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cemoses's review against another edition
2.0
The first two stories were good if you like Philip Roth. The main novel was boring and I found the fiction in the fiction confusing.
amahid's review against another edition
3.0
The transgressive Roth emerging into the introspective, imaginative Zuckerman years.
simond's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
lighthearted
reflective
sad
tense
fast-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
4.0
jimmypat's review against another edition
2.0
This is the third book in a series I am calling “quarantine life.” With all of our public libraries closed due to the Coronavirus pandemic, I have turned to my bookshelves and the books that I haven’t read yet.
On the surface, this book is a hard one to rate: it approaches 4 stars with the absolutely incredible writing. However, it slums in the one star arena due to the sheer unpleasantness of the main character who also is a representation of the author, which further tarnishes this work. So, 2 stars it is.
Roth is about two things: himself and his penis. Everything else pales in comparison to Roth and his needs. While I think he thinks he is writing in a candid, honest, and truthful way, Roth is just limited to the physical and banal. There is no transcendence here, no true art..... Roth just rolls in his filth and wonders why he is so unhappy.
On the surface, this book is a hard one to rate: it approaches 4 stars with the absolutely incredible writing. However, it slums in the one star arena due to the sheer unpleasantness of the main character who also is a representation of the author, which further tarnishes this work. So, 2 stars it is.
Roth is about two things: himself and his penis. Everything else pales in comparison to Roth and his needs. While I think he thinks he is writing in a candid, honest, and truthful way, Roth is just limited to the physical and banal. There is no transcendence here, no true art..... Roth just rolls in his filth and wonders why he is so unhappy.
jackb's review against another edition
4.0
A little different in terms of structure, two short stories, which are meant to have been written by the character in the second part of the book. Not his most loved but some of Roth's best work, full of humor and wit, very well written.
veryperi22's review against another edition
3.0
December 2020:
Revisiting Roth, I gave this another go and am glad I did.
Impetus was the Wikipedia entry mentioning that Maureen Tornipol was fashioned after Roth's exwife, Margaret Martinson.
September 2018:
Gave up.
Incoherent and boring. Not the introduction to Nathan Zuckerman that I expected
Revisiting Roth, I gave this another go and am glad I did.
Impetus was the Wikipedia entry mentioning that Maureen Tornipol was fashioned after Roth's exwife, Margaret Martinson.
September 2018:
Gave up.
Incoherent and boring. Not the introduction to Nathan Zuckerman that I expected
emmayoung95's review against another edition
challenging
funny
reflective
sad
tense
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
jacob_longini's review against another edition
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
I don't know that such a problematic book has ever had as strong a hold on me, and I say that as someone who loves Hemingway. Despite being replete with unforgivable moments of patriarchal commentary, abuse, and all manners of lowliness, Roth's novel was like a car crash - I couldn't look away. I felt deep resonances with the main character while being repulsed by his thinkings and doings - while his actions are reprehensible, his pain is all too relatable. The manner in which the story jumps around also appealed to me. It didn't occur chronologically, but in out-of-order reflections on plot events. (There were also a few sections on Nathan Zuckerman, whose series I feel compelled to read next). Repulsed, but enraptured - Jacob.
P.S. While the Jewish dimensions of Roth's fiction (as I understand them) are only glanced upon in this novel, the little presence they had excites me to see how Judaism is treated more fully in later works.
P.S. While the Jewish dimensions of Roth's fiction (as I understand them) are only glanced upon in this novel, the little presence they had excites me to see how Judaism is treated more fully in later works.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Suicide attempt, Sexual violence, Domestic abuse, Sexual content, and Racial slurs