The Human Stain by Philip Roth

The Human Stain

The American Trilogy #3

Philip Roth

361 pages • first pub 2000 (view editions)

fiction literary challenging dark reflective slow-paced
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The Human Stain is tailor-made for readers who relish dissecting how one man’s carefully guarded private life collides with America’s late-1990s culture wars, all while an aging novelist pieces together the shocking truth behind a disgraced professor’s downfall.

Description

It is 1998, the year in which America is whipped into a frenzy of prurience by the impeachment of a president, and in a small New England town an aging Classics professor, Coleman Silk, is forced to retire when his colleagues decree that he is a r...

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Community Reviews

3.73
based on 3,282 reviews

Moods

reflective: 65%

dark: 64%

challenging: 54%

emotional: 34%

sad: 29%

tense: 27%

mysterious: 18%

informative: 8%

funny: 7%

adventurous: 4%

inspiring: 4%

Pace

4% of readers chose fast
43% of readers chose medium
52% of readers chose slow
fast
medium
slow

Plot or character driven?

5% of readers chose Plot
31% of readers chose A mix
63% of readers chose Character
Plot
A mix
Character

Strong character development?

50% of readers chose Yes
28% of readers chose Complicated
20% of readers chose No
Yes
Complicated
No

Loveable characters?

13% of readers chose Yes
40% of readers chose Complicated
45% of readers chose No
Yes
Complicated
No

Diverse cast of characters?

71% of readers chose Yes
14% of readers chose Complicated
11% of readers chose No
1% of readers chose N/A
Yes
Complicated
No
N/A

Flaws of characters a main focus?

90% of readers chose Yes
7% of readers chose Complicated
Yes
Complicated

Content Warnings

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