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Now in his 60's, stage sensation Simon Axler's life falls apart when he suddenly and inexplicably loses his ability to act. An unexpected, unconventional relationship with a woman 25 years his junior appears at first to be a chance at a happy new life, until he is painfully reminded that the stage is not the only place where people act.
If you're feeling a little bad about yourself and need a great pick-me-up to return you to starry-eyed optimism, The Humbling
is not your book. It can only be considered a light read due to it's novella page count of 140 and Philip Roth's easy-reading style. It's not a depressing book, but it doesn't leave the reader feeling good.I liked The Humbling because I enjoy Roth's writing in general. He always gives me something to think about when I turn the final pages. I plan to read many more of his books in the coming months. However, if you're looking to explore Roth's work for the first time, I don't recommend starting here. It's worth the short time it takes to read, but for first-timers I would suggest The Plot Against America or American Pastoral.
13 comments:
I added Exit Ghost to my stacks a while back and Deception this past weekend. His early stuff is far better, but his themes are so strong, I always have to read the new stuff, too. I'll get to The Humbling one of these days!
Great review. I have it from the library.
Lezlie -
I saw this a couple days ago and was curious.
You said you only enjoyed it... I felt that you were perhaps a bit ambivalent about it?
I am not sure how I feel about Roth. The first book of his that I read was The Plot Against America, which I loved. The second was American Pastoral, which I not only didn't like, I gave up after about 100 pages. And it is put me off Roth. I am not sure if I want to try again.
I'm a huge Roth fan and working my way through all of them. His first book, Goodbye, Columbus is as good of an introduction as there is. For the newer stuff, I Married a Communist is my pick.
Good review! I'll get to this one in time. Maybe when I am in a good mood, though.
Andi ~ I haven't read any of his older works, and I really need to. I have The Ghost Writer and The Great American Novel high on the "soon" list. Any recommendations? Which were your favorites?
Diane ~ I can't wait to see what you think of it! I haven't seen any other bloggers thoughts on it, and I'm very curious.
Shellie ~ I did like it, but I didn't think the messages from this one were as strong as some of his other books I've read. Or maybe it was just different. The others felt much more multi-layered, whereas this one felt thoughtful but thin. Does that make sense?
Thomas ~ I would have to say The Plot Against America has been my favorite so far. I liked American Pastoral, but it wasn't nearly as engaging. Andi says his early work is the best, so I want to reach back and see what I think. I also have a book of critical essays on his work that I'm eager to dive into. Sometimes books like that give me a new perspective that make certain works more interesting. I'll let you know if I come up with others that hold up to Plot Against America.
Lezlie
Rose City Reader ~ Definitely wait for a good mood. I read it while I was in the midst of a small but hurtful personal crisis, and it did *not* help. :-) I will add your suggestions to my "soon" list. He has so many that look interesting!
Lezlie
I haven't read anything by Roth. Sounds like I should start with The Plot Against America though.
Carol's Notebook ~ You can't go wrong with that one. :-)
Lezlie
HAven't read any Roth. Won't start here! Thanks for the warning...
Rebecca ~ It's worth the read later, but, yeah, I'd start elsewhere. He has thirty books, so there is a lot to choose from!
Lezlie
I tend to have problems reading anything after a book like this. I'm glad you enjoyed it though!
Ladytink ~ I'm thinking I'm going to need some Georgette Heyer soon. Something to make me laugh! :-)
Lezlie
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