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3.74 AVERAGE
3.74 AVERAGE
Insightful portrait of a middle-class American family. Wonderful.
Each member of the family at the center of this novel is uniquely unlikable. None of them seem to grow despite grappling with the mortality of the patriarch. The ending felt rushed. Also there was a personified turd talking at one point.
Selten eine so sprachlich grandiose und vor gut geschriebenen Charakteren nur so strotzende Werbung für den Antinatalismus und gegen den Begriff „dysfunktionale Familie“ (einfach weil er impliziert, dass es so etwas wie eine funktionale Familie gibt) gelesen!
Sorry friends. I’m reading a 1000 page tome to stop spamming your goodreads feed. Imagine I spent any vacation time learning French instead of staring at my Kobo.
Sort of unsure what to make of this one. It was my first Franzen, and there's no denying he's an insanely talented writing. His literary style is extremely readable despite being unbelievably dense. Though I often couldn't put the book down, I often found it to be a real chore. Particularly when the plot focuses on the individual adult kids rather than the entire Lambert family. The book shines when there are two or more Lambert family members conversing with one another. For those stretches, and in particular the last hundred-or-so pages, are masterfully written character studies of the nuclear family. Though I hope no one's familial unit operates as absurdly as Alfred, Enid, Chip, Gary, and Denise, I imagine everyone would at least see some of their family in their dynamics. The highs are high and the lows really dragged on.
Not exactly a comfortable read -- lots of family dysfunction. But it seemed very real to me. It didn't hold a mirror up to my family (these guys are pretty messed up!), but I do think there are parts to the novel that we all can identify with. Even though it was not uplifting, the story compelled me to read on.
All I remember about this book is vaguely liking it well enough, and finishing it with "what the hell?"
slow-paced
challenging
dark
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
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
reflective
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes