Reviews

Herzog: (penguin Classics Deluxe Edition) by Saul Bellow

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jess_mango's review against another edition

3.0

Hmmmm.

This was the first novel that I've read by Saul Bellow. We will catalog this one as "I can appreciate the writing but this book didn't quite do it for me".

I see from the sidebar on the goodreads page for this that "people who liked this book also liked" books by John Updike and Phillip Roth. I can totally see that. As I was reading this it very much reminded me of something by Roth.

So, this book was about a man of a certain age: Moses Herzog. He is/was a professor. He's been married a couple of times and had some other relationships with women. His life falls apart around him. He spends a lot of time pontificating, blathering, reminiscing about his childhood and about being Jewish. He's a 1960's intellectuals' intellectual. The book is told in a series of long, rambling, letters that go unsent. Nothing much happens. Just a lot of reflection and diving deep into the mind of Herzog.

So I am balancing out my rating at 3 stars. 4 for the writing, dragged down by the lack of appeal I found in the character and the general feeling of the book. For me, it as just a bit too much of Bellow trying to be overly clever and erudite.

kyop14's review against another edition

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4.0

Herzog brainstorms until he doesn't.

avidreadr's review against another edition

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5.0

will forever be a reminder of my Chicago days <3 reading this outside in chicago parks during the amazing summers ...priceless

hmmmhamburgers's review against another edition

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reflective slow-paced

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

2.0

violetturtledove's review against another edition

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emotional reflective slow-paced

3.5

This is such a strange, rambling and neurotic book, it's difficult to know what to say about it. It's much more about thought than action. Some of the thoughts are heavily philosophical and to be honest, more highbrow than I am able to follow. Or maybe they are intentionally muddled, after all Herzog may be losing his mind.

But other parts are very evocative, I able to appreciate the feelings even if I didn't quite understand the theory! It's a slow one to reflect on, and I'm sure if you have the patience for re-reading you would understand it a little more each time.

Ultimately, I'm reluctant to rate this one especially high or low as it didn't fully click with me but I appreciate that it has many layers to it and they just weren't all for me. But sometimes the only way to judge a book is by the feeling you get at the end, and in this case I felt pretty satisfied and content.

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