Tundraco's Daily Living Guide to Book Reviews

The Ghost Writer By Philip Roth First Vintage International Edition (1995), 180 pages ISBN 10: 0679748989 ISBN 13: 978-0679748984

Reviewed by Israel Drazin - April 8, 2010

It is a delight to read some books a second time, such as Philip Roth's books. A reviewer of The New York Times (Robert Towers) wrote: "I had only to read the two opening sentences to realize that I was once again in the hands of a superbly endowed storyteller." The episodes in Roth's novels and their language and flow of words make the rereading enjoyable. Some of Roth's longer sentences may remind readers of floating in the warm Caribbean, being lifted by a soft wave, returning to the calm, being lifted again, returning again, and then sliding comfortably onto dry land.

The Ghost Writer portrays the visit of a young, twentyish, Nathan Zuckerman, having successfully written some short stories, visiting a writer he admires, E. I. Lonoff, to learn from him and to get his patronage. Zuckerman, like Philip Roth himself, wrote a short story (Roth wrote novels) in which he shows the worst side of Jews. True, what he depicts happens also to non-Jews, but the narration embarrasses Jews. Zuckerman's father is outraged. Roth presents both sides of this issue and E. I. Lonoff's reaction.

Zuckerman meets a young girl at the Lonoffs and is attracted to her, but she, so it seems, is interested in breaking up the Lonoffs' marriage and becoming E. I. Lonoff's wife. Zuckerman imagines that the girl is really the famous Ann Frank, and he imagines, ghost writes, a tale of her adventures in his mind.

The story has other interesting subplots, including a depiction of the tensions that exist for writers between the life of literature and reality.

Dr. Israel Drazin is the author of fifteen books, including a series of five volumes on the Aramaic translation of the Hebrew Bible, which he co-authors with Rabbi Dr. Stanley M. Wagner, and a series of four books on the twelfth century philosopher Moses Maimonides, the latest being Maimonides: Reason Above All, published by Gefen Publishing House, www.gefenpublishing.com. The Orthodox Union (OU) publishes daily samples of the Targum books on www.ouradio.org

The Dying Animal, by Philip Roth.
David Kepesh is over sixty, and when he meets twenty-four year old, Consuela Castillo, she promptly puts his life into erotic disorder.

The Sculptor, by Gregory Funaro.
In life, they were flawed. In death, they are perfect works of art - killed, preserved, and carefully molded into replicas of Michelangelo's most celebrated creations. Only The Sculptor can bring forth their true beauty and teach the world to appreciate his gift...