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3.73 AVERAGE
3.73 AVERAGE
Very much enjoyed another very intense Roth novel. I really like how Roth switches between characters. The pages fly by after some initial exposition. Wasn't crazy about the ending, which meandered too much for my liking.
dark
reflective
slow-paced
challenging
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
At its best, this book tells the story of the American experience through the eyes of America's boundlessly unique narrators.
Yet, nothing in its pages seems so unique at this point in time that it could only have existed as a fiction novel. I'm left wishing that Roth had taken a note from the book's protagonist and found a story real enough to convey the story's messages and narratives more concretely, which, ironically, is a major theme the novel: that the American truth is stranger and altogether more real than the American fiction.
...yeah, I have to admit that I'm comparing this to my all-time favorite--The Executioner's Song by Norman Mailer--which I believe accomplishes that same goal in spades. That comparison probably isn't fair, but I can't help it.
I don't mean to say I didn't enjoy The Human Stain, only that despite its themes and characters being the sort I usually engage with, this story didn't really resonate with me save for one or two occasions.
There's also plenty more for me to think through on what the fiction of this story uniquely reveals about America, but it just isn't clear at the moment...maybe I'll pop a revision in here once I've figured that out.
Yet, nothing in its pages seems so unique at this point in time that it could only have existed as a fiction novel. I'm left wishing that Roth had taken a note from the book's protagonist and found a story real enough to convey the story's messages and narratives more concretely, which, ironically, is a major theme the novel: that the American truth is stranger and altogether more real than the American fiction.
...yeah, I have to admit that I'm comparing this to my all-time favorite--The Executioner's Song by Norman Mailer--which I believe accomplishes that same goal in spades. That comparison probably isn't fair, but I can't help it.
I don't mean to say I didn't enjoy The Human Stain, only that despite its themes and characters being the sort I usually engage with, this story didn't really resonate with me save for one or two occasions.
There's also plenty more for me to think through on what the fiction of this story uniquely reveals about America, but it just isn't clear at the moment...maybe I'll pop a revision in here once I've figured that out.
slow-paced
reflective
slow-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
challenging
dark
informative
mysterious
reflective
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Very well written with some beautiful sections. Would be 4.25 but the beginning was quite hard to get into