Olivia read and liked Mike's review of The Dying Animal:

"Ok, sort of read it. Got about 30 pages in and could not go any further.
I don't understand why Philip Roth is so popular. He's even been considered for Nobel a few times. Huh?
The most pervasive question I asked myself during the first an...more Ok, sort of read it. Got about 30 pages in and could not go any further.
I don't understand why Philip Roth is so popular. He's even been considered for Nobel a few times. Huh?
The most pervasive question I asked myself during the first and very tediously self-righteous 30 pages was whether or not Roth believes himself to be the heir-apparent to Norman Mailer, a comparison I've heard in passing. The primary problem being with that lofty simile is that talking about sex, your prostrate penis and waning libido like Norman Mailer does not Norman Mailer make. Mailer ostensibly placed his libido in his literature in a near self-depricating fashion where as Roth takes a poorly translated good-ol' boy romantic sentiment and creates misogynistic hyperboles without an attempt at post-modern irony. Speaking of the sexual revolution as successful is to overlook the undergirding of that 'revolution' and blithely disregard the original intent...the sexual 'revolution' was not an intention to ensure that an emaciated post-modern snob could get a good blow job, as is implied if not arguably suggested by Roth.
It's all too apparent that Roth either believes he is his own main character David Kepesh, in the flesh (groan), or at the very least he certainly would like to be. Anybody championing Roth's ascention to Norman Mailer's throne as his direct progeny are likely to find themselves in a lonely camp.(less) "

Olivia read and liked Patricia's review of The Dying Animal:

"Run, Consuela, Run.

As fast as you can. You are 24, he is 62. You have you whole life ahead of you. You have been reared by a large and caring family. He has made a career of living only for his own pleasure....ignoring his son........more Run, Consuela, Run.

As fast as you can. You are 24, he is 62. You have you whole life ahead of you. You have been reared by a large and caring family. He has made a career of living only for his own pleasure....ignoring his son.....and preying on his female students.

Run, Consuela, Run.

You will become invisible to him when you are 48.....you will become invisible to him when your body becomes the least bit flawed. He could be your grandfather, his son calls him a serial tomcat.


After seeing the movie Elegy at our independent film series, I couldn't believe what a monster Kepish could be. I had to read the book to see what a missed......I found out that the movie followed the book very well.........Small difference, in the movie the son is a surgeon, in the book he is an art critic....

Roth is a wonderful writer.......and shows his knowledge of the arts, I learned a lot about the 60's..... even though I graduated high school then.......

Kepish is an old man now... he lived his life with no commitments except to his own pleasure.............has no close friends........he rails about the cage of marriage, but seem like he is in a cage of a different type, he has his art, but no friends.
(less) "