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andyc_elsby232's review against another edition
4.0
Just when I think I know where he is going, Roth finds a way to turn a corner and melt my damn mind. He's just a genius. It's slim and I wish it were longer, but the last fifty odd pages justifies the length while twisting the whole thing inside out. It's hard to explain, but it's wonderful to read.
justinedunbavand's review against another edition
emotional
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
federicafrazza's review against another edition
4.0
I flussi di coscienza di Roth.. i suoi romanzi sono sempre tutti "nella sua testa", pagine e pagine di pensieri e paranoie inventati (inventati?! chissà ...) e riportati magistralmente su carta.
Lo adoro!
Leggete tutto quello che ha scritto!
Lo adoro!
Leggete tutto quello che ha scritto!
lmrising's review
medium-paced
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.75
dllh's review against another edition
2.0
Didn't love most of the book, though the hijinks around the author's relationship to the narrative were kind of neat, and the reason for the form of the book became clear amid those hijinks. So the trick and the fact of it were ok but the particulars didn't do much for me.
danchrist's review against another edition
1.0
Again, similar to my last review, an affectation played large.
Roth is a masterful writer, and I picked this up after I read "Indignation." The latter was a masterful story artfully told. This is not.
Avoid it, unless you enjoy artifice for artifice's sake.
Roth is a masterful writer, and I picked this up after I read "Indignation." The latter was a masterful story artfully told. This is not.
Avoid it, unless you enjoy artifice for artifice's sake.
grgrhnt's review against another edition
4.0
I'm astonished by the clarity of his expression. You know who is talking when and how they are talking, the emotion is so embedded into the dialogue that the characters start to live with you and your voice and your reading become the real interpretation.
And the tenderness that seeps sometimes and catches the reader off guard is also very rewarding and makes you want to pull through to the next moment even when there isn't much exciting going on. It seems as if it happened and it doesn't matter anymore, but you read on.
In a word, Deception.
And the tenderness that seeps sometimes and catches the reader off guard is also very rewarding and makes you want to pull through to the next moment even when there isn't much exciting going on. It seems as if it happened and it doesn't matter anymore, but you read on.
In a word, Deception.
zoolmcg's review against another edition
funny
mysterious
reflective
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
3.75
I've been a fan of Roth since reading Portnoy's Complaint, and I enjoyed how this one carries his essential themes of identity and sexuality. I can't say this one knocked it out of the park, but after learning it is a spin off to one of his novels I've yet to read, I can appreciate it a little more.
What Roth does fantastically with this one is the dialogue formatting, whereby it almost reads like a play or a script, and you only learn of locations through what is chosen to be revealed. In the first few chapters, I did find myself slightly confused as to who was talking, but I quickly got a grasp of the speaking styles, and it was great to experience how masterful writing can distinguish characters though just their speech. Parts that seemed monologic worked brilliantly, as did short back and forths - the opening being the prime example for the dynamic being set up.
In an Amis like twist, to learn the male character is named Philip and is a famous author was equally hilarious and intriguing. Writing is one of the most vulnerable things you can do, and for him to display this hypothetical relationship out in the open, with these conversations including a mistress character and a wife character, is so excellent. I find a lot of his work really philosophical, and I think the way it prompts a reader to consider morality at every turn is what makes me keep coming back to his work.
I'd recommend this to Roth enjoyers, more specifically those who have already read The Counterlife, and have a frame of reference for the conversations. I had a great few hours devouring this, and it only has me itching for another one of his.
What Roth does fantastically with this one is the dialogue formatting, whereby it almost reads like a play or a script, and you only learn of locations through what is chosen to be revealed. In the first few chapters, I did find myself slightly confused as to who was talking, but I quickly got a grasp of the speaking styles, and it was great to experience how masterful writing can distinguish characters though just their speech. Parts that seemed monologic worked brilliantly, as did short back and forths - the opening being the prime example for the dynamic being set up.
In an Amis like twist, to learn the male character is named Philip and is a famous author was equally hilarious and intriguing. Writing is one of the most vulnerable things you can do, and for him to display this hypothetical relationship out in the open, with these conversations including a mistress character and a wife character, is so excellent. I find a lot of his work really philosophical, and I think the way it prompts a reader to consider morality at every turn is what makes me keep coming back to his work.
I'd recommend this to Roth enjoyers, more specifically those who have already read The Counterlife, and have a frame of reference for the conversations. I had a great few hours devouring this, and it only has me itching for another one of his.