A Confederacy of Dunces (Evergreen Book)959 reviews John Kennedy Toole Grove Press, 1994 Go Ignatius, GO! + One of the Best Books Ever Wrtten Most folks it seems abhor reading with a near violent, reflexive revulsion. Almost as if the mere suggestion would cause a spontaneous eruption of projectile vomiting directed forthwith at the unfortunate proposer. People just hate to read. But this is a book that could inspire a change of heart in ...             The Human Stain: A Novel196 reviews Philip Roth Vintage, 2001 Philip Roth = Genius + Recommending Philip Roth is a little like recommending sex... + One of Roth's best... A college professor is forced to resign for alleged racism and begins an affair with an illiterate woman. In my opinion, this is very close to the perfect book. The writing is genius, and the scope of the book is enormous.             The Plot Against America387 reviews Philip Roth Vintage, 2005 What If It Did Happen Here? + A Reminder of Why Writers Should Aspire to Greatness Philip Roth imagines a time in history if Charles Lindbergh had won the Presidency. Anti-Semitism grows in America, creating two separate cultures. Brilliantly evoked, Roth follows the journey of one American Jewish family as they see America changing before their eyes. Thought provoking. ...             Operation Shylock : A Confession (Vintage International)24 reviews Philip Roth Vintage, 1994 Solid Outing by a Master + Amazingly multi-layered 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 ...             Winter's Tale191 reviews Mark Helprin Harvest Books, 2005 The Best Work of Literary Fiction I've Ever Read + Winter Magic + A truly wonderful novel + A Book For All Reasons             The Things They Carried693 reviews Tim O'Brien Broadway, 1998 Haunting book! + TIMELESS + GREAT! + Unexpectedly amazing             The Border Trilogy40 reviews Cormac McCarthy Picador, 2002 the single most influential series i've read in my life + I am sure it will be great! + Cormac Mccarthy + The Border Trilogy             Libra (Contemporary American Fiction)75 reviews Don DeLillo Penguin (Non-Classics), 1991 Brilliant + Decommissioning the Warren Report + A rave + Brilliant and Unsatisfying + pure passion, human blood-rush, and isolation?             Underworld: A Novel318 reviews Don DeLillo Scribner, 1998 The bomb, the baseball, and wasteland America. + In Search of a Latin Lover + "Under the surface of ordinary things" + An Utterly Non-Porus Book. + Non-traditional narrative, in an accessible, rewarding package             Blood Meridian: Or the Evening Redness in the West301 reviews Cormac McCarthy Vintage, 1992 America's God + How the West Was Won: Behind the Blow + if you like cormack + Bear Witness             Beloved80 reviews Toni Morrison Vintage, 2004 a story of guilt + Hard to ignore I have to admit, I approached this novel with quite a bit of trepidation. It was an Oprah's book club pick, which generally means depressing, and I tend to be leery of "highly acclaimed" books. Maybe a bit of reverse snobbishness. But I've been making a point lately of ignoring my knee-jerk ...             The Counterlife21 reviews Philip Roth Vintage, 1996 The Most Universal Piece of literature. A must for everyone!!! + A SPIRITUAL BACKED POTATO + Claroscuros + You not only have your life- you have the lives you might have had             Mating: A Novel77 reviews Norman Rush Vintage, 1992 A compulsive talker writes and writes Original, insufferable, grandstanding, unbearable, relentless, and (in its evocations of Africa) often stunning and memorable. I so much prefer Norman Rush's astounding short stories in WHITES. In a more disciplined form he is able to contain his stories and contain himself, but the liberating ...             Housekeeping: A Novel145 reviews Marilynne Robinson Picador, 2004 Artistic and moving + One of the best novels of this century "Housekeeping" is not a novel for the faint of heart. Although at its surface it the fantastic tale of two girls it is, in reality, a comment on our relationship to place and home and our conception of the meaning of family. Robinson's writing is such that the reader never entirely falls under ...             Where I'm Calling From: Selected Stories60 reviews Raymond Carver Vintage, 1989 "Who knows why we do what we do?" + just an ordinary reader , not an academic or word critic + Phota stories + Paeans to a lived life + Nice introduction to contemporary writing             The Known World: A Novel285 reviews Edward P. Jones Amistad, 2004 Simply Wonderful + Difficult to read but well worth it + marvelous journey into lives of blacks in antebellum South + Incredible             Rabbit Angstrom : The Four Novels : Rabbit, Run, Rabbit Redux, Rabbit Is Rich, Rabbit at Rest (Everyman's ...22 reviews John Updike Everyman's Library, 1995 When a novel becomes a friend + "Reduxing Rabbit" + a labor of love... + I did it!             Sabbath's Theater54 reviews Philip Roth Vintage, 1996 Roth para todas las estaciones + Roth at his best + Angry old man ranting... Antes del leer el "Teatro del Sabbath" había incursionado en otras obras del señor Roth de las que -debo decirlo- había salido algo defraudado. Tengo la impresión de que esto sucede cada vez que uno como lector se enfrenta a un escritor de la categoría y la magnitud de éste. No es fácil empinarse ...             Independence Day124 reviews Richard Ford Vintage, 1996 Ford Creates a Postive Thinking Angstrom -- There is No Running Here + In My Top Five + Something to Cheer About In "Independence Day", Richard Ford's depiction of post-marital devolution (divorce) parallels the lack of marital (or life) bliss shown in other classics: John Updike's "rabbit run" or John O'Hara's "Appointment in Samarra." This book's protagonist, Frank Bascombe, is not another Harry Angstrom ...             White Noise (Contemporary American Fiction)269 reviews Don DeLillo Penguin (Non-Classics), 1986 Consumptive Consumerism + Hmmm.... + Listen to the 'White Noise' + The Meaning of Life + The Toneless Systems