Average customer rating:
- Me, me, me . . .
- Didn't get the hype
- Solid Outing by a Master
- Not every experiment(al novel) succeeds
- Writer Betrayed!
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Operation Shylock : A Confession (Vintage International)
Philip Roth
Manufacturer: Vintage
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
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ASIN: 0679750290
Release Date: 1994-03-15 |
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Philip Roth's very literary novels, most famously Portnoy's Complaint, have always had the feel of confessional autobiography. Operation Shylock boasts not only a character named Philip Roth, a Jewish-American novelist, but an impostor who is claiming to be him. Roth's impostor causes a furor in Israel by advocating "Diasporism," the polar opposite of Zionism, encouraging Israelis to return home to eastern Europe. In Israel the real Roth attends the trial of a former Nazi, and also observes at a West Bank military court dealing harshly with young Palestinians. Through stark counterpoint between distorted doubles, along with his trademark bawdy humor, Roth comically explores the tensions of his identity as a writer, as a Jew, and as a human being. Operation Shylock won the PEN/Faulkner Award for 1994.
Book Description
Time Magazine Best American Novel (1993)
In this fiendishly imaginative book (which may or may not be fiction), Philip Roth meets a man who may or may not be Philip Roth. Because someone with that name has been touring Israel, promoting a bizarre reverse exodus of the Jews. Roth is intent on stopping him, even if that means impersonating his own impersonator.
With excruciating suspense, unfettered philosophical speculation, and a cast of characters that includes Israeli intelligence agents, Palestinian exiles, an accused war criminal, and an enticing charter member of an organization called Anti-Semites Anonymous,
Operation Shylock barrels across the frontier between fact and fiction, seriousness and high comedy, history and nightmare.
Customer Reviews:
Me, me, me . . . .......2007-07-16
Roth is a narcissist with much to be narcissistic about. This book is an amazing combination of Roth's extraordinary writing ability and his obsessive naval gazing. Indeed, without obviously intending irony, he calls his "double" in the story--the "other" Phillip Roth-- Moishe Pippic, which translates as Moses Bellybutton. No phrase could better capture Roth's grandiose self-image and obsessive self-examination; one Phillip Roth wasn't enough to sate him, so he has two of them in the book. And yet you (or at least I) are reading it. The reader can just feel Roth saying, "Grandiose? You don't seem to have anything better to do with your time than read my self-exploration, so who are you to judge?"
This novel has a plot, which you've detected from other reviews, but that plot--while immensely clever--serves mostly as a very thin wafer on which Roth serves thick essays on Israel and jewishness from a variety of perspectives. We hear from arab intelligentsia, jewish "diasporists," Nazi war criminals, children of Nazi war criminals, holocaust survivors, Israeli secret agents and, most of all, two Phillip Roths looking in the mirror. Roth's conception of the thoughts and diatribes of all but the latter are beautifully written--angry and thought-provoking-- and make the book worthwhile if you are interested in that sort of thing, but not so interested that you will be upset by some of the frankly offensive views portrayed in some of their rants.
If you have not read Phillip Roth and want to "try" a Phillip Roth book, this is not the one to start with. The plot is too thin, the self-obsession too great, and the interesting bits too specialized. Instead, I would try American Pastoral (5 stars beyond doubt) or the classic Portnoy's Complaint.
Didn't get the hype.......2007-06-04
After reading American Pastoral (a work of art) I was excited to get my teeth into another Roth book. But where to start? I picked up a copy of Operation Shylock after carefully researching different discussions of Roth's greatest works. Maybe I just prefer Nathan Zuckerman's voice, but I found OS to be overwritten, completely unbelievable (and my satisfaction of finding out that the book is indeed a work of fiction on the last page was worth getting to it, but I never believed for a second that Roth was a credible character in his own novel, and just coming off of The Year of Magical Thinking which had a very authentic voice and I highly recommend it) and, just downright boring, because it is so overwrought. My fascination was held from the opening page of American Pastoral to the final, amazing word. But this book was frustrating. Maybe I just didn't like the setting (I'm weary of the craziness of the Middle East)but I didn't like most of the book, although there were a few funny scenes I just can't recommend it. My next foray into Roth will be a Zuckerman book. I simply prefer his voice. OS is claustrophobic and it's simply a relief to be done with it. I realize this isn't the world's greatest review, but OS wore me out. If you are new to Roth, read American Pastoral.
