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3.8 AVERAGE
3.8 AVERAGE
I read the Philip Roth bio recently (please, no judgement) and was shocked to realize I hadn't read any Roth books. Part 1 of The American Trilogy was a great place to start, apparently. The writing is ridiculous, and despite my eyes telling my brain those hefty paragraphs and sentences should not be for human consumption, every word is worthy, riveting and, yes, often wince inducing. This truly is a great American novel.
dark
emotional
reflective
tense
medium-paced
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
informative
mysterious
reflective
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Wat een fantastisch boek. Over een man die alles goed probeert te doen en die de Amerikaanse droom probeert te leven, maar helaas haalt het leven hem in (en hoe!). De hele tijd dacht ik: hoe kan dit in godsnaam eindigen? Uiteindelijk eindigt het dan ook niet echt, maar de laatste pagina's zijn ongelooflijk: de manier waarop het hoofdpersonage zich eindelijk realiseert hoe het leven echt is, en de verrassende eindscène. Die laatste zin = magnifiek!
Perhaps the most unpleasant book I've ever read. Uncomfortable, awful and depressing. The author is, however, very good at being uncomfortable, awful and depressing. It's well written and thought provoking. It certainly made me FEEL something, which makes me hesitate to give it a rare 1 star. But what it made me feel was in no way compelling or satisfying. I couldn't, however, stop.
I'd recommend this to someone interested in self flagellation but who hasn't yet committed to the practice by purchasing the proper equipment.
1.5 stars rounded down.
I'd recommend this to someone interested in self flagellation but who hasn't yet committed to the practice by purchasing the proper equipment.
1.5 stars rounded down.
Unglaublich gut geschrieben mit vorsichtiger Sorgfalt nie zu vorhersehbar zu sein, jedoch immer das Gefühl der Echtheit zu bewahren.
The way Roth’s characters speak about women is unnecessarily and distractingly crude, misogynistic, and objectifying. It goes beyond offering commentary on the male perspective.
I know a lot of contradictory reviews about Philip Roth’s books. Some say he’s a great north-American writer that knows how to write about some aspects of life, specially with his vision of an American jews. In other hand, people also say the he only know how to write about himself over and over again, with the addition of being completely misogynist and sometimes even racist.
I’m entitled to have my own opinion about the man, so I decided to read American Pastoral, considered one of his best works. I didn’t see the anti-feminist thing, but I confess he makes a lot of literature wank for my taste. See, isn’t that he don’t write well, but some things are completely unnecessary. Also, I didn’t have a lot of interest about the history written, maybe because I’m not a jew writer born in American and I don't have the admiration about a guy who seems so perfect even for a novel (Actually, all the thing "We are so perfect, how come our daughter made those horrible things?" really pissed me off).
But I don’t think the question is so simple and I know that when the plot is interesting, even completely out of my reality and expectations, I can succumb to it. And this is not the case here.
Maybe this isn't the most misogynist of his works, but all the feminine characters are terrible. Or maybe he describes Swede like a human being so perfect that one don't have another choice that think poorly of everybody else.
I’m entitled to have my own opinion about the man, so I decided to read American Pastoral, considered one of his best works. I didn’t see the anti-feminist thing, but I confess he makes a lot of literature wank for my taste. See, isn’t that he don’t write well, but some things are completely unnecessary. Also, I didn’t have a lot of interest about the history written, maybe because I’m not a jew writer born in American and I don't have the admiration about a guy who seems so perfect even for a novel (Actually, all the thing "We are so perfect, how come our daughter made those horrible things?" really pissed me off).
But I don’t think the question is so simple and I know that when the plot is interesting, even completely out of my reality and expectations, I can succumb to it. And this is not the case here.
Maybe this isn't the most misogynist of his works, but all the feminine characters are terrible. Or maybe he describes Swede like a human being so perfect that one don't have another choice that think poorly of everybody else.
With a Philip Roth Book you think you can't go wrong. It must be good because he is a award winning author. But guess again! This was so boring and I had to force my way through this book. It did not want to finish it and only did finish it because I read it as an audio book. This book was so weirdly structured. There is all this talk about gloves and the past and rural America that did nothing for the story itself. It felt like bits and pieces but together and not like a coherent narrative. I won't even watch the movie now because the book was so dull.