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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
27 of 28 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Searing, bitter fiction based on Roth's first marriage.,
By Augustus Caesar, Ph.D. (Eugene, Oregon United States) - See all my reviews
This review is from: My Life As a Man (Vintage International) (Paperback)
Philip Roth's sixth novel, "My Life as a Man," first appeared in 1974, after the author spent several years trying to use the material of his first marriage (to one Margaret Martinson) in a fictionalized setting. Readers of Roth's autobiography, "The Facts" (1988), know that his brief cohabitation and extensive legal battles with Martinson were harrowing enough to leave psychological wounds the author continued to lick for decades following her death in a car accident. "My Life as a Man," according to "The Facts," was a book that took an enormous toll, both artistic and emotional, on the author. But it's a good thing he was able to write it, because what we have is a tremendously gripping, chilling, bitter and often hilarious look at the dark side of "romantic" relationships.The first section of the book, entitled "Useful Fictions," includes two stories "by Tarnopol" documenting his carefree childhood and eventual entanglement with the psychopathic "Lydia." Then the novel itself starts, under the title "My True Story." What follows is enough to make anyone feel fortunate for a) being single or b) having a stable relationship. Martinson, who was "Lydia" in the first section, is here renamed "Maureen," and is one of the most unforgettable women in American literature. Self-loathing, neurotic, violent, manic-depressive, grasping, hateful and literally insane, her relentless attempts to control and keep "Tarnopol" (Roth) are what gives these pages such intensity. Her hatred for Tarnopol and his hatred for her make this book unputdownable. Reading "The Facts," one learns that much, if not most, of what occurs here actually took place in real life. No wonder Roth has "women issues" (or so the critics always say). This remains one of Roth's most intelligent, finely crafted books. His use of dialogue is virtually unparalleled in modern fiction, and his sentences are as chiselled and graceful as one would expect of an artist of his caliber. In short, "My Life as a Man," though not the most uplifting book of our time, is an extraordinary (and extraordinarily bleak) accomplishment.
9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Unsparing, ambitious, funny but also bitter and obsessive.,
By A Customer
This review is from: My Life As a Man (Vintage International) (Paperback)
Roth's considerable abilities are clearly in evidence here: narrative force; powerful intelligence; an unblinking examination of the human heart and mind; an unsparing honesty. But so too are his weaknesses: a truly obsessive concern with men-women relations; an unmistakably bitter tone when he speaks about women; a story that in the end succumbs to its obsessions and anger rather than transcends them, or even finds a feasible accomodation. The endless, fruitless, explorations of the protagonist's pysche finally become too much for the reader; the work begs to be shortened. Still,there are many fine, perceptive (and funny) moments in this book. Roth, even not at his very best, demands reading and consideration.
5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Marital Nightmare,
By
This review is from: My Life As a Man (Vintage International) (Paperback)
I would not recommend this book as a gift for newlyweds or those contemplating entering marriage. One might read this tale wondering why anybody would ever marry. The fact that this story is based on Roth's first marriage gave me a certain feeling of discomfort. And while I may gape at the terrible car wreck on the highway, I still do not feel a sense of bliss about it. In the same way, I have trouble taking pleasure in Roth's pain."My Life as a Man" is a unique work of fiction that begins as a work of fiction by the main character. It then evolves into the "real" events that inspired the character to write his story. Both stories show the main character trapped in a nightmarish marriage. In the "real" story, Peter Tarnopol's story is more unnerving. No reasonable means would cause his wife to agree to a divorce. At points, it causes Peter to evolve into the same frightening psychopath that his wife already was. Had Tarnopol not told us so early in the story, the reader can easily forsee the marriage only ending in death. Although this may be a work of fiction, the knowledge that it is based on the real life experience of an author that I enjoy is a little disturbing. This may have something to do with why this is one of the few Roth novels that I have had trouble enjoying. Readers should not judge Philip Roth on this work. I would recommend Portnoy's Complaint and The Plot Against America.
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