⋙ [PDF] Gratis Nemesis Philip Roth 9780547318356 Books

Nemesis Philip Roth 9780547318356 Books

Download As PDF : Nemesis Philip Roth 9780547318356 Books

Nemesis Philip Roth 9780547318356 Books

This is the only book I've ever read by the author. It grabbed me and wouldn't let go. Read it in record time. Incredibly descriptive in every way - temperature outside, characters' feelings, secrets, religion, perseverance, fear, protection of children, everything. I will read it again I'm sure. Many times.


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Nemesis Philip Roth 9780547318356 Books Reviews

It is likely that most of the people do not enjoy being bitter in life and that is what he had went through, only his grandparents make them feel the relief but the feelings were rooted earlier and he never let them go.
With Nemesis, Philip Roth has added another novel (arguably, at 280 pages, short enough to be a novella) to his series. The others were The Humbling, Everyman and Indignation. Luckily, each can be read out of order. Nemesis not only covers a polio outbreak in Newark in the summer of 1944 but also contains a suspenseful and surprising twist. At the center of the book is a physical education teacher name Eugene (nicknamed "Bucky") Cantor. He organizes sports programs for boys to help keep up morale and also distract the youngsters from the polio epidemic in Newark.

Against his best instincts, Bucky gives in to his girlfriend's pleas to leave Newark and help out at a summer camp in Pennsylvania. He does resist but finally gives in. However, he does feel extremely guilty and even believes he may have betrayed the children in Newark.

The book is extremely well-written, especially given Roth's trademark attention to the smallest details. Readers not only gain new information about polio but also possible ways to approach life and unpredictable illness and death - before a polio vaccine was created. There is also a secret about Bucky that I can't reveal or it would be a major spoiler.

From my perspective, it would have been fascinating if this book was written in first person, in the voice of Bucky. It is not. Even so, Bucky is a riveting character who seems to be determined to fight back and not let polio overwhelm his spirit - and to encourage others to fight back as well. In time, events lead Bucky to judge himself. Bucky's personality is also revealed - later in the book - through the perspective of Arnie, one of the boys struck down by polio. Arnie encounters Bucky and learns about Bucky's life. He judges Bucky - but for somewhat different reasons than Bucky judges himself. This additional perspective adds depth and richness to the book.

There is also a larger view of the polio epidemic in both Newark and Pennsylvania, including how the average person reacted, often with great fear, depression, and desperate attempts to control outbreaks. Anti-Semitism and scapegoating run rampant. Like the other Nemesis books, there is a moment when one person, Bucky, has a chance to follow his best impulses or give in to what turns out to be a serious weakness (but only in retrospect).

While you may find other volumes in the Nemesis series to be more compelling, this is the one that held my attention most fully. There is an astonishing amount of information and detail in this relatively short book. To be fair, it should not be compared to some of Roth's better known works. Instead it stands on its own, probably not destined to become one of Roth's classics. Even so, it is a thought-provoking work, centering on how to handle uncontrollable and life-threatening events as well as coping with random but inevitable deaths or deformities from polio. Of course, this includes the particularly painful loss of children, among parents' worst nightmares.

It is greatly to Roth's credit that Bucky is so believable, both in his strengths and flaws. The title, Nemesis, has a multitude of meanings and covers Bucky's struggles to resist despair. Nemesis also alludes to the epidemic itself.. The book is tightly written and well worth reading.
These reviews are mixed up with a police/crime book also called Nemesis . . . OK, here's my review. I don't really like Philip Roth (OMG!) but this was pretty good. It should have been a short story though, there seems to be a lot of padding. But I love the realism, how he doesn't sugar-coat such a terrible time. My parents lived through it, I swam in the pond where FDR got it (Campabello Island) but I grew up with the vaccine, THANK GOD.
The writing is beautiful, and the book really flows. While the timing of the polio crisis (1944-1945) during WWII has been modified for the book, it really gives the reader an idea of how frightening the virus was for people, prior to the mass distribution of the vaccine of the 1960's. For many adults now, we have been able to live without concern of a friend or family member acquiring this disease. There is also insight as to what it was like for males not meeting the criteria for military service at this time. For those who grew up being sent away to camp for several weeks each summer, the second half of the book may bring back memories.
I have stayed away from Phillip Roth's books due to content etc. but our book club selected this book and I am grateful. It is a wonderful book recording the effects of polio during the epidemic in a very personal way. It offers really good discussion regarding the main character's choices...is he a martyr or selfless? What previous life experiences impacted his decision?
It was hard to put the book down once I got into it and has left me with some lingering questions.
An excellent choice for book clubs. It is the last book that he has written and could very well be the end of his literary career...by choice. He claims to have retired.
I found this book peculiarly flat. And I'm old enough, 75, to remember the Polio-induced fear and trembling. My cousin was crippled.

Roth's OTHER book on bodily ills, Patrimony, an account of his father's last days, is spectacular. It weaves together the medical details, the uncertainty of diagnosis, the peculiarities of his fathers personality, the prickly and thoroughly described physicians who attended him. All drawn from Roth's own painful and deeply felt experience. The Dying Animal, where his much younger mistress gets breast cancer, is also great! Read either of these.

Nemesis didn't engage me in a similar way.
My friends who read say Roth (and Bellow) are “so depressing”. They are not. They write about life and people who have to deal with life. Nemesis tackles a time of horror - July 1944 - a world war, and the polio epidemic in Newark and beyond. A man’s question of God in this time of horror. Roth’s writing captures emotion in every line. We lost a great writer this year. I will miss him but I can continue to read all his works. I find them uplifting- not depressing.
This is the only book I've ever read by the author. It grabbed me and wouldn't let go. Read it in record time. Incredibly descriptive in every way - temperature outside, characters' feelings, secrets, religion, perseverance, fear, protection of children, everything. I will read it again I'm sure. Many times.