Reviews

Herzog by Saul Bellow

anthonykravtschuk's review

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

3.0

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

jakeblum's review

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

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

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

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

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.

ronanmcd's review

Takes some getting used to. The narrative is rambling and often incoherent, time and setting fluid and changes fluidly. But ultimately who cares?
When you've got the flow, it becomes a rich character study. Herzog is a proto Woody Allen falling through personal crisis, calamity and crush like an older, Jewish Holden Caulfield.
Herzog is a mess, he makes poor decisions when life doesn't make the decisions for him already, he surrounds himself with unsuitable types and kicks back by writing unsent letters, internalising his negativity and pessimism. By the end he is a brilliant creation.
Or is he? Often the voice changes, even mid paragraph from third to first. Just how much Bellow is in Herzog?

beautyistruth's review

1.0

No, I don't like this. Horrible. Cluttered, neurotic, too Woody Allen-like. This type of style has a lot of fans though, so it's just not to my taste. I couldn't care about any of the characters and there's no nobility, beauty or depth. I hate it. It's like people are just rats scurrying about and they don't even care to take themselves out of the concern with this vile rat race, complete with Nietzsche-quoting, on occasion for deeper reflection. This may be truthful for many and it's valuable as a reflection of that, but I read literature for elevation, depth or pathos.

beltorrealba's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional funny hopeful reflective sad slow-paced

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

3.75