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3.8 AVERAGE
3.8 AVERAGE
PULITZER PRIZE WINNER: 1998
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2.5 rounded up
I got this on audiobook from my library, and I thought the narrator did a really great job. Unfortunately, the book just didn't really resonate with me.
The concept was interesting enough, as were, I suppose, the characters, but like the last Pulitzer Prize winner I read, this book felt WAY too damn long. So many details that didn't really feel necessary, a lot of the Swede angsting over the exact same thing in pretty much the exact same way. I had to kind of force myself to listen to this one because it just felt like it dragged on and on and on without anything all that different or new really happening.
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2.5 rounded up
I got this on audiobook from my library, and I thought the narrator did a really great job. Unfortunately, the book just didn't really resonate with me.
The concept was interesting enough, as were, I suppose, the characters, but like the last Pulitzer Prize winner I read, this book felt WAY too damn long. So many details that didn't really feel necessary, a lot of the Swede angsting over the exact same thing in pretty much the exact same way. I had to kind of force myself to listen to this one because it just felt like it dragged on and on and on without anything all that different or new really happening.
It is incredibly scary how much of this book resonates with me.
Weird premise of a guy writing about someone he idolized. He creates an incredibly dense and twisted interior life for a man who was perfect on paper and seemingly never shared his real interior life. Found the descriptions of the daughter as a young g child borderline incestuous and incredibly disturbing. Finally started tuning out with Woody Allen style arguing between characters. Just didn’t care to crawl through the emerging pathologies any longer.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Incest, Pedophilia
The sort of book that I should hate - nothing really happens and there are extended, meandering streams of consciousness that go on for page after page. Typically, I detest books like that. But I loved this.
challenging
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
challenging
emotional
reflective
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
For me, the book was about the dangers of being the “nice guy” and doing everything that’s expected. Swede by all accounts does it all right, but misfortune bestows his family from every direction. Being understanding where you lose yourself and your convictions leads to chaos and a crumbling of reality in the face of adversity. It also leads to self-righteousness and a false belief that things should and shouldn’t be certain ways.
The writing is a bit confusing at times though where I couldn’t tell where the first story line blended into the second. Maybe you need to read the series but for a first book it felt incongruent.
The writing is a bit confusing at times though where I couldn’t tell where the first story line blended into the second. Maybe you need to read the series but for a first book it felt incongruent.
emotional
reflective
sad
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Book 88/100
American Pastoral by Philip Roth is a Pulitzer Prize winning novel that tells the story of Seymour "Swede" Levov and his departure from the American Dream despite being a high school football star that grows up to serve as a Marine during WWII, inherit his father's business, marry a former Miss New Jersey and raise a seemingly All-American daughter. Things begin to fall apart for him after that teenaged daughter bombs their local general store as an act of protest against the Vietnam War.
Like many of the books on this list, I do recognize high quality writing, but unfortunately the story being told falls a bit flat for me. And even more unfortunately this novel holds yet another example of a grown man sexualizing a younger/teenage woman - this time, disturbingly enough, it is the man's own daughter.
*I will share a qoute to demonstrate, please skip past the rest of this paragraph if you'd like to retain some faith in the male species. * "The cleft, as though an awl had made it - that beautifully beveled joining that will petal outward, evolving in the cycle of time into a woman's origami-folded cunt."
Ick.
Moving past that, the book does masterfully address several important themes such as family, american ideals and the irrationality of suffering, and I also found the structure of the book interesting - laid out in three parts (Paradise Remembered, The Fall and Paradise Lost) which echoes Milton's epic poem Paradise Lost and accurately represents the Swede's rise and fall.
If you're a fan of historical fiction, and you don't mind a hint of mysogyny along with an ending that basically says life is ultimately just meaningless suffering than this book might be right up your alley.
In order to better consistently rate these books on more than just my own personal enjoyment, I decided to implement a rating system, and for ease I found an already existing one that seems to cover pretty much all the important aspects. So from now on I'll be using the CAWPILE method for my Ultimate 100 Books.
(if you want more information on this look up the OG creator's video https://youtu.be/iZhinxtTMFQ?si=PhwioHKMQKEXSqFZ)
(if you want more information on this look up the OG creator's video https://youtu.be/iZhinxtTMFQ?si=PhwioHKMQKEXSqFZ)
C - 8, A - 8, W - 7, P - 7, I - 5, L - 7, E - 5 = 6.71 or a star rating of 3.5/5
The next book is Haroun and the Sea of Stories by Salman Rushdie
One of my all-time favorites. Roth manages to address a lot of my concerns regarding modern American society without answering a single one of my questions. The story of Swede Levov, who was the star athlete of his high school, went into the family business, married a former Miss New Jersey, and wanted only to be good and honest, is both poignant and unsettling. It's the story of what happens when doing all the right things brings about all the wrong results, what happens when we can't see our way out of the mazes we've built for ourselves, and what happens when finding the American Dream just isn't enough anymore.
To be honest, this novel was not quite what I expected. The actual plot of this book can be summarized in about 10 sentences without leaving anything out. Philip Roth's novel is not plot driven, it's a character study. We dive deep into Swede Levov's soul, learn where he comes from, what he's up to, why he decides the way he does. When his daughter plants the bomb and vanishes we still don't have the focus on her. It's all about the Swede, contemplating if the girl who did it is really his daughter.
Let this be a warning for you. Although American Pastoral had some interesting takes at some points, for the most part it was just dragging on. Especially the beginning almost made me quit the book! There are about 50 pages full of other people talking about the Swede before we even get close to the main character himself.
What really annoys me is when Philip Roth tries to make a point. Several times throughout the book I found myself thinking "I understand why he's describing this, but it still bores me to death". For example you get a very thorough inside in glove-making. Now I know more about gloves than I ever wanted to hear. That happened about 5 times...
So, although this book seems to be super popular, I have to say I didn't enjoy it. There may be some interesting points but also many clichés and simply annoying and boring parts that will make you want to throw the novel out of the window.
I had wished for something more going on, for more inside in Merry's mind.
Unfortunately I have to say this book annoyed me almost from the first page to the last. There are some topics that have potential to be interesting but ultimately Philip Roth loses himself in the thoughts of one man.
Let this be a warning for you. Although American Pastoral had some interesting takes at some points, for the most part it was just dragging on. Especially the beginning almost made me quit the book! There are about 50 pages full of other people talking about the Swede before we even get close to the main character himself.
What really annoys me is when Philip Roth tries to make a point. Several times throughout the book I found myself thinking "I understand why he's describing this, but it still bores me to death". For example you get a very thorough inside in glove-making. Now I know more about gloves than I ever wanted to hear. That happened about 5 times...
So, although this book seems to be super popular, I have to say I didn't enjoy it. There may be some interesting points but also many clichés and simply annoying and boring parts that will make you want to throw the novel out of the window.
I had wished for something more going on, for more inside in Merry's mind.
Unfortunately I have to say this book annoyed me almost from the first page to the last. There are some topics that have potential to be interesting but ultimately Philip Roth loses himself in the thoughts of one man.