Everyman

by Philip Roth

Introduction and Acquisition: recognized the author from various books, saw this small book on the New Releases shelf of the Queens Library, decided to pick it up - borrowed September 2007


The Good: it was short, succinct, everything relevant - began with the end of the man's life, then all the pages afterwards explained what was introduced in the first pages. it was neat, as in tidy.


The Bad: I must admit to not having much interest in the life of a middle-aged man from New Jersey; I'm more of an adventure story person. But the author has won many accolades, and this should be for my education after all. It's not a story that will stick with me, that's all. It's about a life, after the death, and how the life led up to the death. But I don't get inspired or turned on by the moral ambiguities of one's life which sound more to me like excuses, but maybe that's just too close to reality for me?


Note: interesting that I picked up this book at the same time I picked up Ian McEwan's On Chesil Beach, as I later read a few reviews that hold these two as comparable.