I started reading The Plot Against America by Philip Roth on Sunday and I'm so drawn into the story that all I want to do is read it. I took the bus in to work today and almost missed my stop because I was so engrossed.

This is my first Roth - what others would people suggest? More of the "Roth" books?

This is my first Roth - what others would people suggest? More of the "Roth" books?

Mmmm, I love Philip Roth. Portnoy's Complaint was his big breakthrough novel. It's still very funny. I LOVE his baseball book titled (amusingly enough) The Great American Novel.

I know a lot of people who really loved the Zuckerman books. They're a series, including Zuckerman Unbound. I think the first one is The Ghost Writer.

His novel Deception is basically about his long affair with the British actress Claire Bloom.

I would, but I'm a fangirl. (Except of The Breast...that was like Roth writes Roth badfic. v.v. embarrassing, and not in the good way Roth usually is.) What did you like, and I think I can tell you which to read? ETA: Score. Another thing to love about Hecubus! But Portnoy is WAY better than GAN...I'll bet you a piece of liver, sweetie.(Not pre-owned) "GoodBye Columbus" has the real "Defender of the Faith" ie, not written by me, in it. All of my Munch fic=total Roth homages. Wonder what he'd think about "shout-outs"

I've hesitated reading Roth before because I was of the mistaken idea that his books were difficult in a Pynchon or Joycean manner. If his other books are like TPAA then I'm obviously wrong.

The Ghost Writer sounds interesting. (I have a book at home by David Mitchell called Ghostwritten so I could follow a theme if I read them back to back.)

Once in a while...not usually. More so lately, though it sounds like the latest, nsm.(Yay! He's better keeping it simple, in this shikse's opinion.)ETA: It's trippy, I think, that somebody so literary is writing AUs now.(America stays out of or loses WWII. I don't remember...I've only read reviews and thought "Damn! Roth's going AU.") Guess fic's mainstream, now.

I'm not quite 1/2 way through TPAA so it could be that he takes a U-turn into the obscure, but I'm hoping not.

ION, if you haven't read Cloud Atlas by David Mitchell, get ye to the booke store.

I've hesitated reading Roth before because I was of the mistaken idea that his books were difficult in a Pynchon or Joycean manner. If his other books are like TPAA then I'm obviously wrong.

I find Roth to be very readable. Very funny, sexy, smart, neurotic characters. His writing is lively and rich, but not at all difficult. He's also very thoughtful about politics and history, but not in a dogmatic way.

What Hec Said.Although, should I have a daughter, I probably wouldn't want her to get into Portnoy at thirteen. It probably fucked me up. But I've had a lifelong button for Brainy Jewish Guys. But nobody ever wanted me for a Monkey. Yet.

He's also very thoughtful about politics and history, but not in a dogmatic way.

this is very true of his latest book. At the end of it he actually adds a true chronology about the lives of some of the key politicians and news makers of the 1940s. This brings some reality back to the reader.

I guess I was under the impression that reading Philip Roth was like watching an un-funny Woody Allen movie. If that's not the case, mebbe he is worth trying. (One does get tired of middle-aged men worrying about their sex appeal, moreso when they can fantasize themselves supermodel girlfriends.)