Reviews

Herzog by Philip Roth, Saul Bellow

lauren708's review against another edition

3.0

Overall, I enjoyed this. It wasn't exactly riveting, but I think most of us can relate to Moses Herzog and that is the value. I enjoyed the epistolary element and the tie-in to Romanticism.

matthijsgardeniers's review against another edition

hopeful reflective slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

askmashka's review against another edition

dark reflective medium-paced

anthonykravtschuk's review against another edition

challenging emotional funny reflective sad slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? N/A
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

bayerwithme's review against another edition

3.0

Now I know where Woody Allen received his inspiration before he entered Hollywood.

jakeblum's review against another edition

dark tense slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? It's complicated

4.25

A classic—not an easy read, but one of the most stunningly wrote novels of all time.

cwscott27's review against another edition

hopeful reflective sad medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.25

abroadwell's review against another edition

5.0

This was brilliant, through and through. I've resisted a lot of the "mid-century masters" of American literature due to my distaste for the overt sexism/homophobia of some of the prominent writers of the period (e.g. Normal Mailer, John Updike).

But my resistance melted away as I listened to the sublime prose of Saul Bellow. Moses Herzog is one of the great characters of literature -- so prolix, so brilliant, so fucked-up!

rltinha's review against another edition

4.0

Depois de uma hiperbolizada confrontação com a singular miríade de vivências e sua memória, a verdadeira e absoluta redenção é nada ter a dizer a rigorosamente ninguém.

vicvic30's review against another edition

5.0

This morose yet splendid novel follows Moses E. Herzog, a man at the mercy of his own uncontrollable desires. Moses is a middle-aged Jewish man in the late 1960s suffering from the betrayal of his ex-wife, who left him for his best friend. To manage his overwhelming depression, he writes letters that he never sends. He writes letters which are passionate, pedantic, and overall, vulnerable. He regresses into distraction and irreverence: sex, literature, more sex, fixing up an old house in the country, stalking his ex, etc.

Overall, I really enjoyed this novel. I listened as an audiobook and would get lost in his long rants but it was truly beautiful.

I read this on the advice of the author of my favorite novel, and it did not disappoint.