Here is Philip Roth’s masterpiece, featuring Nathan Zuckerman and the story of Swede Levov, a legendary athlete at his Newark high school, who grows up in the booming postwar years to marry a former Miss New Jersey, inherit his father’s glove factory, and move into a stone house in the idyllic hamlet of Old Rimrock. And then one day in 1968, Swede’s beautiful American luck deserts him.
For Swede’s adored daughter, Merry, has grown from a loving, quick-witted girl into a sullen, fanatical teenager—a teenager capable of an outlandishly savage act of domestic terrorism. And overnight Swede is wrenched out of the longed-for American pastoral and into the indigenous American berserk. Compulsively listenable, propelled by sorrow, rage, and a deep compassion for its characters, American Pastoral gives us Philip Roth at the height of his powers.
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"Lays bare the American soul. All the more terrifying because Swede Levov reminds me of my grandfather, so watching him degraded and tormented was only more heart-wrenching. Philip Roth is a genius." — Zack (5 out of 5 stars)
"Lays bare the American soul. All the more terrifying because Swede Levov reminds me of my grandfather, so watching him degraded and tormented was only more heart-wrenching. Philip Roth is a genius."
“Roth’s most mature novel, powerful and universally resonant.”
“Some of the best pure writing Roth has done.”
“Dazzling…A wrenching, compassionate, intelligent novel.”
“One of Roth’s most powerful novels ever…Moving, generous and ambitious…A fiercely affecting work of art.”
" One of my favorite books. "
" I know that this book won with Pulitzer Prize and is generally highly rated, but I did not like it at all. I found it too depressing and ugly to enjoy. I tried. "
" The most depressing book I have ever read, but really very good. "
" You're asking for it if you give an angst-ridden kid a name like Merry "
" Mom loved it; I didn't...unusual for us. "
" My favorite Roth (of the three I've read). "
" Re-read this. One of the great novels of the last 20 years. So beautifully written. So intelligent. So heartbreaking. "
" An Amercian classic and demonstrates the power of Roth's writing. He dismantles this family life in a way that only J.M. Coetze comes close to. "
" I think this will be the end of my Philip Roth stage. "
" Recently 'discovered' Philip Roth and enjoying his writing. "
" What a great book....I was still thinking about it for hours after I finished the book! "
" Heart-breaking characters and struggle of a 'good' person to make sense of a new order. Nice to read a father-daughter relationship instead of the usual mother-daughter focus. "
" I love love love this book! That is all. "
" This book delves into all sorts of topics examining what it means to have a "happy" and "normal" life. "
" One day I'll write a metafictional memoir about building a time machine that transports me back to the site of Philip Roth's first wedding. Don't know if I'll abduct the bride of the groom, but the world will be spared a lot of misogynistic fiction. "
" Probably my favourite Roth book, interesting characters and I enjoyed the story. Did have questions at the end, wondered what Swede was going to do. "
" Anti-Vietnam, Jainism, perversion, bourgeoisie and depression. "
" this book is self-indulgent and pointless. it's one of the worst books i've ever read. some chapters are 50 pages, and they dont have anything to say until the last page. no hyperbole, either. "
" The most vigorous American historical epic I have read so far "
" Philip Roth is a brilliant writer; I only wish I liked his characters more. "
" Very entertaining and I found myself fully absorbed into this world. "
" I tried so hard but couldn't do it "
Philip Roth (1933–2018) was one of the most decorated writers in American history, having won the Pulitzer Prize in fiction, the National Book Critics Circle Award twice, the PEN/Faulkner Award three times, the National Book Award, and many more. He also won the Ambassador Book Award of the English-Speaking Union and in the same year received the National Medal of Arts at the White House. In 2001 he received the highest award of the American Academy of Arts and Letters, the Gold Medal in Fiction, given every six years “for the entire work of the recipient.”
Malcolm Hillgartner is an accomplished actor, writer, and musician. Named an AudioFile Best Voice of 2013 and the recipient of several Earphones Awards, he has narrated over 250 audiobooks.
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