The protagonist is an almost ruined man — ruined presumably by the sixties, but more generally the victim of his own appetites. Roth paints him as loathsome: isolated, selfish, a prig. But he's redeemed by his relationship with a student. It happens slowly, and to the reader the pleasure is in watching it unfold.

In short: this is not a book about the fantasies of elderly men, neither the protagonist's nor Roth's. It does Roth an injustice to read it in that way.

Why bother writing this stuff, Roth? Same old, same old. Save your energies for significant works (like American Pastoral). Masturbate in private, svp. ( )

First of all, a disclaimer: as a college professor, I believe personal relationships with students have always been absolutely out of bounds. Not everyone agrees with me, but for the 20-some years I have been teaching, this has been a hard and fast rule. Of course, the number of women who flirt -- believing this will help their grade -- is astounding. Recently, a woman tried this trick, and I knew exactly what she was up to, so I reported her actions to the dean, and kept him informed. When she was unhappy with her grade, she appealed the matter to that same dean and tried the same trick with him. So, I was vindicated in all respects.

Then, along comes Philip Roth and another of his vintage, raw stories of sexual relationships -- this time set in academia. Of course, David carefully cultivates these women all semester, and after the grades have been entered, he begins a campaign to bed the woman chosen from the year's students. As the book opens, he recounts one such student, with whom he begins a passionate affair described in the minutest detail. That about ends where I can go with the description of the plot.

While Roth writes with his usual talent for delving deep into the minds of his characters to ferret out the motivations and emotions they are experiencing, this novel definitely rates an NC-17 rating. If you can get past the frank descriptions, Roth offers a marvelous portrayal of an aging professor still searching for some answers to life's most enduring questions about love and relationships.

Actually, I don't mean to imply that every page has a graphic scene, but the ones that do occur are so powerful, they might as well come with soft lights and slow, smoky jazz. Ben Kingsley and Penelope Cruz portray David and Consuela in the film version titled Elegy. Netflix will allow me to compare the book and the movie. 4 stars for a rather unsatisfying ending.

--Jim, 8/19/09

Disturbing but good. Definitely read the book rather than watching the movie (Elegy), as the movie gets rid of everything that actual makes this worth reading. ( )

The Dying Animal is the first Philip Roth book i have read. i had really high expectations for it, especially since i enjoyed Elegy, the film based on it, so much. but this book was just not for me. i think the actual plot is good. but as a novel, it felt so indulgent. i felt like Roth was speaking down to readers while also really needing them to find his characters and story interesting. i will watch this film again, but i think once was enough for the book. ( )