Reviews tagging 'Sexual content'

The Corrections by Jonathan Franzen

6 reviews

corvuscorax's review against another edition

emotional reflective medium-paced

4.25

Phew, needed something like this in a little while. Eminently readable, with some beautiful turns of phrase and solid construction. But this book isn't just... right, it's also good. The way the plot kept diverging and then folding in on itself, you kept meeting new people just to learn they had already been part of the story in some way, it all felt deeply human and it was so natural that I could really, truly get attached to all the stories without getting bored or asking myself why so-and-so got a few pages when we had been at the climax of another character's arc just paragraphs beforehand. There were a few times where I felt a little uncomfortable with wording choices, but it all seemed like it was part of the characters' worldview and it fit. Denise's story felt very real and it felt close to me, and I hope that she finally learned to get what she wanted. 

The "repeating the word corrections" gimmick was funny about the first five times, then it progressively got a little more annoying each time. Still, gosh, this book was so good.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Drug use, Death of parent, Dementia, Adult/minor relationship, Classism, Excrement, and Sexual content

Moderate: Antisemitism, Gun violence, and Racism

readingmanny's review against another edition

emotional sad tense slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

2.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Misogyny, Alcohol, Addiction, Alcoholism, Chronic illness, Mental illness, Sexual content, and Sexism

bookishbeccahale's review against another edition

dark emotional funny reflective tense slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.25

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Forced institutionalization, Mental illness, Police brutality, Sexual content, Terminal illness, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide attempt, Chronic illness, Dementia, Emotional abuse, and Adult/minor relationship

mondovertigo's review

emotional funny sad slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Dementia, Excrement, Toxic relationship, Infidelity, Emotional abuse, and Chronic illness

Moderate: Adult/minor relationship and Sexual content

Minor: Homophobia, Racism, Suicidal thoughts, Death, Car accident, Drug use, and Alcohol

grboph's review against another edition

dark funny lighthearted slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

I really liked this book. It was very slow-paced and I had some issues with the characters, but I liked the commentary it was making and it was extremely well-written - funny and sarcastic, while still handling some very depressing topics very well. I get that the whole point of the book is to showcase the flaws of the characters and how it affects their daily lives, but I felt like at times that crossed over into knowingly being a crappy person and doing absolutely nothing to try to change it (such as Chip's relationships with much younger women and the way Denise treats Robin). I really liked what the book had to say about capitalism, aging, and progress, and I think that the Lambert family and all of their flaws and dysfunction were a great way to make this commentary. I would recommend this book to anyone looking for a good dysfunctional-family story or something that is relevant to our society today (therefore, not anyone who reads to escape reality).

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Dementia, Excrement, Infidelity, and Suicidal thoughts

Moderate: Sexual content, Chronic illness, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , and Toxic relationship

Minor: Medical content, Cursing, Blood, Death, and Drug use

bail33's review

challenging dark emotional funny tense slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

This book is one of my favourites I’ve ever read. It provides strong critique of late-capitalist America and the main disconnects between Baby Boomers and Gen Xers but manages to weave it all into a story focused on characters worth investing in.
You probably won’t finish the book feeling proud of any of these characters. You probably won’t want to declare your love for them. You’ll probably understand them, sympathize with them, and feel empathy for them— but you’ll be ashamed of it. 
It is an extremely character-driven book and all of the characters are beyond flawed, but they feel like real people. 
The book is slow-paced but very descriptive and well-written. If this is what Franzen wrote when he was trying to write a best seller then I’m excited to see what he wrote when he wasn’t. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Terminal illness, Dementia, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , and Excrement

Moderate: Sexism, Misogyny, Death of parent, Drug use, Medical content, Mental illness, Grief, Racial slurs, Racism, Sexual content, Suicidal thoughts, Cursing, Adult/minor relationship, and Alcohol