Rating: 
Summary: Feel the potato love.
Review: "Herzog" is the story of a man with a wide perspective of world history contemplating the absurdities of the twentieth century, not the least of which is his own life. Moses Herzog has the background for it: a middle-aged professor whose field of study is the theory of history sprinkled with bits of philosophy. He is a profound thinker but an ineffectual doer, and part of his discontent is that he knows this, but could not live any other way. Like his author, Herzog was born in Canada and moved to Chicago as a young boy, his Jewish upbringing defining his earliest world views. Although their father was a bootlegger, the Herzog brothers became honest and successful businessmen, except for Moses, who struggles to remain gainfully employed living in New York, teaching occasional adult workshops, and trying to write an academic book on Romanticism, his specialty. Both of Herzog's marriages have ended in divorce. His latter wife, Madeleine, had been having an affair with his crippled (and married) best friend, Valentine Gersbach. She is presently living in Chicago with him and her and Herzog's daughter, June, who Herzog fears is being abused. Herzog's awkwardness with the modern, active world is demonstrated when his trip to Chicago in a furtive attempt to see his daughter ends in a dangerous situation and an embarrassing confrontation with Madeleine. Since Herzog is a man of words and not action, he expresses his feelings and beliefs by writing impromptu letters which he never sends. This is just as well, since his addressees would be indifferent, hostile, unavailable, or are dead. Various relatives, girlfriends, colleagues, civic authorities, and icons like Eisenhower, Martin Luther King, and Nietzsche are the unknowing recipients of his observations, perceptions, complaints, and rhetorical questions. These letters are not just missives of passive aggression; they are the silent manifestos of a man who has no appropriate public forum for expressing his opinions. The novel is spiced (or spiked) with many of Herzog's acquaintances, including his new girlfriend, a sexy, sultry Argentine florist named Ramona; Sono, the Japanese student he had an affair with; his pathetic, melodramatic lawyer friend Sandor Himmelstein, whose disrespectful daughters are "killing" him; Lucas Asphalter, a zoologist who tried to resuscitate a dead monkey; and his psychiatrist Dr. Edvig. More than just interesting supporting characters, these people are contributors to Herzog's state of mind. Moses Herzog seems to typify Bellow's brand of American Jewish intellectual, a person with a keen eye for human suffering (witness his casual interest in the sad courtroom cases he spectates) and an instinct for survival in spite of all his faults. His relationship with Ramona assures him that life goes on, even through all the chaos and disillusion of being a learned person trapped in the wasteland of American culture. He will go on writing his letters, and the country will continue to embrace those who reject intellect and express "potato love."
Rating:
Summary: Feel the potato love.
Review: "Herzog" is the story of a man with a wide perspective of world history contemplating the absurdities of the twentieth century, not the least of which is his own life. Moses Herzog has the background for it: a middle-aged professor whose field of study is the theory of history sprinkled with bits of philosophy. He is a profound thinker but an ineffectual doer, and part of his discontent is that he knows this, but could not live any other way. Like his author, Herzog was born in Canada and moved to Chicago as a young boy, his Jewish upbringing defining his earliest world views. Although their father was a bootlegger, the Herzog brothers became honest and successful businessmen, except for Moses, who struggles to remain gainfully employed living in New York, teaching occasional adult workshops, and trying to write an academic book on Romanticism, his specialty. Both of Herzog's marriages have ended in divorce. His latter wife, Madeleine, had been having an affair with his crippled (and married) best friend, Valentine Gersbach. She is presently living in Chicago with him and her and Herzog's daughter, June, who Herzog fears is being abused. Herzog's awkwardness with the modern, active world is demonstrated when his trip to Chicago in a furtive attempt to see his daughter ends in a dangerous situation and an embarrassing confrontation with Madeleine. Since Herzog is a man of words and not action, he expresses his feelings and beliefs by writing impromptu letters which he never sends. This is just as well, since his addressees would be indifferent, hostile, unavailable, or are dead. Various relatives, girlfriends, colleagues, civic authorities, and icons like Eisenhower, Martin Luther King, and Nietzsche are the unknowing recipients of his observations, perceptions, complaints, and rhetorical questions. These letters are not just missives of passive aggression; they are the silent manifestos of a man who has no appropriate public forum for expressing his opinions. The novel is spiced (or spiked) with many of Herzog's acquaintances, including his new girlfriend, a sexy, sultry Argentine florist named Ramona; Sono, the Japanese student he had an affair with; his pathetic, melodramatic lawyer friend Sandor Himmelstein, whose disrespectful daughters are "killing" him; Lucas Asphalter, a zoologist who tried to resuscitate a dead monkey; and his psychiatrist Dr. Edvig. More than just interesting supporting characters, these people are contributors to Herzog's state of mind. Moses Herzog seems to typify Bellow's brand of American Jewish intellectual, a person with a keen eye for human suffering (witness his casual interest in the sad courtroom cases he spectates) and an instinct for survival in spite of all his faults. His relationship with Ramona assures him that life goes on, even through all the chaos and disillusion of being a learned person trapped in the wasteland of American culture. He will go on writing his letters, and the country will continue to embrace those who reject intellect and express "potato love."