Solid Outing by a Master.......2007-02-17
I wish I had read this novel before reading Pamuk's "Snow" because I feel as if they share so much in common. Both novels deal with a writer figure who is thrown into a political mess and tries his best to navigate the mess with the limited (or unlimited) skills of an author/writer. The fact that Roth was passed over for the Nobel Prize for Pamuk in a ywear that most thought he would win only makes any further comparisons all the more interesting (but ultimately superficial and really only done for the fun of it).
In this novel, Roth tries to bend reality by writing as himself in what is presumably a fictional situation. The memoir-like prose and the heavy borrowing from the "real world" makes it difficult to decide whether or not any of this ever happened. It reminds me of a grand experiment, much like what Henry James used to do in his own fiction, but revamped for our modern tastes. The Philip Roth of the novel flies to Jerusalem and encounters someone who looks remarkably like him and who has been impersonating him all over Europe, touting a Diasporic model for the resettlement of the Jewish people back to their homelands. Not much action takes place, but Roth is able to spin layers of paranoia, so much so that you often do think you're reading non-fiction. Only a master storyteller could produce something like this. Fans of Auster would love what Roth has done with text.
"Operation Shylock" stands as an important text, especially considering the fact that Roth is one of the best living writers today. I look forawrd to his Nobel Acceptance Speech.
Not every experiment(al novel) succeeds.......2006-08-26
This is my first Philip Roth novel. Having just finished it, I must confess my reluctance to proceed to the next. I will, of course, do so. A writer of Roth's stature doesn't become a writer of Roth's stature without producing some outstanding work. The fact that so many reviewers, on this page and in the press, regard OS as one of Roth's outstanding works, however, makes me wonder. OS has been touted as a brilliant novel of ideas -- ideas, presumably, about history; Jewish history; one's debt to history; the Israeli/Palestinian conflict; writing; the writer's identity; the writer's responsibility to society; how writers create and are created by others; the writer as split personality; identity in general; etc. True, these ideas and more are bandied about in this book, but never in a more than marginally compelling way. To characterize OS as a novel of ideas is to do a gross disservice to the relatively few novels that merit the distinction. So, too, am I puzzled by those reviewers who consider OS a work of comic genius. Granted, there are some very funny moments in OS. But they are few and far between. Unless, of course, you happen to find great humor in a mind (that of the novelist-as-protagonist) spinning hopelessly out of control. OS is funny like the DSM IV is funny. Its brand of humor is the sort that English professors describe in lectures as "comedy of the highest order" and college students duly describe in essays as the same, all the while wondering what the hell's so funny. I'll grant, the second half of OS is much better than the first -- better written, better paced, more compelling narratively, so it wasn't a complete slog to get through this novel. Far from one of the great novels of our time, however, OS struck this reader at least as an exercise in diaristic writing/dream interpretation/self-analysis run amok. I look forward, still, to reading Roth's other novels. I just can't understand the fuss about this one.
Writer Betrayed!.......2005-10-29
Philip Roth is fast becoming one of my favorite living writers, and Operation Shylock was a major reason why. Having read American Pastoral, Portnoy's Complaint, and the Human Stain previously, for me Operation Shylock was the most haunting of his novels. It does seem unfortunate that readers have failed to grasp the crux of the novel, which is identity dislocation, and instead read the novel baldly and I am tempted to address some of the criticism found here directly, but will instead speak directly to my thoughts on the novel. If met on its own terms, this novel is both powerful and complex.
Philip Roth is often accused of disloyalty. He has been called a self-hating Jew, an anti-liberal, amongst other accusations, usually by groups or people who believe he is the voice of their cause. This historical context underlies the psychological conundrum of Operation Shylock in which Roth plays fast and loose with his own public persona as a writer, thinker, and Jew. He beginsthe story with an account of psychological severance that leads into a cat and mouse, noir-ish chase through Israel after his other "self". Far from self-promotion, he uses the gravitas of his writerly image as another example of disclocation- showing that the "real" him is as far from the other "self" as from his "public" self. He dives into the murky waters of Racial identity (his-jewish), present-past continuity of self, and the ideological (does and idea define a person?).
The versimilitude of the novel allows Roth the ability to dissect his own identity very publicly. Though he sometimes lampoons and satrizes his critics (even Dante did that!), in reality, the book delves much deeper and gives a much more probing exploration to these issues than are typically covered in the NYTimes bestseller/oprah book club style books. This is real literature that will outlast and transcend most other contemporary fiction.
