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3.8 AVERAGE
3.8 AVERAGE
all that glitters...
is mostly mined in the dark. and once the blinders are off, the work begins and unforeseen dangers appear.
is mostly mined in the dark. and once the blinders are off, the work begins and unforeseen dangers appear.
This one is hard to give a rating to. It is well-written, and has a lot of intellectual and emotional depth, but I did not enjoy reading it. At the end it was a chore to finish, and I didn't care one way or the other how it ended. There was no character I was was particularly interested in, and Seymour Levov was so infuriating that I often had to stop reading because I was getting so angry with him. I believe that was the author's intent, but it did not make this book enjoyable or a pleasure to read.
If you like well-written books with no protagonist, no real plot, and characters designed to drive you crazy, this may be the book for you. Enjoy.
If you like well-written books with no protagonist, no real plot, and characters designed to drive you crazy, this may be the book for you. Enjoy.
I like Philip Roth, and I was prepared for hours of enjoyment because of the Pulitzer, but I was bored. Maybe if I was younger the story would have its desired effect, but as a senior citizen my reaction to Swede’s fake life and introduction to real life left me saying “Yeah, so what?” Merry was the only real character in the book to me, the rest were just stereotypes. The story was the story of a typical American life, as the title implies, but as such, any neighborhood gossip could tell you the same story any day, just as well. What should the public take from this book that they don’t already practice in real life? Unlike the others, I found the parts on glove making interesting, but I am interested in fashion.
challenging
dark
emotional
informative
reflective
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
This book tells the unhappy story of Swede Levov who seems to have everything going for him. Yet as we learn from his brother at their 45th HS reunion, in the late 60s- early 70s his whole life fell apart. It's very well written but a sad rumination on the meaning of life and how even if you try to life a good life shit happens. I don't think I'll read the other two books in the trilogy. It just made me too sad.
It was a well-written and thought provoking book, but a bit challenging towards the middle and end. I wish we would have seen more of Nathan Zuckerman.
For me, this encapsulates everything that's wrong with the American novel. The best thing about this book is the back cover blurb. Honestly. I started skimming around page 50 or so, in the middle of a pointlessly belaboured high school reunion with characters we will presumably never encounter again. My sense was that Roth was amusing himself and believed his readers would necessarily be equally amused, and his editors were reluctant to red-circle the Literary Lion (much like Mordechai Richler's Barney's Version and Russell Banks's Cloudsplitter). So I lost trust early on.
For me, the point was that based on the blurb, I understood the story resided in the disillusioned downfall of the American Dream, as epitomized by the literal explosion set off by the rebellious young daughter of the Swede (sort of a Jewish Patty Hearst thing). Sure, but the first 120 pp. doesn't go anywhere, instead it swirls around and around, repeatedly telling us that this is the story which awaits us, and how mightily epic it is. So I skipped to Part II 'The Fall', thinking that's where the story actually begins, and it sort of does, except again, it's belaboured. Roth's central character, Swede, is part of a family glove-making dynasty in New Jersey that's disappearing the way of the Dodo, as we kind of understand happened with such industries. But presumably because Roth, for reasons of versimilitude or, for all I know, maybe his own family experiences in the glove-making industry, has learned the business, rather than show us the tip of that iceberg necessary to the story, he takes us through a detailed tour of the factory (ostensibly because the daughter has sent an emissary to the Swede and she, as a ruse, feigns interest in the industry) culminating in a series of meetings between the emissary, Rita, and the Swede that contains the most gawdawful hackneyed dialogue.
*smack* goes the book against the wall. A completely smug bit of writing and a resulting total failure in trust. Needless to say, I hated this fucking book.
For me, the point was that based on the blurb, I understood the story resided in the disillusioned downfall of the American Dream, as epitomized by the literal explosion set off by the rebellious young daughter of the Swede (sort of a Jewish Patty Hearst thing). Sure, but the first 120 pp. doesn't go anywhere, instead it swirls around and around, repeatedly telling us that this is the story which awaits us, and how mightily epic it is. So I skipped to Part II 'The Fall', thinking that's where the story actually begins, and it sort of does, except again, it's belaboured. Roth's central character, Swede, is part of a family glove-making dynasty in New Jersey that's disappearing the way of the Dodo, as we kind of understand happened with such industries. But presumably because Roth, for reasons of versimilitude or, for all I know, maybe his own family experiences in the glove-making industry, has learned the business, rather than show us the tip of that iceberg necessary to the story, he takes us through a detailed tour of the factory (ostensibly because the daughter has sent an emissary to the Swede and she, as a ruse, feigns interest in the industry) culminating in a series of meetings between the emissary, Rita, and the Swede that contains the most gawdawful hackneyed dialogue.
*smack* goes the book against the wall. A completely smug bit of writing and a resulting total failure in trust. Needless to say, I hated this fucking book.
What a brilliant author! I loved being taken into the confidence of the narrator who quietly and masterfully paints the the multi-layered story of "Swede", his family, the era of "Tricky Dick", the Newark fires and the Viet Nam war into a magnificent yet tragic American Pastoral tapestry. An era in American life that resonates with the current political climate that the world is experiencing today. As a reader, I also gained detailed insight into the business and art of making fine leather gloves.
Well written, with great characters, but it feels like Roth tells about half the story. Maybe Zuckerman is waiting to write the sequel; a bit of a disappointment.
A fresco of America in the 1960s and 1970s, lived through the experiences of what was a golden boy and told to us by Roth's alter ego (?), that Zuckenberg whom by now we loyal readers, know well. I still think that Roth and Auster, were two missed Nobel laureates.
Un affresco dell'america negli anni '60 e '70, vissuta attraverso le esperienze di quello che era un golden boy e che ci viene raccontata dall'alter ego di Roth (?), quel Zuckenberg che ormai noi fedeli lettori, conosciamo bene. Continuo a pensare che Roth e Auster, siano stati due premi Nobel mancati.
Un affresco dell'america negli anni '60 e '70, vissuta attraverso le esperienze di quello che era un golden boy e che ci viene raccontata dall'alter ego di Roth (?), quel Zuckenberg che ormai noi fedeli lettori, conosciamo bene. Continuo a pensare che Roth e Auster, siano stati due premi Nobel mancati.