American Pastoral: American Trilogy (1) (Vintage International) Paperback – February 3, 1998

Okay, let me just say I was dumfounded. An acquaintance, a lit professor (contemporary Jewish fiction: Roth, Bellow, Singer, etc.), says “American Pastoral” is arguably Roth’s best novel.

In my first read, the book seemed static; abrupt in changing its point of view. As opera, it would have plenty of passion but remain earthbound nevertheless. Its narrative is flimsy, doing little more than connecting the dots that map out the story.

The nut of this story is a single horrible act of 1960s domestic terrorism and its aftermath that becomes the fulcrum around which everything spins. The narrative, circles but ends up going nowhere. The “Swede,” who is the main voice, keeps churning the story by referring again and again to the horrible event and the consequences. The story is recounted, told and retold.

To me the book becomes the Swede’s internal, desperate rant, a “cri de Coeur,” of a man of privilege, a Jew, a blond golden boy, ultimately brought to ground by the turbulent, explosive 1960s and the events that swept society and the Swede along with it – into the “fury, violence and desperation of the counterpastoral, into the indigenous American berserk.”

When I finished the book, I brooded and then moved on. Then in an act of compulsion, I re-read it. My read-through this time was an attempt to channel the Swede, to burrow into his head and feel what he’s feeling. And the thing of it is, when I did that, the book became disquieting, disturbing – almost haunting – in the fierceness and anguish of its emotion. It’s simply incredible how Roth manages to get your brain roiling with empathy. The novel is burdened with the Swede’s unbridled internal feeling of rage, which is portrayed in a way and to an extent that my reassessment makes “American Pastoral” among the most wrenching books I’ve read.

Roth calls upon Nathan Zuckerman to narrate the first third of the book. It’s in this section we learn most about Seymour Levov’s – The Swede’s – history. Then poof, Zuckerman disappears, inexplicably and the world in the 1960s is portrayed through the lens of the Swede’s unhinged sensibilities.

Roth gives us a character study of a decent man who comes of age in postwar America and falls to the grip of his times. This is foremost a story of America –its immigrants, its industry and its promise of a good, orderly life. Isn’t it ironic that the Swede’s wife was a runner-up for the Miss America crown.

The Swede’s prosperity derives from a successful glove business started by his father. The business of making and marketing fashion gloves becomes a fascinating case study of what it takes to succeed, what it’s like to be stalked by the threat of failure, what it’s like to feel powerless to stem defeat.

Ultimately “American Pastoral” earns lasting distinction because it transcends. More than the story of an individual crushed by the forces of history, the novel rises to become a sweeping portrait of America at its most fractious. If Roth is ever presented with the Nobel Prize he deserves, he will have entered the pantheon because of writing this compelling.

In a word: Transcendent

How do you write a review for a book that took almost a decade to read? As an English grad student, all I ever heard were allusions to two major pieces of literature: The Wasteland by T.S. Eliot and American Pastoral by Philip Roth. I had the chance to study the first, but never had to read the second. I've long wondered what all the fuss was about, so ten years on, I finally tackled this book on my own.

To say that it's dense with a million points and discussions is putting it mildly. Making strong connections to the American Dream, Roth challenges our high ideals by calling into question the discordancy between people's moral smugness and the secret immorality that is many's reality. To be honest, I found his ideas slightly refreshing, as it does seem that there is hypocrisy in being offended by a million little things in society and yet quietly falling apart behind the scenes and not owning it. At some point, it seems that we need to find a way to have the courage of our convictions to own our weaknesses, to be humble enough to use life's lessons as a learning curve and not an end point of judgment.

This story of Swede Levov and his family echoes with many of the elements of the quintessential American Dream, until we peel back the cover just a bit. What seems to be a charmed, self-made story of American success turns sour when Swede's troubled daughter becomes involved with anarchist activities surrounding protests over the Vietnam War. Woven with complex themes of marriage, child rearing, politics, sexuality, and social class, this novel packs a big punch--one that often lands squarely between your eyes.

Although a pretty hard novel to work through, with all of its deeper discussions on life and culture, it was well worth picking up. Roth has a certain cynicism that I'm not sure I'm ready to wander back to in the near future, but after picking up the pieces of all that I read here, I can see myself reading another novel by Roth down the road.

This was a difficult book to get into. Indeed, throughout Roth uses repetition as a tool -- it starts out as annoying but becomes highly effective as the book moves along. Some may not like the narrative flow, as there are many unresolved plot point. But the book is not about plot, it is about life,human experience and human consciousness. It is one of those works that requires you to rethink your own life -- who are you and what do you believe? It is emotionally wrenching and altogether wonderful.

Phillip Roth is always on the short list of greatest American writers. This superb book won a Pulizer - well deserved. That said - this is a tragedy. A tragedy of a man and a time and place. But even as the tragedy unfolds Roth makes us laugh. This is an important book about a period in American history - one that changed forever America, and the American dream.

I am relatively new to Roth. I did read Everyman several years ago, but from what I understand this is probably one of his minor works. But after reading several articles about Roth after his recent death, I thought it was time to read one of his more substantial works. I chose American Pastoral and I’m glad I did. This novel was always interesting, compelling, and an absolute great read. And what a penetrating analysis of American society in the last half of the 20th century and especially the 1960s. Roth, through a number of intriguing characters, brings to life America at a time when in many ways we lost our way. I feel he brings insight missing from most of American fiction in this period. If you haven’t read this book don’t miss it. You will enjoy it and appreciate its beauty and vision.