Portnoy's Complaint

Rating:
Summary: spielvogel's diagnosis misleading
Review: The introductory bit attributed to Dr. Spielvogel, defining "Portnoy's Complaint" in terms of an inability to experience sexual pleasure without guilt is rather misleading. Portnoy's problem (possibly endemic in our time, at least among males) is that he cannot identify anyone outside himself as having human feelings. One of Roth's more obvious narrative strengths is his ability to capture the rhythms of his characters' speech (see especially Zuckerman Unbound and Operation Shylock). And while Alex here gives us very vivid impressions of his mother and to a lesser extent his father, we get almost nothing of his sister and even less of the girlfriends who precede the Monkey. And not much of the two Sabras. Why is that? Because these people exist in Alex' mind (possibly also in Roth's, but that is another question) only as cardboard cutouts. Contrary to Spielvogel, I think it is clear that Alex does experience sexual gratification (a lot), and though it is usually tied up with his sense of the forbidden, this probably increases his gratification, and the only guilt he experiences is a nagging sense that he is abusing and discarding people. Which he is, because he is afraid to connect. I do not think the structure of the novel (by which I do not mean the extended rant, which is rather well done, but the arc of the themes of the overbearing mother, the ineffectual father, the adolescent rebellion, the sexual adventurism) gives us much insight into why exactly Alex is so disconnected emotionally from other people. This has more to do with a sort of clinical narcissism than with repression and guilt, but the source is largely unexplored. Which then leads to the question, does Roth understand this himself?

Anyway, to answer the person who wondered whether the rather tiresome afterword that Roth wrote for the 25th anniversary edition is factual: are you kidding?

Rating:
Summary: Much better that Holden Caulfield!
Review: This book is the extremist version of Holden Caufield's abhorrence of modern day culture and the problems that are encountered by male teens. And when I say the "extremist" version I mean it. This book is hysterical - the situations that the protagonist, Portnoy, puts himself through are unbelievable. Holden Caufield can continue to fantasize himself as the Catcher in the Rye, however, I much prefer, the perverted and convoluted mindset of Alex Portnoy and the sexual tribulations that control his life. I can't say that I identify with Alex Portnoy, but I do find his rants and superstitions much more amusing and fascinating to listen to. I shouldn't be surprised at the randy writing of Phillip Roth after reading his much acclaimed Sabbath's Theater - but I have to admit the uninhibited and uncontrolled outbursts in the book were indeed hysterical and surprising.

I'd like to further note, that I very much enjoyed Roth's afterward, and I'd like to know if what he wrote was true about his discovery of a piece of paper left behind in a restaurant in Chicago that helped shape what Roth wrote about in his writing career. I do highly recommend this book - it is intended for someone with an open mind and frankness about sexuality.

Rating:
Summary: Portnoy's Complaint
Review: I cant believe I payed for this book! I am not a prude, but I sure could not find any reason for the raunchy sexual writing in this book. I can write a book this good. Would not recommened this book to anyone.

Rating:
Summary: I'll never think of apples the same way again.
Review: "Portnoy's Complaint" is definitely a . . . unique book. It was recommended to me by a friend, a friend I now consider completely off his gourd. The premise of the book is very interesting, albiet a little hard to follow. Alexander Portnoy is a Jew, growing up in America with an especially nagging mother and a (literally) anal-retentive father. He recounts his life with his mother and his sexual revolution/revelation and interweaves them in a fantasically funny and tougue-in-cheek monologue.

The beginning of the book is definitely the best, though Roth loses a little momentum. The book is very engaging as a whole, but by the end I was wondering where the ranting stopped and the hilarity begain again. Roth's afterword puts a personal spin on things, and helps tie it all together. All in all, better than the trash being printed today, but not quite up to masterpiece standards.

Rating:
Summary: An excellent book. Bright attractive cover.
Review: I really enjoyed this novel, despite the fact that it contained very little karate. I read this last summer. It was the first novel I read by Mr. Roth. He is a very good writer. There are a number of notable scenes in this book worth talking about, but I won't. There's some randy material concerning sexual matters, but you'll get over that--unless you are some sort of Jan Brady-like prude. There's lots of Yiddish slang as well, but I got a dictionary look up those words. It was a Yiddish dictionary. Portnoy is a successful person but he has some problems, mostly sexual. He seems to want nothing more than a gentile woman, but when he gets one, he seems to despise them. His mother doesn't like him eating french fries.

Rating:
Summary: Biting and lewd, yet unquestionably brilliant.
Review: I had heard that Roth's prose often reminds readers of JD Salinger, and that Portnoy is merely a Jewish version of Catcher in the Rye. Well...yes and no. In Portnoy, Roth explores the similar themes of adolescenct alienation, self-doubt and loathing, and social displacement which Salinger also regards. Yet Roth does so much more in this ranting and irrefutably hysterical portrait of the American Jew as a young man. Lewd, crude, and achingly funny, this book demonstrates what Jewishness, and the Jewish experience, is like for so many boomer generation males in this country. Portnoy's struggles with his demanding family ("Why can't you stop being so selfish and give us some grandchildren" - remarks his mother), his self-loathing resulting from being unable to derive satisfaction from anything other than emotionless sex, and his overpowering anger at being helpless to change any aspect of his life as it barrels forward, are what makes this novel a must read.

Rating:
Summary: A LIVERISH DISH
Review: Notwithstanding the continuous complicate output of Roth's works, I firmly believe this short bestselling novel to be his masterpiece. It takes the form of a monologue featuring the confession of a comic character who is thrust through life by his unappeasable sexuality, yet at the same time held back by the iron grip of his unforgettable childhood. You cannot avoid, if you are of the male gender, to find yourself in some of Portnoy's inner predicaments: laughing it out loud is not enough, you've gotta enjoy this book as a wholesome dish -- with all its petty struggles to convey the sense of growing in a confusing world, where full sexuality is still repressed on a façade of fake modernity. I truly enjoyed the whole complaint...

Rating:
Summary: Very clever but with the main character is difficult to like
Review: Okay, Philip Roth can write. And here he writes very well, fluidly, brilliantly. My main problem with the book though, is just how dispicable the main character Alex is. I couldn't get through it. I was too disgusted with everything about this guy. It began as very funny, then I just wound up feeling gross for even being expected to sympathize with this guy. It's like a guilty pleasure or something, which I'm sure was part of the point Roth was trying to make!

Rating:
Summary: Dena's Complaint
Review: I haven't read such a disappointing book in my life (this year so far)! It started off interesting, funny, meaningful - I thought he'd go somewhere with it. Off the deep-end?

Absolutely NOTHING was accomplished with this novel and I don't feel I've gained anything from it. The main character, Alexander Portnoy, simply recounts a series of sexual encounters - with women, glass milk bottles, pieces of raw meat - the whole book just turned into a farce, needling in on the same obsession over and over. Does everyone with an overbearing mother sexually assault raw animal flesh?

If this is definitive Jewish-American literature, something is seriously wrong and a re-assessment should be in order. This garbage is going directly to my bird's cage. Better lining than literature.

Philip Roth has to be the greatest self-loathing Jewish man alive, or at least one lucky enough to make a career out of it.

Rating:
Summary: Vulgar as hell, but you've got to love it.
Review: Great work.