tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4043273283783489008.post5873020460358301870..comments2024-02-29T02:54:19.767-05:00Comments on Babbling Books: Exit Ghost by Philip RothBrian Josephhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15139559400312336791noreply@blogger.comBlogger12125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4043273283783489008.post-76191322392286398122012-08-24T18:48:14.165-04:002012-08-24T18:48:14.165-04:00Hi Miguel - That is funny as I do the same thing. ...Hi Miguel - That is funny as I do the same thing. I do not usually read the commentary of others until I finish the book and write mine. I would love to here your thoughts when you have finished.Brian Josephhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15139559400312336791noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4043273283783489008.post-57745187267179693742012-08-24T16:18:05.127-04:002012-08-24T16:18:05.127-04:00I'm currently reading this novel, so I haven&#...I'm currently reading this novel, so I haven't read your review completely lest it spoils things for me :)<br /><br />I'll come back to it once I'm finished.LMRhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08538873868140070018noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4043273283783489008.post-83848436952449137002012-07-14T20:25:11.900-04:002012-07-14T20:25:11.900-04:00Hi Emma - Thanks for the good word! There are so m...Hi Emma - Thanks for the good word! There are so many angles to this book. I think that someone could easily write multiple essays on it!<br /><br />I to try not to read other commentary until I have written mine for the same reason. I fear that I might actually inadvertently steal ideas.<br /><br />I really liked all the Zuckerman books. You could start with Ghost Writer as it ties into this one and it is the first.<br /><br />I am off to check out your commentary on your blog.Brian Josephhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15139559400312336791noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4043273283783489008.post-37383930830792248022012-07-14T14:27:30.734-04:002012-07-14T14:27:30.734-04:00I'm coming to your review now that I've wr...I'm coming to your review now that I've written my billet. I try not to be influenced by other reviews.<br /><br />The quote you put is among the ones I selected. <br /><br />Your review is excellent and explores a side of the book I didn't touch in mine. <br />It's full of interesting themes to explore, isn't it? <br /><br />I need to read the other volumes of the Zuckerman series. <br /><br />Guy: I'm surprised you didn't like Portnoy's Complaint. Too rife with sex? I would have thought you'd enjoy that type of character. I thought it was huge fun. (It quite expand my English vocabulary for dirty words, though) <br /><br />EmmaAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4043273283783489008.post-3685031476058098992012-07-04T11:53:36.936-04:002012-07-04T11:53:36.936-04:00Hi Ryan- Thanks commenting.
I agree. One aspect o...Hi Ryan- Thanks commenting.<br /><br />I agree. One aspect of Roth’s books that I failed to mention in my commentary is just how good his prose is. I find that he is a master crafter of sentences. As you mention, the meaning in his sentences is often dense, yet he often, but not always, use what I would I would describe as a light tenor. I also find that he uses many unusual words and I find myself referring to the dictionary often when I read him. Though he employs these uncommon words his writing never seems clunky or ponderous.Brian Josephhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15139559400312336791noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4043273283783489008.post-54927770386402348742012-07-04T11:32:55.719-04:002012-07-04T11:32:55.719-04:00I love Philip Roth so much literary density. So ma...I love Philip Roth so much literary density. So many wonderfully articulated sentences. Makes me want to crack one right now.Ryanhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07998996750944114185noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4043273283783489008.post-48009767984021504812012-07-03T18:26:35.503-04:002012-07-03T18:26:35.503-04:00Thanks for stopping by Amritorupa. I have been per...Thanks for stopping by Amritorupa. I have been perusing your blog and I am very impressed! I believe that I signed up to follow.<br /><br />As I mentioned I have not yet read Portnoy's Complaint. I can imagine that it is very funny as it is of course a book written early in Roth's career. As I believe Miguel pointed out in another comment thread Roth does get less funny as he progresses through time.Brian Josephhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15139559400312336791noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4043273283783489008.post-45762289866321198922012-07-03T08:43:06.755-04:002012-07-03T08:43:06.755-04:00I just finished Portnoy's Complaint and have b...I just finished Portnoy's Complaint and have been mulling over writing a review for it. It was funny, but in a sort of sticky, claustrophobic way... overall the sort of book that is enjoyed best if not read all at once :)<br />Thank you for the wonderful review. Loved your blog. Following you now!<br />Please do visit my book blog , and if you like it, please follow!Amritorupa Kanjilalhttp://riversihaveknown.com/noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4043273283783489008.post-75589103515199801152012-07-01T12:24:12.829-04:002012-07-01T12:24:12.829-04:00Hi Caroline - I would agree that if you did not li...Hi Caroline - I would agree that if you did not like The Human Stain then you would not likely like this one. Roth tends to play on similar themes. One slight difference is that there is a little bit of the old humor characteristic of the earlier Zuckerman books in Exit Ghost that was not present in The Human Stain. This is a fairly minor point, however.<br /><br />I have not read Sabbath's Theater but if I had to take a wild guess, I would expect it to explore similar territory.Brian Josephhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15139559400312336791noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4043273283783489008.post-515950020335115942012-07-01T12:18:45.723-04:002012-07-01T12:18:45.723-04:00Hi Guy - I actually never read Portney's Comp...Hi Guy - I actually never read Portney's Complaint but it is next on my list of Roth books.<br /><br />Though I do think that the it would be best to read the earlier Zuckerman books first, in my opinion those are great books in their own right and worth the read. I would say that if one does not like those, then one is not likely to like this one.Brian Josephhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15139559400312336791noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4043273283783489008.post-38715655162300694372012-07-01T05:15:59.560-04:002012-07-01T05:15:59.560-04:00This is one of those cases where I'm pretty su...This is one of those cases where I'm pretty sure, I like the review better than i would like the book. <br />I've read The Humain Stain and it was not for me at all. <br />While many of the things he wrote about and which you describe here as well in theory sound interesting, he seems to be an author who cannnot reach me. <br />I'm not saying I will never read another of his books again, i still have Sabbath's Theater here, but I'm not in a hurry.Carolinehttp://beautyisasleepingcat.wordpress.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4043273283783489008.post-29169349858898336532012-07-01T00:12:36.664-04:002012-07-01T00:12:36.664-04:00I tried reading Portney's Complaint and didn&#...I tried reading Portney's Complaint and didn't like it--although everyone else seems to have loved it. I'll admit that this one appeals, but as you say there's considerable backtracking to do, and that makes it daunting.Guy Savagehttp://www.swiftlytiltingplanet.wordpress.comnoreply@blogger.com