Rating:
Summary: Great
Review: Although the book begins as distressing and actually will darken your mood while you read it, that just proves that Bellow is amazingly able to develop a hero of sorts in Moses Herzog, one that the reader may connect with, however super- intellectual Mr. Herzog may be. The book is a masterpiece of what goes on in the insecure human mind but is never allowed to escape, and of how humanity may overcome the shallacking of difficulties mounted on it by life's troubles. Includes the best ending of a book that I can remember.
Rating: 
Summary: Quite possibly the greatest novel of the 20th century.
Review: Anyone who says anything even slightly negative about this wonderous tome needs to immediately stop smoking crack. Herzog should be give to children at birth with the warning, "Life's tough, kid; you're gonna need this." So, what's it about, then? It is the never-ending narrative that plays on a maddening loop in your head at 3 a.m., when all of your deepest anxieties are no longer drowned out by daily distractions. It's about losing the plot completely, forgetting who you are, why you are. For anyone who feels (and sometimes wish they didn't) Herzog is your Bible.
Rating:
Summary: Thoroughly enjoyable
Review: As is obvious from other reviews, this book is not for everyone. I found Herzog to be at once both both a lovable and despicable, comedic and tragic character; in other words, truly human. The book is full of long diatribes on subjects that most book-of-the-month selections would not dare tackle in such depth, such as intellectualism, philosophical theory, the individual vs. society, etc. Some reviewers seemed to resent these as pedantic personal outbursts from Bellow himself. However, I believe the intent of the author was to build the character of Herzog into a believable, unstable intellectual. Contrary to some reviewers' opinions, the laughable character of Herzog himself is not to be taken so seriously; nor to be evaluated on the basis of his morals, work ethic, or the time in which he happens to reside (1960's America). Rather he is to be taken as a fascinating character of any era, and read as an up-close examination of a person on the edge. I recommend you take yourself through Herzog's breakneck-speed world and enjoy the ride! That is not too say that this book is an easy read, or full of action. Many passages must be re-read in order to comprehend the context, but this complexity adds to Herzog's character and the reader's enjoyment.
Rating:
Summary: Evocative and subtle; the inner life put to the flame.
Review: Bellow's achievement in Herzog is to reveal in painstaking detail the inner life of Moses E. Herzog, a character struggling to stave off madness in the aftermath of divorce. The book is about far more than simply this subject though. It is nothing less than a meticulous, almost Proustian, exploration of Herzog's mind--a mind that seeks "a change of heart" that will put to rest his "wild internal disorder." Herzog is desperately looking to redefine himself and his life; to impart a significance not only to Herzog, but by tracing the contours of his family's history, to somehow redeem them all. Ultimately, Moses wishes to save not only himself but humanity. Bellow's art lies in making his protagonist profoundly human (warts and all). Readers impatient with academia and nostalgia may find passages here unrewarding. Others, myself included, will recognize themselves on these pages. Moses E. Herzog: bittersweet, desperate, straining for transcendence in an evil century. A great book.
Rating: 
Summary: An Intelligent Man With No Sense
Review: Do you know anyone who has the brains of a college professor but lives life like a moron? Meet Moses Herzog, age 47. After divorcing a good wife he married Satan's sister. When she was done cheating on him, abusing him, and throwing him out, he got involved with pretty Ramona. But he doesn't know whether or not to marry her. Have no fear - whatever decision he makes is bound to be the wrong one. Will he find happiness? I doubt it. Will he lose his mind? What mind? Saul Bellow, are you a sick puppy?
Rating:
Summary: Herzog
Review: For whatever reason this is the first book I have read by Saul Bellow. I would have better off starting with Seize the Day or Henderson the Rain King. Immediately it is obvious why Bellow is so popular. His writing style is thorough and he pays close attention to the small details, especially with the smaller characters. Unfortunately the main character Moses E. Herzog is not much of a fascinating person.
The people he encounters during the course of the book are the most fulfilling for me personally. Even with my reservations about the novel and the main character Bellow does a good job of developing Herzog and bringing the novel to a nice close. I would not recommend this book to a Bellow newbie like myself, but for those accustomed to Bellow's work I am sure there is much to enjoy in Herzog.
Rating: 
Summary: Herzog is boring and confusing
Review: From page 1 to page 325 I really didn't get interested in it. It was long, boring and, confusing.
Rating:
Summary: A satisfying American masterpiece
Review: From the opening line, "If I'm out of my mind, it's all right with me," the reader becomes ensnared by Moses Herzog's churning mind, the mind of a man who sits on the border of of a new period in his life. He sways on the precipice, constantly looking backwards in order to make his next step forward. He worries if he is crazy--and so will the reader, as he or she picks through pages of unsent letters that Herzog composes on a whim. Addressed to people ranging from his ex-wives to God, the letters span various topics, and in doing so, they give the reader an amazing insight into Herzog's situation.
Bellow remains a masterful storyteller, though if you're looking for an action-filled novel, this isn't the one for you. His descriptions are impeccable, and I don't know of any modern novelists who can depict characters in such a masterly fashion. As you read, the images flow into your mind seamlessly; there are very few times that you have to stop reading in order to compose a mental image of what is depicted. Despite Herzog's academic rants, Bellow manages to create a character so familiar in Americana: constantly moving, constantly disappointed, and constantly searching for his or her next step. Bellow's novels are among the most satisfying reads; while difficult, they leave you with the feeling that you have eaten a large yet nonfilling meal, and while your stomach acknowledges that you've eaten a lot, you're still hungry for more.
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