half star or so relative to the superior books that Roth wrote after it. But it’s still a pretty damn essential part of the Roth canon and certainly one of his best books up to this point. The questions around Jewish identity in relation to the post-WWII European Jewish diaspora and the contradictions inherent in the establishment of the state of Israel after the Shoah still feel very (and sadly) relevant today.
But it’s Roth tying these questions to personal issues of identity and his own mental state that was fragile from a near-suicidal breakdown (brought on by an ill-advised Halcion prescription) that makes the book so interesting. At first, the use of “Philip Roth” as the protagonist here comes off as unbelievably insular. But as the book progresses, his narrative ploy becomes more warranted. Using his own near insanity in confronting his Dostoyevsky-like double as a proxy to explore the contradictions inherent in the realization of modern day Israel is a perfect way to confront the ambivalence so many of us Ashkenazi diaspora Jews have about it. Roth’s often exasperating provocation is quite apt for such exasperating subject matter.
In his 1993 dark comedy, the master provocateur wrestles with his identity—literally. A doppelganger appears in Israel insisting he’s the real Phillip Roth & leading a Jewish diaspora out of the desert and back to Europe. Roth drops in versions of himself (& other real-life characters including a Holocaust war criminal) as proxies for his conflicts as a writer, Jew, egotist & prankster. The menagerie includes Israeli spies, recovering anti-Semites &, of course, buxom shiksas. (This is Roth after all.) Elusive & sometimes maddeningly didactic. But it’s an original—even if it’s all about being a fake.
This book was so strange. Somewhat entertaining, somewhat funny. But kind of difficult at times to plod through.