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3.8 AVERAGE
3.8 AVERAGE
challenging
dark
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I actually think this book is quite brilliant. I love Roth's prose. It's not easy going, you can't rush it, you have to read his sentences word for word, nice and slowly. But once you get into the flow of doing that, it is very enjoyable. One to reflect on for a while. Very interesting storyline and I love the way it was told. My fave from the pile of the books I had to read for uni this period (except for Egan's A Visit from the Goon Squad, but I read that one a year or two ago). Looking forward to more Roth.
dark
reflective
sad
medium-paced
Oh man, what a masterpiece. Had this one pegged as Roth’s opus from the opening pages. Given its premise, the novel had the potential to be ~so horrible and boring~, but I was pleasantly surprised when it wasn’t.
It’s beautiful, first of all. Second of all, coming directly off the heels of trying (and failing to read Eco)- I appreciate that this is a novel about semiotics that doesn’t announce itself in that way. In other words, Roth doesn’t waste time identifying signifiers to his readers, nor does he give heavy-handed explanations; Roth briefly outlines the conventions/stock characters at play, and allows them to go forth.
I’ve been annoyed at Roth’s work before, and American Pastoral is still a bit too Freudian for my liking (what can you do?) however, all of the best aspects of Roth’s writing are on display here, and they’re used to magnificent effect. In other words, all of the madness and brilliance that Roth is capable of are well-directed.
One of the things I appreciate most about Roth is his ability to be, in the most creative and joyful of ways, absolutely fucked up. I both fear and revere the kind that wrote some of this shit - thanks to Roth, I can never look at hamsters or deli meats the same way again. However, Roth’s greatest accomplishment in this regard might be the way in which he makes the ~~most vanilla~~ of sex scenes (in fact, one can only describe this scene as “aggressively vanilla”) perverse and unsettling. For years, I’ve been reading about Roth’s young male protagonists jacking off too much and being generally horrible, but this seemingly tame scene was the one that finally got me.
Already warrants a reread, though I’ll give it at least a few months.
In conclusion: fuck The Great Gatsby.
It’s beautiful, first of all. Second of all, coming directly off the heels of trying (and failing to read Eco)- I appreciate that this is a novel about semiotics that doesn’t announce itself in that way. In other words, Roth doesn’t waste time identifying signifiers to his readers, nor does he give heavy-handed explanations; Roth briefly outlines the conventions/stock characters at play, and allows them to go forth.
I’ve been annoyed at Roth’s work before, and American Pastoral is still a bit too Freudian for my liking (what can you do?) however, all of the best aspects of Roth’s writing are on display here, and they’re used to magnificent effect. In other words, all of the madness and brilliance that Roth is capable of are well-directed.
One of the things I appreciate most about Roth is his ability to be, in the most creative and joyful of ways, absolutely fucked up. I both fear and revere the kind that wrote some of this shit - thanks to Roth, I can never look at hamsters or deli meats the same way again. However, Roth’s greatest accomplishment in this regard might be the way in which he makes the ~~most vanilla~~ of sex scenes (in fact, one can only describe this scene as “aggressively vanilla”) perverse and unsettling. For years, I’ve been reading about Roth’s young male protagonists jacking off too much and being generally horrible, but this seemingly tame scene was the one that finally got me.
Already warrants a reread, though I’ll give it at least a few months.
In conclusion: fuck The Great Gatsby.
adventurous
challenging
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Loveable characters:
Complicated
challenging
reflective
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
70 year old man writes more than 400 pages of fanfiction about a guy he had one interaction with in high school
sad
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
N/A
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
This shit sucked. I get it, you’re a good author. Dunno why that means you have to beat me over the head with endless detailed descriptions of the Newark glove crafting scene of the early 20th century.
It took about two chapters to adjust to Roth's writing style, as the author has a knack for run-on sentences. And there are passages full of esoteric details on things like glove-making. But once you adjust to the style the pay-off is great. The energy and pacing of the writing is incredible and the story is a psychological trip. I highly recommend this one and look forward to exploring more Philip Roth novels.