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3.74 AVERAGE
3.74 AVERAGE
Awful characters. Weird internal dialog, so wordy, never ending chapters/sections
It was hard for me to get past the first chapter and the ending definitely fell a little flat for me, the middle was just ok.
challenging
funny
reflective
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
This is one of the oddest experiences of a book that I’ve had. I had such a hard time with so much of the book on account of not liking any of the characters. Early on I told myself “Franzen. Never again!” But he’s undoubtedly a tremendous writer. There were moments where situations elicited my sympathy, and other moments I related to some aspects of various characters, but it proved ephemeral. I was never so turned off that I seriously considered stopping. The read itself was not difficult and Franzen penned some delightful and clever descriptions. I kept going. And low and behold, at some point I became invested in the dynamic rendering of these people. They are like all of us: complex, complicated, good one moment and shitty the next, confident and lost. Still trying to wrap my brain around the ending. On the one hand I’m encouraged and relieved at the “corrections” that materialize but heartbroken over Alfred, heartbroken over Enid’s 70-75 years getting to her freedom. The dementia perspective was fascinatingly portrayed, and for me, it truly imparted the nightmarish hell of Alfred’s condition, despite moments of hilarity. It was poignant and perhaps hits a little too close to home given the age and circumstances of my own parents. It’s the only book I’ve disliked so much that has resonated with me to this degree. There is no doubt that a book that leaves me with so many conflicted feelings is doing something right. This one will stay with me for a bit.
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
sad
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
My main thought while reading the book was that I hate the way Franzen writes about my mom, and then the last 50 pages or so were a kind of horror novella. I’m shocked and sad! I have no choice but to read Freedom and Purity.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Alcoholism, Body horror, Cursing, Death, Emotional abuse, Mental illness, Misogyny, Racial slurs, Racism, Rape, Sexism, Sexual assault, Suicidal thoughts, Terminal illness, Toxic relationship, Forced institutionalization, Dementia, Death of parent, Alcohol, Sexual harassment
Moderate: Addiction, Drug abuse, Classism
funny
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
Difficult for me to get through this book. A shame as I enjoyed Freedom quite a bit. I did not care for the characters. An indictment of modern society, I get it. After page 20. This novel was far too long for me.
I just didn't like this. At all. And that bums me out. I'd been looking forward to reading it ever since I'd read (and loved) Freedom. I couldn't get in to it. I didn't like the characters, wasn't invested in them, and wasn't curious to see where it was all going. It's a highly acclaimed novel, so there must be something there. Just nothing for me.
We discuss this further in a special episode of the All the Books Show: https://soundcloud.com/allthebooks/episode-259-one-star-reviews
We discuss this further in a special episode of the All the Books Show: https://soundcloud.com/allthebooks/episode-259-one-star-reviews
A beautiful piece of fiction! It was so compelling, which is rare for me, I rarely get so caught up in a book that I become unconscious of my progress through the book. Such vivid characters! Such heart! Just so brilliant!
great at the sentence level, still not sure I “get” Franzen
Gosh, this took forever. I'm pretty sure this is the only book I've ever stuck with for this length of time. All other books I either finished within two months or gave up on.
Jonathan Franzen is a brilliant writer, and I like that he allows himself to get nerdy in his descriptions, digging into his obviously broad knowledge base of geography, math, grammar, etc. It was pretentious at times, and hard to follow, especially when writing from the perspective of a person with dementia (but, point taken), and I think the book could have been a lot shorter if he didn't love LISTS so much (he'll just go on for a paragraph listing shit, indulging himself, annoying me, and contributing nothing to the story).
Overall, I liked it, I just wish it hadn't taken me an entire season to read it.
Jonathan Franzen is a brilliant writer, and I like that he allows himself to get nerdy in his descriptions, digging into his obviously broad knowledge base of geography, math, grammar, etc. It was pretentious at times, and hard to follow, especially when writing from the perspective of a person with dementia (but, point taken), and I think the book could have been a lot shorter if he didn't love LISTS so much (he'll just go on for a paragraph listing shit, indulging himself, annoying me, and contributing nothing to the story).
Overall, I liked it, I just wish it hadn't taken me an entire season to read it.