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novabird's review against another edition
5.0
A close look at the American Dream and why it is not idyllic, “American Pastoral,” by Philip Roth is a semi-autobiographical account of his life. The word ‘pastoral,’ is first encountered with the pseudo author, Nathan Zuckerman, when he says;
Roth does not stylistically distinguish between Zuckerman and Seymour Levov, instead Zuckerman assumes the identity of Levov by saying that he, “dreamed a realistic chronicle,” of Seymour’s life. Instead of a realistic chronicle, what we get is a multi-layered telling of what constitutes the (American) ‘dream,’ in a stream of consciousness manner. However, Roth presents both characters as having the same dense writing narrative featuring very long paragraphs, some extending more than a page long, and lengthy expositions.
After deliberate episodic repetitions, the ending is left unresolved in a quandary of two polarized views and very large questions remain unanswered, , as though to hook the reader into continuing their loyalty into pursuing future volumes.
American Pastoral left me with a sense of dissatisfaction with Roth for having raised the question of inheritance of ideology and not even providing a conclusion of disillusion but rather leaving it deadlocked in history. If this was done deliberately to entice me to read more to see how the story further unfolds, I think Roth could have stream-lined the bulk of the Swede’s constant reaction of one of resistance to change and further reinforced the unresolved major points of the story-line, and this would have led to greater interest on my part to read the successive volumes.
As it stands, this is Roth’s account of the assimilation of the Jewish people into the American Dream as standing in for how all cultures are inculcated by the predominant ideology.
For the examination of this process, I give this a 5, for the stylistic presentation of this ‘big idea,’ and the unresolved questions, I give this a 3, so the end result is that of a flat 4
“The daughter who transports him out of his longed-for American pastoral and into everything that is its antithesis and its enemy, into the fury, the violence, and the desperation of the counter-pastoral --- into the indigenous American berserk.
Roth does not stylistically distinguish between Zuckerman and Seymour Levov, instead Zuckerman assumes the identity of Levov by saying that he, “dreamed a realistic chronicle,” of Seymour’s life. Instead of a realistic chronicle, what we get is a multi-layered telling of what constitutes the (American) ‘dream,’ in a stream of consciousness manner. However, Roth presents both characters as having the same dense writing narrative featuring very long paragraphs, some extending more than a page long, and lengthy expositions.
After deliberate episodic repetitions, the ending is left unresolved in a quandary of two polarized views
Spoiler
that we are not products of family and at the same time the family is upheld as the model upon which America is builtSpoiler
how, why and when does Dawn commit suicide? And how and when does Merry die?American Pastoral left me with a sense of dissatisfaction with Roth for having raised the question of inheritance of ideology and not even providing a conclusion of disillusion but rather leaving it deadlocked in history. If this was done deliberately to entice me to read more to see how the story further unfolds, I think Roth could have stream-lined the bulk of the Swede’s constant reaction of one of resistance to change and further reinforced the unresolved major points of the story-line, and this would have led to greater interest on my part to read the successive volumes.
As it stands, this is Roth’s account of the assimilation of the Jewish people into the American Dream as standing in for how all cultures are inculcated by the predominant ideology.
For the examination of this process, I give this a 5, for the stylistic presentation of this ‘big idea,’ and the unresolved questions, I give this a 3, so the end result is that of a flat 4
sarahj0517's review against another edition
dark
emotional
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
sambailey's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
rochelle_p's review against another edition
dark
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
davethescot's review against another edition
dark
emotional
funny
hopeful
informative
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Phillip Roth - American Pastoral
1st time reading (listening) Roth.
"American Pastoral" is a riveting exploration of American identity and the elusive quest for the American Dream. Philip Roth's masterful prose paints a vivid portrait of Seymour "Swede" Levov, a successful businessman whose life unravels amidst social and political turmoil in 1960s America. Roth deftly weaves together themes of family, loyalty, and the impact of societal upheaval on individuals. The novel's depth and complexity are matched by its compelling characters and thought-provoking narrative. "American Pastoral" is a timeless classic that resonated with me greatly, offering profound insights into the human condition and the fragility of the American experience.
1st time reading (listening) Roth.
