Portnoy's ComplaintPortnoy's Complaint
Score Classic
What it's about
Alexander Portnoy, thirty-three, a decent man working for New York City's human rights office, lies on his psychiatrist's couch and talks. And talks: about his smothering Jewish mother and constipated father, his teenage obsession with sex, his affairs with non-Jewish women, and the guilt that follows him everywhere.
Why it's worth reading
It spent 14 weeks at #1 on the New York Times list and is on both the TIME and Modern Library lists of the best novels. It was a scandal in 1969 and is still very funny.
You'll love it if you liked
Herzog
American Pastoral
A Confederacy of DuncesGood to know
It's sexually explicit and crude throughout, much of it about masturbation.
By the numbers
- Readers2 out of 100 · counts 42%
- Critics92 out of 100 · counts 34% (its stronger lane)
- Bestseller63 out of 100 · counts 14%
- Buzz0 out of 100 · counts 10%
Critics and Bestseller are two ways to earn a place: a book's stronger one counts more. Buzz rewards recent bestseller weeks and prizes, so older books start at zero. The parts combine into the Must-Read Score, shown on a scale where the best book we found scores 99 and the last book to make the ranking scores 50.
Where it ranks
- #19 of the 35 humor books we rank
- #401 of the 762 classics we rank
- #1365 of the 2,816 books we rank
Why it made the list
Reads as
Funny, Uplifting, Moving
More by Philip Roth
American Pastoral
The Plot Against America
Sabbath's Theater
The Human StainIf you like this, read next
Breakfast of Champions
The Bonfire of the Vanities
A Modest Proposal
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Tales of the City
Infinite JestExplore the best-of lists
All 36 best-of lists →
Quick answers
Is Portnoy's Complaint worth reading?
Yes. It spent 14 weeks at #1 on the New York Times list and is on both the TIME and Modern Library lists of the best novels. It ranks #1,365 of the 2,816 books in our ranking, with a Must-Read Score of 69.4 (the best book we found scores 99).
What is Portnoy's Complaint about?
Alexander Portnoy, thirty-three, a decent man working for New York City's human rights office, lies on his psychiatrist's couch and talks. And talks: about his smothering Jewish mother and constipated father, his teenage obsession with sex, his affairs with non-Jewish women, and the guilt that follows him everywhere.
How long does it take to read Portnoy's Complaint?
About 6 hours (256 pages), or about 2 weeks at 30 minutes a day.
What should I read after Portnoy's Complaint?
If you liked it, try Herzog by Saul Bellow, American Pastoral by Philip Roth or A Confederacy of Dunces by John Kennedy Toole.