So read and enjoy. You're in for a challenging, entertaining, and thought-provoking ride.
Product Description
Limited signed first edition
Book Description
This digital document is an article from World Literature Today, published by University of Oklahoma on January 1, 1995. The length of the article is 794 words. The page length shown above is based on a typical 300-word page. The article is delivered in HTML format and is available in your Amazon.com Digital Locker immediately after purchase. You can view it with any web browser.
Citation Details
Title: Operation Shylock: A Confession.
Author: W.M. Hagen
Publication:
World Literature Today (Refereed)
Date: January 1, 1995
Publisher: University of Oklahoma
Volume: v69
Issue: n1
Page: p142(2)
Article Type: Book Review
Distributed by Thomson Gale
Book Description
Nicole Moore felt the ravages of frustration whenever she was near Zachary Regan. She wanted to belong to him totally. Zachary found this beautiful woman more desirable than any other woman he had ever known. But could her love for him break through the barrier of fear that held him captive?
Download Description
Nicole and Zachary are made for each other, but must first control the fears that hold them back from happiness.
Customer Reviews:
Hooked my quickly........2003-03-15
Dr. Nicole Moore was a social worker at one of the local family centers. The moment her brother introduced her to Zachary Regan, Nikki knew he was dangerous to her heart and vowed to keep her distance. She would only allow herself to fall in love with a man who would feel the same for her as she did for him. Nothing less would suffice.
Zack was a famous architect. He was pulled to Nicole from the first. But he had been a widower for six years now and was still unable to tear down the walls he had built around his heart. He had lost his mother and his wife. He refused to open himself up to the risk of emotional pain again. (He also had his hands full with a teenage daughter, twin little boys, and a neurotic dog.) Yet Nicole was getting through all Zack's defenses.
**This story caught me quickly and was able to hold onto my attention the entire time. A love story that will make a reader's boring afternoon fly by! **
Wonderful ground breaking romance.......2002-05-28
It is easy to say with hindsight that Ms. Alers' talent was obvious for all to see, but at the time this novel was first written in the early 1990s, romance had not quite become the blockbuster genre it is today, and African-American romances were just starting to be explored.
Now, over a decade later, we can still see Ms. Alers going strong with a stellar career in the genre, and this book, finally back in print, is a delight from start to finish.
The couple are strong-minded, modern characters who have stood the test of time, and you will be kept on the edge of your seat to see if they can learn to compromise and allow themselves to fall in love despite the pain they have experienced in the past.
A real keeper, as the title says!
Wonderful.......2001-09-30
Nicole Moore is happy with her life as a career woman, loves her job as assistant director and program coordinator for an East Harlem family agency services, and wishes her family would stop pushing her to get married. She has a good friend who escorts her to various functions without wanting more. That is, until she meets her brother's good friend Zachary Regan who has his own successful architectual firm. She likes him very much, a handsome interesting man who is married--he wears a wedding ring--so she's comfortable in his presence. Until he informs her that he's a widower with three children to raise and he's never going to marry again, period. Okay, she doesn't want to get married either, so why not have a platonic friendship?
The reason is that there's a fierce sexual attraction between them, and Nicole doesn't play the bedroom hopping game. And since Nicole is his best friend's sister, Zachary can't very well do anything to ruin their friendship. Besides, he's an adult, he can control himself. Sure, he can; so can she. After a rocky start in which Nicole wants to teach Zachary a lesson, their time together becomes more and more important to each of them. She knows that she's falling in love with Zachary, and tries to break up with him, but he isn't having any of that. Nicole doesn't want her heart broken, and keeps trying to cool off their relationship, while Zachary can't keep his hands off her. She is beautiful, intelligent and what he desires most in a woman, dispite their differences in background. He was raised by his Aunt in Harlem, working hard to overcome prejudices and poverty, which Nicole was raised in an afluent family without having to struggle for success.
Nicole realizes that it's too late, she's already in love with him, and believes Zachary loves her as well. Now if she could only find out why he is so adamant about marrying again. And he wants desperately to overcome his phobia about marriage...
I thoroughly enjoyed this love story of full of sexual tension, likeable hero and heroine who struggle to overcome the problems keeping them apart. I recommend it..