"American Pastoral" is a riveting exploration of American identity and the elusive quest for the American Dream. Philip Roth's masterful prose paints a vivid portrait of Seymour "Swede" Levov, a successful businessman whose life unravels amidst social and political turmoil in 1960s America. Roth deftly weaves together themes of family, loyalty, and the impact of societal upheaval on individuals. The novel's depth and complexity are matched by its compelling characters and thought-provoking narrative. "American Pastoral" is a timeless classic that resonated with me greatly, offering profound insights into the human condition and the fragility of the American experience.
deanna_rigney's review
4.0
Beautiful prose and excellent character development make this one great. The storyteller tells us his version of the life of a neighborhood icon, the great “Swede” Levov, all-around incredible athlete and good guy. The narrator takes one instance of tragedy in the Swede’s real life and incorporates it into his own fictional account, but what an account. The changes in America from the early 50’s to the late 60’s are prominent, with the fall of the idealized “American dream” in the forefront.
rayarriz's review
Beautiful writing but I just couldn't finish. The story just didn't do it for me.
worstarchitect's review
got about halfway through, why is your book 400 pages long for no reason? Very very compelling at first but then he meanders for like 100 straight pages.
mrswhite's review
3.0
"I was a biography in perpetual motion, memory in the marrow of my bones."
Narrated by Nathan Zuckerman, Philip Roth's oft used alter-ego, American Pastoral is the story of Seymour "The Swede" Levov - a man who, on the surface, seems to be a glimmering example of The American Dream. Levov is handsome, athletically gifted, married to a former Miss New Jersey, and lives in a big stone house in the suburbs of Newark, comfortably removed from the crime, decay and racial turmoil consuming his blighted hometown. But when Levov's teenager daughter decides to protest the Vietnam War by setting off a bomb that kills an innocent bystander and sends her into hiding, there so goes "The Swede's" charmed life.
Something nagged at me while I read American Pastoral, a brilliant, Pulitzer Prize-winning story of how the idyllic American Dream turned in the the "American berserk" thanks to the political and social turmoil of the 1960s. It's been a few years, but I recalled feeling something similar while reading Roth's The Human Stain - like I knew I was reading something pretty profound, something beautifully written by an incredibly skilled artist. So, why wasn't I enjoying it more?
Allow me a brief, tangental analogy: I do not like steak. There are people who revere steak above most other things, people who would pay through the nose for a nice filet mignon or a piece of kobe beef. I am not one of those people. I will eat steak if that's what you make me for dinner, however I won't enjoy it nearly as much as I probably should, and would probably have preferred to have been served something else. For me, Philip Roth is like filet mignon: he's a satisfying, high-end, beautiful meal...for someone else.
When it comes down to it, I suppose I'm a little embarrassed that I didn't like American Pastoral very much. It's a highly lauded work by a highly revered author, so to say that I just didn't like it makes me feel like a bit of a dolt - like the uncultured, backwater hick who shows up to the opera in jeans and then falls asleep during the first act. (Yee haw, ya'll!)
And so though I may not have liked it, American Pastoral is a excellent novel by a gifted writer, so perhaps you should just take my thoughts with a generous grain of salt. After all, this is all coming from the lady who'd rather eat mac and cheese than filet mignon.
Narrated by Nathan Zuckerman, Philip Roth's oft used alter-ego, American Pastoral is the story of Seymour "The Swede" Levov - a man who, on the surface, seems to be a glimmering example of The American Dream. Levov is handsome, athletically gifted, married to a former Miss New Jersey, and lives in a big stone house in the suburbs of Newark, comfortably removed from the crime, decay and racial turmoil consuming his blighted hometown. But when Levov's teenager daughter decides to protest the Vietnam War by setting off a bomb that kills an innocent bystander and sends her into hiding, there so goes "The Swede's" charmed life.
Something nagged at me while I read American Pastoral, a brilliant, Pulitzer Prize-winning story of how the idyllic American Dream turned in the the "American berserk" thanks to the political and social turmoil of the 1960s. It's been a few years, but I recalled feeling something similar while reading Roth's The Human Stain - like I knew I was reading something pretty profound, something beautifully written by an incredibly skilled artist. So, why wasn't I enjoying it more?
Allow me a brief, tangental analogy: I do not like steak. There are people who revere steak above most other things, people who would pay through the nose for a nice filet mignon or a piece of kobe beef. I am not one of those people. I will eat steak if that's what you make me for dinner, however I won't enjoy it nearly as much as I probably should, and would probably have preferred to have been served something else. For me, Philip Roth is like filet mignon: he's a satisfying, high-end, beautiful meal...for someone else.
When it comes down to it, I suppose I'm a little embarrassed that I didn't like American Pastoral very much. It's a highly lauded work by a highly revered author, so to say that I just didn't like it makes me feel like a bit of a dolt - like the uncultured, backwater hick who shows up to the opera in jeans and then falls asleep during the first act. (Yee haw, ya'll!)
And so though I may not have liked it, American Pastoral is a excellent novel by a gifted writer, so perhaps you should just take my thoughts with a generous grain of salt. After all, this is all coming from the lady who'd rather eat mac and cheese than filet mignon.