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3.74 AVERAGE
3.74 AVERAGE
Snooze fest, difficult to follow the writing.
reflective
tense
slow-paced
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Add me to the small band of people who just don't lose their mind over Jonathan Franzen.
This book felt very midwestern and very early aughts. All of the characters are miserable in their own way.
This book would be my read of the year quite easily if I hadn’t read in search of lost time this year lol.
But holy god this is one of those books that just reminds you why literature is so amazing. There’s that Baldwin quote about how you feel alone until you read and realize everyone is just as fucked up as you.
People claim to hate this book because they hate the characters and that none of them are good people. Like dawg no one is a truly “good” person. These are some of the realest characters I’ve ever had the pleasure of reading.
This is so stream of consciousness I’m just spewing my thoughts as they come to me.
This goes over so much: family trauma, masculinity, capitalism, techno feudalism, post sovietism, manhood, womanhood, separating yourself from your trauma, accepting your trauma, mental illness (so many different times), the idea of correcting yourself (can you even do it?), the comedy of life (I need to write a farce not a thriller. COME ON MAN THATS TOO GOOD), capital punishment, classism, patriarchy
I have the feeling that postmodernism gonna be my shit and I can’t wait to read more. Maybe I try gravity’s rainbow again this year?
But holy god this is one of those books that just reminds you why literature is so amazing. There’s that Baldwin quote about how you feel alone until you read and realize everyone is just as fucked up as you.
People claim to hate this book because they hate the characters and that none of them are good people. Like dawg no one is a truly “good” person. These are some of the realest characters I’ve ever had the pleasure of reading.
This is so stream of consciousness I’m just spewing my thoughts as they come to me.
This goes over so much: family trauma, masculinity, capitalism, techno feudalism, post sovietism, manhood, womanhood, separating yourself from your trauma, accepting your trauma, mental illness (so many different times), the idea of correcting yourself (can you even do it?), the comedy of life (I need to write a farce not a thriller. COME ON MAN THATS TOO GOOD), capital punishment, classism, patriarchy
I have the feeling that postmodernism gonna be my shit and I can’t wait to read more. Maybe I try gravity’s rainbow again this year?
This book is art, pure and simple. I’ve read two other novels by Franzen, Strong Motion and Purity, but neither of those hit me like The Corrections did. It took me a minute to acclimatize to the wordy writing style—I’m a minimalist which extends to my preferred reading style—but once I did, Franzen’s writing sang. I can’t count the number of times I sighed in envy at a metaphor or the sheer artistry of word choice; I write fiction myself. The Corrections is a master class in writing craft.
But stellar writing isn’t enough for me to truly love a novel and gift it the coveted five stars. The true art from this book came in the characterization. Every character was so real. So fleshed out. So complex. How could I loath Enid and her pettiness one minute but then sympathize with her unrequited love from Alfred the next? How powerful was it that Franzen constantly moved between narrators even within pages?
I could go on and on about how much this novel affected me, but suffice it to say, this is a must read for those that enjoy good writing. If you prefer plot-driven narratives, move along. This is for the character-driven lovers out there.
But stellar writing isn’t enough for me to truly love a novel and gift it the coveted five stars. The true art from this book came in the characterization. Every character was so real. So fleshed out. So complex. How could I loath Enid and her pettiness one minute but then sympathize with her unrequited love from Alfred the next? How powerful was it that Franzen constantly moved between narrators even within pages?
I could go on and on about how much this novel affected me, but suffice it to say, this is a must read for those that enjoy good writing. If you prefer plot-driven narratives, move along. This is for the character-driven lovers out there.