Portnoy's Complaint

Great unusual read

This novel is peddled typically as the great novel of masturbation or sexual explicitness as if these constituted Portnoy's "complaint".But Portnoy's "complaint" is the demonic level of despair he has inherited from his Jewish upbringing, and his Jewishness. Stretched out on the psychoanalytical couch he shrieks this despair (he complains!) in what can be read as high comedy or execrable whine, or both.I found the sexual elements crass and very nearly inconsequential counterpoints to the horripilating description of family life. His portraits of mother, father, extended family, and a whole host of subsequent girlfriends, as well as his own self-portrait simply make the skin crawl.Like "the Monkey" and others I craved some demonstration of love from Portnoy but there there were all too few perhaps deluded glimmers. Perhaps that is the point of the relentless sexual aggression and sense of degradation. I liked his girlfriends, don't know what it says about me. I wanted to see them treated better while recognising literature has its imperatives.Oddly I read this book over forty years ago as a coy Irish teenage boy but could remember nothing about it, nothing, not even the frenzied sexual gymnastry, which should have lived forever with the Irish teenager I was. Returning to it I am certainly more alive to the broader chemistry, the familial degradation and the essential struggle to the sexual death with Portnoy's own inescapable Jewishness. This latter is really what the novel is about.Perhaps the most remarkable thing about Portnoy's Complaint is having to acknowledge that written today it would be unpublishable; to begin with it would be considered far too sexually violent and mysogynistic. Writers, especially male ones, who want to write with this intensity of sexual feeling, will soon have to resort to illicit or pornographic presses, as did their counterparts of a century ago. But don't worry, we will always have "Fifty Shades of Grey".I was torn between three and four stars for this review. While quite early in the novel I felt I did not want to spend time with the people there, I do have to acknowledge the manic intensity and inventiveness of Roth's writing, and his well-earned status as a superior writer. It is not a novel I particularly liked or will reread but I do recognise its value. So four stars it is.

Quite simply one of the funniest books ever written and an insightful glimpse into the male psyche, Portnoy stands up to the test of time. While some of the references might be dated and it would probably outrage people in America, who have become even more Puritanical than in 1969 (an equal spectrum offender of the right and left), the novel is a primal (and uproarious scream) of male desire, guilt, confusion, and identity crisis. Of course, it's also about the Jewish experience in white Anglo-Saxon America, where being an "other" or an outsider is part of Alex's identity. People who focus on the sex--and there's plenty (and hilarious) are missing the point. If you don't read this in the context of a therapy session, where nothing is off-limits and fantasies are exposed, you are misreading the book. How much of Alex's storytelling is real and how much is pure libidinal fantasy? There are no answers. All you know is that these are his forbidden desires. The section in Israel, where he goes impotent, is crucial to understanding precisely why he is in therapy and why he finds his shikses so desirable--they are forbidden and precisely what Sophie Portnoy doesn't want for him. A brilliant book with unmatched insight into the need to feel in control (Alex wants to play centerfield) when the world seems so chaotic, confusing, and out of control.

I know this is a classic but to me it was tiresome.

This is my second go-around with Philip Roth. My first read was 'Ghost Writer' for a Holocaust literature course. After a recommendation from my professor for a book to utilize for my Master's thesis (the depiction of psychiatric care in 20th century American literature), I can safely say that my professor knows a good book when he reads one.Alexander Portnoy is, at times, completely annoying, yet there is something in his complaint that evokes a degree of sympathy and, for some, empathy. Sure, he's got more than enough to make even Freud's head spin, but he isn't wholly detestable. Roth writes this character so convincingly that I imagine the Doctor's reactions as he is sitting there listening to Portnoy ramble on. The issues involved in growing up Jewish dominate the novel, but there are multiple fascinating themes co-occurring as Portnoy's story develops.If you don't mind reading about penises and vaginas on every page and can tolerate an often abundant usage of Caps to emphasize Portnoy's mental duress, you should consider picking up this witty and thought-evoking read.

at this time of sexual liberation, the book may not attract much of a readership...it's about a young man's struggle against sexual repression and a case of wild gonads...also, the family portraits are hilarious...the nuclear family locked into an apartment with only one bathroom, an intrusive mother, and a father with serious bowel problems...while the son is looking for a safe place to masturbate....the bathroom! but young writers can learn a lot about writing humor, perfect timing, and just have a good time reading....the book is dated, but skillful...

I first read “Portnoy’s Complaint” as a teenage about 50+ years ago. I couldn’t recall anything from the novel so I purchased the Kindle version for a re-read.I started reading “Portnoy’s Complaint” but I quit after reading 1/3 of the novel. I just couldn’t get engaged with the novel; and I had too many other unread books on my book shelf.I can understand why the novel was popular back when it was first published because it covers subjects and topics that weren’t discussed openly in public. If you’re Jewish and/or familiar with Jewish-American culture (especially in New York City and the surrounding area), you might find “Portnoy’s Complaint” an enjoyable and relatable read. If you’re not familiar with Jewish-American culture, “Portnoy’s Complaint” might not be an easy or enjoyable read.

This is one of the best books I've read and yet, I would hesitate to recommend it to anyone I don't know well. That is because it's so shocking and graphic in its details. Ever had a friend who got drunk and started spilling all the beans about himself, his feelings about any and everyone, about his whole life, in fact? And you felt bad for him but were so entertained by his rant that you didn't want him to stop? That is exactly the impression one has of Alexander Portnoy who addresses his psychiatrist, mute throughout the book excepting the last line, while lying on his couch, and lets loose about everything under the sun. And I mean everything. Incest, onanism, Oedipus complex, wild sexual encounters, and towards the end, even sexual assault. There is no plot to speak of and if you like your books neatly organised with a slow, yet intriguing build up to the denouement, you should probably avoid this book. Ditto if you are squeamish or if the topic of sex makes you uncomfortable. Because no punches are pulled during the whole session and that is exactly what I loved about the book. That and the fact that it's laugh out loud funny at times. It will also introduce you to a lot of new words, words that are used often in American slang, especially New York, but have their origins in Yiddish. Did I mention that the protagonist was Jewish? No problem. He will let you know! All in all, this is a classic novel and even though I have been a bit underwhelmed by the classics I have read of late, this one gets a five star rating from me.

I laughed from first page to the last.

I’ve read book every 15 years since I was teenager. It’s as funny and profane as I remembered. A gem.

La copertina e l'edizione del libro sono diverse da quanto dichiarato nella descrizione del prodotto. Il libro è di seconda mano, con evidenti segni di utilizzo (copertina sgualcita, pagine che si aprono completamente), ma almeno senza sottolineature ecc.

This is the first book I have read by the author and I was not disappointed. As a 'shikse' who grew up in a very Jewish area and always seemed to date Jewish boys (much to the regret of their mothers), this gave me some great insight and made me laugh out loud several times. This is one funny piece of writing, especially if you understand some of the cultural conflicts. I plan to read more of Roth's books in the future, based on this one's quality; I hope they are all as good!