The premise was intriguing, and for the most part, the book was excellent. Things kind of fell apart at the end, though, and the conspiracy was a bit much to swallow. I know, I know, the title says it, but still. It was kinda far-fetched in the end.

Among Roth’s best.

The reviews were just too good, and the premise just too intriguing for me to not give this a read. It lived up to the hype…. With the exception of a conspiracy scenario that emerged near the end of the work (and thankfully was dismissed—I think) the work remained “believable” throughout. Roth rarely moved off the perspective on his contemporary narrator remembering the events of his youth during this ficitonalized history of 1940-1942, and his detailing of Newark, Jewish family life of the time, as well a major personalities and events of the time made it all the more credible. While the events that he described certainly did not happen, his treatment was such that I came away with little doubt that they could have. Besides the oddly inserted conspiracy scenario, the only other part that might seem too contrived to a cynic like me is the heroics of “Our Lady of the White House” that seems to save the day…. The writing was brilliant and it has quickly found a place among my favorites.