Philip Roth's 22nd book takes a life-long view of the American experience in this thoughtful investigation of the century's most divisive and explosive of decades, the '60s. Returning again to the voice of his literary alter ego Nathan Zuckerman, Roth is at the top of his form. His prose is carefully controlled yet always fresh and intellectually subtle as he reconstructs the halcyon days, circa World War II, of Seymour "the Swede" Levov, a high school sports hero and all-around Great Guy who wants nothing more than to live in tranquillity. But as the Swede grows older and America crazier, history sweeps his family inexorably into its grip: His own daughter, Merry, commits an unpardonable act of "protest" against the Vietnam war that ultimately severs the Swede from any hope of happiness, family, or spiritual coherence.

**I picked up this gem on my way to San Deigo, hoping to have a good read.. but, zzzzzz, i could not get into it. I thought maybe it was because I was so antsy on the plane, so I tried picking it up again when I got home. Ugh, same thing. I would find myself flipping through pages just to get to good stuff. I found that he littered the pages with 'yada yada' too much in between the storytelling. Just my opinion, but this one gets a pass from me. Sad

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