AMERICAN PASTORAL

The celebrated author of Goodbye, Columbus and Portnoy's Complaint contributes another episode--a long, sprawling one--to the saga of his fictional alter ego, Nathan Zuckerman. This time Zuckerman chronicles his experiences with his high school sports idol, "Swede" Levov, whose easy life is thrown off kilter by the tumultuous '60's. At first glance, Ron Silver seems the perfect Roth interpreter. He has the classic aura of an East Coast Jewish intellectual. Unfortunately, he reads in a near monotone. The strain of wading through such a hefty tome exacerbates this ear-numbing flaw. Y.R. ©AudioFile, Portland, Maine [Published: NOV/DEC 97]