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3.74 AVERAGE
3.74 AVERAGE
dark
funny
slow-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
emotional
sad
fast-paced
The writing is beautiful and Franzen is masterful at keeping us hooked and tying the storyline back to where we left it. Yes, the Lamberts are not likeable, but, really, who is? I felt that all 3 kids as they are rejecting their parents values and wishes for them they are shown to be falling into being exact copies of their parents. Gary is in a marriage to a shrew that controls him utterly. He has just substituted being controlled by his mother to being controlled by his wife, he also will end up in the loony bin. I think I did not find out why Alfred had always been cold to Enid, even when they were a young family. Could it be that he was sex-obsessed like Chip? Both Gary and Denise are very snobbish in their own way and that comes directly from Enid, they are so snobbish to even reject her.
A slightly more 'matoor' author might have binned the synthetic casing and reduced the sauce, to plate up just the rich and tender heart.
Too long in places, but I laughed out loud more than once. Overall enjoyed the writing and the story.
I honestly don't understand all the bad reviews this book has.
Yeah the story is slow and there's virtually no plot but the characters are really intricate and well constructed. At first you hate them and hate how they treat each other but somehow they grow on you and you develop a relationship with them (and they become almost likable).
Yeah the story is slow and there's virtually no plot but the characters are really intricate and well constructed. At first you hate them and hate how they treat each other but somehow they grow on you and you develop a relationship with them (and they become almost likable).
Ich habe monatelang versucht, mich mit einer fast trotzigen Grundhaltung durch »Die Korrekturen«, und all die Darlings, die Franzen besser getötet hätte, durchzubeißen.
DNF @ 40%
DNF @ 40%
When I started this I thought it was a new Franzen, which is neither here nor there. The writing cleverly covers each family members’ bio in a fluid storytelling fashion. They are all flawed humans, at times loving and sometimes mean. There are unvarnished truths about aging, sacrifice, and physical need. I wouldn’t be surprised to learn the story is somewhat autobiographical, but only because the characters are so very believable.
So a 3.5 from me at best.
+ves: family dynamics which are so hard to grasp are captured vividly. Character development is solid, Franzen knows them inside out.
-ves: unnecessarily pretentious. Endless scenes. My friend thinks that’s the author making you work. Sure, make me work, but then reward me. Donna Tartt also goes into superfluous technical detail (do I really need to know that much about antique furniture) but for whatever reason, that doesn’t feel showy and dense like this does. I know there were some beautiful sentences / passages here but they mostly did not resonate for me.
+ves: family dynamics which are so hard to grasp are captured vividly. Character development is solid, Franzen knows them inside out.
-ves: unnecessarily pretentious. Endless scenes. My friend thinks that’s the author making you work. Sure, make me work, but then reward me. Donna Tartt also goes into superfluous technical detail (do I really need to know that much about antique furniture) but for whatever reason, that doesn’t feel showy and dense like this does. I know there were some beautiful sentences / passages here but they mostly did not resonate for me.
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
tense
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
All but one character are incredibly unlikeable. His writing style is excellent.