[In the following review Hardwick briefly compares American Pastoral to several other works by Roth: Operation Shylock. The Anatomy Lesson, Portnoy's Complaint, and The Professor of Desire. She examinines the evolution of the character Nathan Zuckerman through the course of these novels.]

[In the following review Boyers comments on Roth's examination of moral virtues, decency, and American society in his novel American Pastoral.]

[In the following essay, Menand analyzes many of the themes in American Pastoral and compares it briefly to several other works by Roth.]

[In the following review, Gitlin faults Roth's flat prose, sluggish excursions, and sideways motions in American Pastoral, but notes that "Inside this long, viscous book, a solid, serious allegory struggles to get out."]

[In the following review of American Pastoral, Cohen critiques Roth's repetitive use of his character Nathan Zuckerman, but praises the author's narrative energies, claiming that age seems to have "enriched [Roth's] perspective."]

[In the following review, Wood berates the slow pace of American Pastoral, but praises its prose and combination of rage and elegy. Noting similarities between Pastoral and John Updike's In the Beauty of the Lilies, Wood comments on both novels' treatments of national history and their "mind-numbing realism."]

[In the following review, Kakutani praises American Pastoral, lauding the books sensitively observed cast of characters and calling it "a fiercely affecting work of art."]

[In the following review Eder briefly compares John Updike's novel In the Beauty of the Lilies to Roth's American Pastoral.

[In the following review Hensher analyzes Roth's depictions of terrorism and the theme of betrayal in the novel American Pastoral.]

[In the following review, Fodor asserts that Roth's American Pastoral is interesting not only due to its treatment of "earlier, seemingly simpler times in American history, but also because Roth uses his story to examine the failures of American idealism in public life."]

[In the following review Rifkind asserts that Roth is at his best in American Pastoral. She praises the epic qualities of the book, the depth of characterizations, and the social commentary and critique that make the novel "… possibly the finest work of his career."]