American Pastoral by Philip Roth
This novel tells the story of Seymour "Swede" Levov, a successful Jewish-American businessman and former high school athlete from Newark, New Jersey. Levov's happy and conventional upper middle class life is ruined by the domestic social and political turmoil of the 1960s during the presidency of Lyndon B. Johnson, which in the novel is seen through the eyes of the narrator, Nathan Zuckerman, a budding writer who idolizes the Levovs. The novel portrays the impact of this turmoil on Levov and his family, particularly his rebellious daughter who becomes involved in revolutionary political activities.
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- Published
- 1997
- Nationality
- American
- Length
- Moderate
- Pages
- 423
- Original Language
- English
- Avg User Rating
-
(4.1)
- Alternate Titles
- None
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This book is on the following 32 lists:
- 2nd on Best Foreign Work of Fiction Chosen by Francophone Writers (French literary magazine Transfuge)
- 4th on As if You Don't Have Enough to Read, Fiction Edition (New York Times)
- 4th on Quintessential American Fiction, According to the Rest of the World (Literary Hub)
- 5th on The New Classics - 100 Best Reads from 1983 to 2008 (Entertainment Weekly)
- 5th on What Is the Best Work of American Fiction of the Last 25 Years? (New York Times)
- 6th on The Ideal Library (Book)
- 7th on D. G. Myers’ 50 Greatest English Language Novels (D. G. Myers)
- 12th on Our Users' Honorable Mention Favorite Books of All Time (The Greatest Books Users)
- 20th on The 30 best fiction books of the last 30 years (Los Angeles Times)
- 75th on The 100 Greatest Novels (greatbooksguide.com)
- 113th on The Novel 100: A Ranking of the Greatest Novels of All Time (The Novel 100)
- 122nd on El Pais Favorite Books of 100 Spanish Authors (El Pais)
- 332nd on The 500 best books of all time from Culture Café users (Culture Café)
- 1,000 Books to Read Before You Die: A Life-Changing List (1,000 Books to Read Before You Die(Book))
- 1000 Novels Everyone Must Read (The Guardian)
- 222 Best Books of All Time That Deserve a Spot on Your Bookshelf, With Picks from Bestselling Authors and Indie Booksellers (Parade)
- 50 Books to (Re-)Read at 50 (nextavenue)
- 50 Essential Reads by Contemporary Authors (Orange Prize for Fiction)
- A Hundred Novels to Change Your Life (The Daily Mail)
- From Zero to Well-Read in 100 Books (Jeff O'Neal at Bookriot.com)
- Jonathan Lethem's Book Choices from "The Writer's Library" (The Writer's Library: The Authors You Love on the Books That Changed Their Lives (Book))
- NY Times Editors Choice 1990-1999 (NY Times)
- Pulitzer Prize for Fiction (Pulitzer Prize)
- Stephen King names his 10 favourite books of all time (Express)
- The 100 Best Novels Of All Time (Runners-Up) (The Guardian)
- The 100 Greatest Novels of All Time: The List (The Observer)
- The 100 Novels That Have Most Enthralled "Le Monde" Since 1944 (Le Monde)
- The 75 Best Books of the Past 75 Years (Parade Magazine)
- The 80 Books Every Man Should Read (Esquire)
- The Dream of the Great American Novel (Book)
- The Modern Library: The Two Hundred Best Novels in English Since 1950 (The Modern Library (Book))
- TIME Magazine All Time 100 Novels (TIME Magazine)