A powerful story.......2001-06-25
Neither wanted to marry. Love said otherwise. An independent woman, Nicole Moore was proud of her accomplishments but her routine could not be disrupted. There was no time for a man - or love - in her life. If this is true, why was Nicole's heart saying something different? As Nicole comes to terms with her newfound knowledge, she must fight a larger battle than she expected. Only time will tell who will score the next point. Hunk extraordinaire, Zachary Regan is a woman's dream man. After the death of his wife six years past, he has put everyone's needs ahead of his. Now the tables are turning in his direction. Will he take the chance? Will Nicole's love bring Zachary into the real world once again? Or will Zachary retreat behind his fears? Ms. Alers writes a powerful story. With Nicole secure in loving again, Zachary must learn to trust that he will not be left behind. A must read, My Love's Keeper shows that some men can be tamed to share their heart with the women they love.
Love's Keeper.......2001-06-20
Zachary Regan a successful architect and widower with three young children has locked away his heart because of a secret fear to love again. Dr Nicole Moore, associate director of a family help agency is the sister of his frat brother Adam, who unknowingly becomes the key that threatens to unlock his deep rooted fear of love and committment while igniting the passion Zachary's heart can no longer keep hidden.
Zachary is drawn to Nicole's beauty, strength and intelligence from the very start, he tries to fight the course that nature is playing in their lives but finds himself caught in emotions that will not be controlled. Nicole knows Zachary is struggling with ghosts from his past that keep an invisible wedge between them but she will not let him set the pace for their relationhip especially if it means she will be hurt. Nicole and Zachary learn that healing is the true key and understanding, patience and trust unlocks even the most wounded heart. Theirs is a tender love story of passion and family.
Book Description
New York Times bestselling author Jodi Picoult is widely acclaimed for her keen insights into the hearts and minds of real people. Now she tells the emotionally riveting story of a family torn apart by conflicting needs and a passionate love that triumphs over human weakness.
Anna is not sick, but she might as well be. By age thirteen, she has undergone countless surgeries, transfusions, and shots so that her older sister, Kate, can somehow fight the leukemia that has plagued her since childhood. The product of preimplantation genetic diagnosis, Anna was conceived as a bone marrow match for Kate -- a life and a role that she has never challenged...until now. Like most teenagers, Anna is beginning to question who she truly is. But unlike most teenagers, she has always been defined in terms of her sister -- and so Anna makes a decision that for most would be unthinkable, a decision that will tear her family apart and have perhaps fatal consequences for the sister she loves.
My Sister's Keeper examines what it means to be a good parent, a good sister, a good person. Is it morally correct to do whatever it takes to save a child's life, even if that means infringing upon the rights of another? Is it worth trying to discover who you really are, if that quest makes you like yourself less? Should you follow your own heart, or let others lead you? Once again, in My Sister's Keeper, Jodi Picoult tackles a controversial real-life subject with grace, wisdom, and sensitivity.
Download Description
New York Times bestselling author Jodi Picoult is widely acclaimed for her keen insights into the hearts and minds of real people. Now she tells the emotionally riveting story of a family torn apart by conflicting needs and a passionate love that triumphs over human weakness.
Customer Reviews:
Moving in many ways.......2007-10-02
I couldn't wait to read this book and am happy I did. Although, after reading it, I decided to put Jodi Picoult away for a bit. I read 4 of her books in a row and they have a way of getting you where it hurts. This book was very well written, as usual. I felt very bad for both sisters. I found myself emotionally tied to the entire family, with the exception of the mother. I felt she was very tunnel visioned and couldn't see Anna as any more than a "donor". All I know is for someone who doesn't cry, I bauled my eyes out at the end.
Loved It.......2007-10-02
I loved this book. fast moving, glib, cerebral, lovely and eloquent Jodi writes with a fierceness and simultaneousl eloquence.
I can't wait for the next book. If it's half as good as this one I'm a new fan.Cat's Cradle
Wow!...again, WOW!.......2007-09-28
I couldn't put this book down. Absolutely riveting. The story is told from each character's point of view. All well done for the most part, although occasionally Anna, the 13-year old, seemed on some level, way too old for her age, i.e. very eloquent at times which seemed a bit unbelievable to me. But maybe Anna's maturity was the point the writer was trying to make. Hint: Don't look to the last chapter until you get there.
A work of art........2007-09-20
An absolute work of art. I do not understand why people are complaining about the ending. Not every story has a happy ending; which is what makes this novel so riveting. It is based on what can happen in real life. Life is not a fairy tale. The novel is written beautifully and keeps the reader intrigued from the first page to the last.
