Reviews

Portnoy's Complaint by Philip Roth

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mgitelman8's review against another edition

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emotional funny reflective medium-paced

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

4.75

acresofclams's review against another edition

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funny reflective slow-paced

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

4.25

Content Warnings

lisasternick's review against another edition

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5.0

I had to read this book in college. Need to re-read. I was an English Literature/Writing major and took a Sex Lit class. This was one of the selections we read. Philip Roth tests the limits of society's "what is expectable", with this tale of a young man who is telling his tale of his self sexual exploration to his psychoanalyst. This book is definitely for an open-minded reader who can handle a sexual themed literature classic.

incognateo's review against another edition

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emotional funny reflective sad slow-paced

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

4.0

emilytcanread's review against another edition

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dark 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

4.0

trentsky's review against another edition

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1.0

I thought about running a marathon this year, but was concerned about my stamina. No longer am I concerned. I managed to finish this thoroughly annoying book and am now empowered to sign up for just about any length of run.

Page after page of kvetching. There were parts that may have been titillating forty years ago, but today were just tiresome. Geez -- this book makes me want to reconsider my feelings for Mr. Roth...

facebook's review against another edition

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2.0

Forget Portnoy's Complaint, my complaint is how tedious this novel is!

wiktoria_bojda's review against another edition

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dark tense fast-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

Content Warnings

joanacoelho's review against another edition

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fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character

5.0

klinejosh94's review against another edition

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4.0

“The way you disapprove of your life! Why do you do that? It is of no value for a man to disapprove of his life the way that you do. You seem to take some special pleasure, some pride, in making yourself the butt of your own peculiar sense of humor. I don’t believe you actually want to improve your life. Everything you say is somehow always twisted, some way or another, to come out ‘funny.’ All day long the same thing. In some little way or other, everything is ironical, or self-depreciating [sic]....And you are a highly intelligent man - that is what makes it even more disagreeable. The contribution you could make! Such stupid self-deprecation! How disagreeable!”

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