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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.
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.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Drug use, Death of parent, Dementia, Adult/minor relationship, Classism, Excrement, and Sexual content
Moderate: Antisemitism, Gun violence, and Racism
panyua's review against another edition
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Rape
Minor: Death of parent
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.
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.
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
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