When She Was Good

This is one of Roth's best books. I had read it many years ago and enjoyed it more the second time around!

I just turned 42 and one of my favorite things in my older age is reading a book I know I would have interpreted differently in my 20s. And as a father of two, generally what that means is I side with the parents of the story now, where once I would have sided with the angsty teen.Philip Roth has quickly become one of my absolute favorite authors. The way he builds layers of the American family and American culture, open to interpretation after interpretation. I am constantly in awe as I read his books. I can’t fathom being able to write so well. This book was no exception, although I will admit it took awhile to get there.This is a book about babies having babies. Yes they’re 18 and 20 but from my perspective now they seem barely even old enough to have a career. Of course, our male main character just got back from the war. He’s tossed right back into society and given almost no time to figure out how to even process that. He pulls a girl still in high school into his life and the result is an all-too-soon coming of age story and the very likely results that follow. It’s beyond tragic and with the perspective I have from age AND our modern times, it’s ridiculously heartbreaking. It’s amazing society used to function like this.But what a fantastic book it makes. Roth has a way of putting you right in the middle of the action. I’m not sure, honestly, what his message is. I’m not sure if it’s just looking at life at the time or if we’re supposed to feel certain things for certain characters. But I guess the point is to ponder all of it and try to do better.I don’t think this is the 1st or even the 5th Roth book you should read. But it’s a real emotional roller coaster and it makes me very grateful that, to some extent, society has learned from what this generation went through.

this is one of 2 Roth novels that seems not quite "Roth". The other is "Our Gang" a hate letter to the Nixon Administration which I chose not to finish because I didn't like the writing style. This is a story about late 1940's midwesterners who remind one of "Fargo characters" So I would leave Fargo characters to the Coen Brothers, and prefer Roth when he more "Roth". It is not a bad read, but I love Roth's writing, and I didn't think this work "Rothian" enough for me.

I really respect Philip Roth, although for me, this wasn't my favorite book of his - it did complete my collection, however. The writing is classic Roth, but the characters were hard to relate to, and were not as engaging as others, say, "Letting Go," and "Portnoy's Complaint." I found Lucy to be hard to understand and hard to sympathize with, yet it was still undeniable Roth, and other details and characterizations more than made up for what didn't work for me.

As much as I ordinarily enjoy Roth's work, I couldn't figure out where this story was going. That in and of itself is not a bad thing in fiction, as no one wants a predictable story. But what made this a confounding novel for me is that the characters are odious--every single one of them. After awhile I found myself not caring where the story was going because I wasn't emotionally invested in anyone; I was simply annoyed with the behavior of them all.

So boring! Poorly written and overly verbose. This book drones on and on. Neither the story or the characters in it have any redeeming qualities.

This sad story of a young lady who is unable to live in the cruel world and gradually is unable to deal with the harsh reality of her world. It’s hard to believe in justice when you look at her life. A real tragedy. A very sad but compelling read.

Few can write the way he did, match his wit, his cadence, or his structure.