My Sister's Keeper.......2007-09-18
Picoult tackles the touchy subjects of medical and parental ethics in this refreshingly original book about a family dealing with the disease of one of its own. Using multiple characters' thoughts and viewpoints, Picoult portrays the struggles of Kate, a teenager with leukemia, who must rely on her genetically altered younger sister, Anna, to keep her alive through regular blood transfusions and transplants. After years of invasive surgeries, Anna hires a lawyer to gain medical emancipation from her parents so she can stop being the guinea pig for her older sister and finally gain control of her own life. What follows is a rollercoaster ride of emotions as the two sisters, their brother Jesse, and their parents must essentially choose sides by supporting either Anna or Kate, thus nearly ripping the family apart.
With My Sister's Keeper, Picoult serves up a thought-provoking novel that fairly covers both sides of several hairy issues including genetic alteration, children's rights, and parents' allegiance to their kids. Although this book cannot be labeled as an ethical guidebook in any way, it can and does serve as a mediator between opposing viewpoints surrounding the aforementioned ethical dilemmas. By nature it forces the reader to take sides with or against each character in the book and evaluate one's own values and morals in the process using an intricate plot and intriguing character insight.
Whether one likes the book or not, this book's consequences will be felt by each reader. Although it may never alter the landscape of medical ethics, it has the power to change and shape the thought processes by which doctors and family members make tough decisions. By breaking down the case of Kate and Anna and making it into an emotional tale of family perseverance, everyone who reads this novel must evaluate their stance on each issue, making it more likely they will return to these evaluations in real life situations. Whether dealing with leukemia or a minor moral dillema, Picoult shows the reader how each can affect multiple characters and alter the outcome of a life. The life lessons found in the book can be used long after it has been finished.
Customer Reviews:
A spiritual learning guide.......2006-03-23
Joel explains the difficulty in trying to live in a spiritual world and also having to deal with the world in which you live. It is very difficult to do when you start to lose you desire for the things of this world and desire more of God.
Customer Reviews:
What an eye opener!.......2004-08-08
This book gave me the diverse perspectives that I was lacking as a solitary practioner. Quite a difference between the various contributors on a wide range of topics that, all in one way or another, touch on "living between the worlds". This is one of the titles that I think should be on any witch's bookshelf.
Witchcraft without Sprinkles.......2003-05-15
An unusually thoughtful consideration of how the Craft does (or does not) integrate with modern American secular life, and the ethical/personal challenges facing its practicioners. As usual, given the format, there is some variance in quality between the articles, but overall, they're quite good.
Finally, I'm sorry this series has been discontinued by Llewellyn, though I suppose it was inevitable. Most people turn to the Craft for escape or power, rather than as a means of expressing/deepening their own connectivity to the universe. The books that sell are those that pretend to offer vast secrets (as if every secret isn't staring in the face, winking, every day of your life), control over others, membership is a special club, etc, and the materials they provide have been recycled for nearly half a century. There are some notable exceptions out there, like Cunningham--and Witchcraft Today. I strongly urge curious seekers to try the latter.
A "must-read" for Wiccans in or out of the closet!.......1997-04-16
Living between the Worlds is an excellent book for Wiccans who must everday balance their mundane and magickal lives. This book is very enlightening for those of us who choose to stay "in the closet" and for those who are "out". It reconciles both types and gives understanding and real life reasoning for both choices.
It even gives another meaning to the Rede - "don't do magickally what you would not do mundanely". Definitely something to ponder when deciding "to harm none".
Product Description
The present book is complied from the first chapter of volume eighteen of Pt.Shriram Sharma Acharya Vangmaya series. It introduces neuro scientific, psychological and spiritual aspects of human brain and mind. Bioelectrical activities of the neuro-synaptic connections between million billions of neurons, information processing through the nervous system and the neuronal network and the mechanism of storage and retrieval of memory are discussed here along with the anatomy of the human brain and psychological depths of human mind. Major sections of this book deal with detailed analysis of the endocrine system and interrelationship of hormonal secretions and physiological, biochemical, mental and emotional variations.
The book also offers scientifically argued, lucid answers to some of our natural inquisitiveness concerning What are the functional centers in the brain, which might be responsible for exceptional memory ?. Hope it would inspire us to move deeper in the depths of the esoteric treasure bestowed by the Supreme Consciousness on our brain.
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