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ethicsofseeing's review against another edition
4.0
Readable, thought-provoking, and as usual, delivered with deadpan intelligence, especially his arguments for natural conservation in the mids of the climate change politics.
shannonrose's review against another edition
5.0
I was intrigued by the first page;Shared in these essays are the realities we are afraid to voice or even admit silently. The truths gathered here are an intelligent and raw meditation on the various and sundry anxieties that define our collective human guilt.
stefanieh's review against another edition
2.0
First time reading Franzen and probably the last. His prose is lovely, clear, clean and smooth. However his ego is large and gets in the way of his writing being pleasurable. I can't put my finger on anything specific, but I felt like I was being talked down to, that he thinks he is smarter and better than everyone. In one essay he remarks that his girlfriend was extremely grateful to him for being understanding about her needing to move to California to take care of her mother who was alone and had dementia. She was so grateful she said he she agreed to go on a big vacation with him to wherever he wanted. He chose a trip to Antarctica. He ended up going with his brother instead of his girlfriend. Um, yeah.
Also, since he is an avid birder, I expected he would be more concerned about climate change and loss of bird habitat, etc. And while he cares about it, he has an attitude of "nothing I can do about it" which is convenient for him so he can jet around the world to check birds off his life list. It seems like it was easier for him to be angry about birds dying against the glass of the new football stadium in Minneapolis than birds dying from habitat loss and climate change.
Also, since he is an avid birder, I expected he would be more concerned about climate change and loss of bird habitat, etc. And while he cares about it, he has an attitude of "nothing I can do about it" which is convenient for him so he can jet around the world to check birds off his life list. It seems like it was easier for him to be angry about birds dying against the glass of the new football stadium in Minneapolis than birds dying from habitat loss and climate change.
literatebritt's review against another edition
2.0
Whatever your opinion of Franzen's writing, this isn't going to change it.
dominic's review against another edition
informative
reflective
sad
medium-paced
4.0
This guy really likes birds, and his passion for birds was contagious when reading those sections. Less interesting on other topics, to be quite honest.
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