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Liked It2 of 2 members found this review helpful “indignation / n : anger aroused by something unjust, unworthy, or mean. |
Didn’t Like It “I have never read his famous series, but I think there are things in Philip Roth's life that he has yet to deal with. Very screwed up sexual experience's” see full review » see other reviews » |
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“A great intro to Roth. ”
Brian S wrote this review 2 weeks ago. ( reply | permalink ) Was this review helpful? Yes | No
“Quick read and very enjoyable.”
rlgrun wrote this review Monday, November 16 2009. ( reply | permalink ) Was this review helpful? Yes | No
“I have read so many of Roth's books. This was a very quick read. I liked it. His early books are better. Read a few more recent ones that were prety smutty. Indignation has typical Roth humor but is a little depressing.”
Diane G wrote this review Tuesday, November 10 2009. ( reply | permalink ) Was this review helpful? Yes | No
“I enjoyed this one. ”
Josh wrote this review Thursday, October 8 2009. ( reply | permalink ) Was this review helpful? Yes | No
“Three and one-half stars.”
Jim H wrote this review Sunday, October 4 2009. ( reply | permalink ) Was this review helpful? Yes | No“I have never read his famous series, but I think there are things in Philip Roth's life that he has yet to deal with. Very screwed up sexual experience's”
Andrea C wrote this review Wednesday, September 30 2009. ( reply | permalink ) Was this review helpful? Yes | No
“A good starter for someone who's never picked up a Philip Roth book. Hard to put down.”
Dave M wrote this review Friday, September 25 2009. ( reply | permalink ) Was this review helpful? Yes | No
“I was amazed that I really liked it.”
Jim B wrote this review Saturday, August 1 2009. ( reply | permalink ) Was this review helpful? Yes | No
“Roth has the capacity to draw me in his story in some kind of subtle way--I don't know how he does. I absolutely love and admire his sentences; he crafts full sentences that carry the thoughts around me like dandelion seeds aflutter in some summer sunny breeze.
Mark V wrote this review Monday, July 20 2009. ( reply | permalink ) Was this review helpful? Yes | No
The title has merit: Indignation is a crime at its core against the dignity of the individual. Marcus Messner, the narrator for most of the story, suffers one indignity after another and it makes his blood boil to the point that the American epithet, the famous "f&ck you," becomes his psychological atom bomb. His domineering father who only wants the best for his son but is completely inept and, in fact, is dangerous in mishandling his fear and loses Marcus through his staunch ways.
I was fascinated to see the connection between Olivia's attempt to slit her wrists and Marcus' association (since he worked for his father in the kosher butcher shop) as this tragic and pathetic event as really nothing more than a kosher ritual slaughter--self-inflicted.
And then there is the Point of View twist, that Marcus is really a ghost and this narrative that I read is really nothing more than an eternal recall from his memory. You need to read the book to see this, I cannot explain it here adequately.
I absolute love the final sentence and will give it here because it provides the moral of the didactic novel without giving away the plot: the "...postponed learning [of] what his uneducated father had been trying so hard to teach [Marcus] all along: of the terrible, the incomprehensible way one's most banal, incidental, even comical choices achieve the most disproportionate result" (231).
I think Roth is a master at the craft and he deserves our attention.”“I loved this book. I could not put it down. Although I was annoyed by the final sentence and some of the author's comments in the epilogue, I would still rate it as a five-star novel. The story is gripping and original, and it is a very quick read. ”
Kate F wrote this review Tuesday, May 26 2009. ( reply | permalink ) Was this review helpful? Yes | No
