Reviews

Alleman by Philip Roth

lmrising's review against another edition

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reflective sad medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? No
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

bansolitude's review against another edition

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2.0

This kind of felt like Barney's Version, but if his life was really boring.

aligrint's review against another edition

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3.0

This one... what an odd read. Definitely amongst the saddest books I've read, but near the end, I started thinking about [b:Der Fremde Freund / Drachenblut|1514969|Der Fremde Freund / Drachenblut|Christoph Hein|http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1184547651s/1514969.jpg|1506667] (in English), which resonated so much more deeply with me. Everyman's main character is at first almost relatable, but by the end of the book, there's a feeling that all of the sadness is entirely physical in nature - that he's caring so much about his body without any real plans of what to do with it, and without a shred of caring for other people. Roth plays with this in the last scene - in which the gravedigger is a far more relatable character, and someone who has a really different feeling on the passing of life.

danielcantread's review against another edition

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reflective medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? No
  • Loveable characters? No
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

mr_c2023's review against another edition

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emotional informative reflective sad medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? No
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.25

morganzayet's review against another edition

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dark emotional reflective medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

spikeanderson1's review against another edition

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2.0

depressing- not particularly well written. Maybe good for a Chaplaincy class

acantha's review against another edition

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dark emotional mysterious reflective sad fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5

rexsavior's review against another edition

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4.0

There are some familiar Roth tropes here (older man/young woman, death, death, and more death), but the prose is beautiful and the experience of grappling with mortality (death, death, and more death) is captured so vividly you might even feel that Roth has reached into you own mind, seen your fears and uncertainties, and put them on the page for the world to see. Though I love the economy of Roth's shorter works, I hesitate to call it a novel. Novella seems more accurate.

andyc_elsby232's review against another edition

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5.0

"He couldn't go. The tenderness was out of control. As was the longing for everyone to be living. And to have it all all over again."