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3.8 AVERAGE
3.8 AVERAGE
Qual è il confine tra un libro denso e un libro palloso? Philip Roth.
I haven't read anything by Roth in many years. I read "Portnoy's complaint" because who didn't. I remember that one of my English professors went to graduate school with him. I know that Roth is a serious author, one of the literary lions. But I just haven't read his books.
This was such a bleak picture of American life. Held me spellbound, but really not what I want to read about, most of the time. It was amazing to watch the Swede's life totally disintegrate.
One of my thoughts, the whole way through the book, was, what is Roth writing now. What would the world of this book have been like if it was written post 9/11. the father Lou was so concerned about the destruction of America in the 70's. The book ends during the impeachment of Nixon. Think about the last 30 years. Even more destruction!
This was such a bleak picture of American life. Held me spellbound, but really not what I want to read about, most of the time. It was amazing to watch the Swede's life totally disintegrate.
One of my thoughts, the whole way through the book, was, what is Roth writing now. What would the world of this book have been like if it was written post 9/11. the father Lou was so concerned about the destruction of America in the 70's. The book ends during the impeachment of Nixon. Think about the last 30 years. Even more destruction!
I feel like a traitor to all my friends who loved it, but I really did not. I was bored and disinterested the whole way through.
challenging
dark
emotional
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Roth is able to capture the rapid evolution of American consciousness over the 20th century in a way at times enrapturing and at others heavyhanded and meticulous. It is a masterpiece of its time. His narration supports no one viewpoint over the other. Those hopeful and in love with the American dream are just as destroyed as those who despise the American project. Levov, the love
emotional
reflective
sad
slow-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
American Pastoral by Philip Roth is a masterful and technically flawless exploration of the American dream turned nightmare. Told through the lens of Nathan Zuckerman, the Swede’s story is deeply unreliable, as Zuckerman reconstructs events and inner thoughts he could not possibly have known. This narrative distance adds a layer of complexity, forcing readers to question the nature of memory, storytelling, and how we mythologize others. Roth uses the Swede’s seemingly idyllic life—a successful businessman, married to a former beauty queen, living in a picturesque rural home—to deconstruct the illusion of the American dream.
The novel dives into themes of political and cultural upheaval, particularly the generational rift of the 1960s. Roth interrogates the disintegration of postwar American optimism, exposing how cultural shifts, political unrest, and personal disillusionment dismantle the myth of perfection. Through brilliant prose and unflinching thematic depth, Roth examines generational conflict, the subjective nature of identity, and the devastating effects of betrayal—both personal and societal. The novel’s power lies in its ability to make these explorations feel poignant and as relevant today as in the Swede’s Newark or Roth’s own era.
“Life is just a short period of time in which we’re alive.” - Meredith Levov, 1964
This book is nonlinear and stylistically ambiguous and slow-moving, but there’s something I just really loved about it. I think it’s partially the time period. I’m drawn to books set in the 60s. It was such a tumultuous time in America yet so fascinating. Then there’s the beautiful writing. I was completely invested. Absolutely Pulitzer-worthy!
I switched between print and audio. The audiobook is narrated by actor Ron Silver and he does an amazing job bringing the story to life. I preferred it to print.
This book is nonlinear and stylistically ambiguous and slow-moving, but there’s something I just really loved about it. I think it’s partially the time period. I’m drawn to books set in the 60s. It was such a tumultuous time in America yet so fascinating. Then there’s the beautiful writing. I was completely invested. Absolutely Pulitzer-worthy!
I switched between print and audio. The audiobook is narrated by actor Ron Silver and he does an amazing job bringing the story to life. I preferred it to print.
challenging
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I regret picking this book up. It’s awful. Rubbish. It has good words, is written by a clever man and is linguistically perfect, he uses the right word every time. But, it’s another one of those where clever people think they’ve discovered something wonderful about the working and middle classes but actually tells us nothing about real humans. It puts on people things they’d never think or never feel, tries to intellectualise things that are irrational. It’s a smart author thinking he knows it all but actually knows nothing beyond his own intellectual existence.
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I found myself skimming lots of this book, but the basic story and characters are good. Shows how a life that looks good from the outside can be filled with complication and tragedy.