I read his book, Herzog, a little while ago and thought that it was garbage. He focuses on the female characters too much, yet he doesn't bother making them very three dimensional (or believable, for that matter). Also, I find Herzog to be a protagonist that I have no interest in siding with or against. He just seems to be this empty shell which has ideas and opinions, yet puts none of them into action.

Also, towards the middle of the book, there's a huge section devoted to his imaginary letters to dead people that he believes need a good talking to. Now, I could understand if these are scattered around the book and if they related to the story and plot, but they do ABSOLUTELY NOTHING for the book. They are just senseless ramblings. You can call it stream of consciousness-esque, I call it one of the most boring passages in literature I've read in a while.

Now, after that rant, my question is this: Are the rest of his books like this? If they are, that's disappointing. Did anybody else like this book?

:: cricket ::

I haven't read Herzog in probably over ten years, so bear with me a bit. I felt the novel was full of astute observations of a man trying to come to terms with his life and the tendency of people to reflect on what they're not rather than what they are. I seem to remember that Herzogs relationships to the people in his life and to society itself is the theme that dominates the novel. Forgive me that I can't provide better details, but like I said, it's been a while. I do remember loving Herzog's descriptions of people. Give The Adventures of Augie March a shot.

Allright, but my first impression of Bellow was a little scary, so I'll let my prejudices against him settle down some before I try another one of his books. I'll keep that book in mind when I do, thanks for the tip.