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scohen_'s review against another edition
5.0
I reluctantly succumb to the lit bros. Franzen got what he wanted with this, aka succeeded in writing one of the great American social novels. Psycho but close to perfect. Midwest Christmas forever.
mesauer's review against another edition
challenging
dark
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
hollyselph's review against another edition
5.0
I understand enough of what it would take to write a novel this complicated, psychologically-intelligent, almost perfectly structured, and to conceive of characters so authentic that I am haunted by them, that I realized only a few people can really write, and the rest of us just pretend.
millman's review against another edition
emotional
funny
reflective
sad
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
4.5
Very difficult read to me because the author is excellent at describing the struggles of the daily life and the trap that convention represent.
You will get to hate every single character and learn the reasons that made them so dislikable.
You will get to hate every single character and learn the reasons that made them so dislikable.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual harassment, Mental illness, and Drug use
greensocks's review against another edition
slow-paced
- Strong character development? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
the relationship between the siblings reminded me of the show succession
imrosete's review against another edition
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
callikat's review against another edition
reflective
sad
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
4.25
paola_mobileread's review against another edition
2.0
Only two stars may seem mean, as Franzen knows out to write (though at various places there is some of the excessive virtuosism more typical of the later [a:Philip Roth|463|Philip Roth|http://photo.goodreads.com/authors/1287938301p2/463.jpg] - e.g. Swede Levov's take on glove making in [b:American Pastoral|11650|American Pastoral|Philip Roth|http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1327935620s/11650.jpg|598119] -, with Frenzen again showing off how good he is at the keyboard). My disappointment is that this could have been so much better. After all, good prose must be the necessary pre-requisite for good literature, but in the end Frenzen did not put his talent to good use.
The characters, especially the three siblings of the Lambert family, are not credible at all: Denise, the only daughter, has an impossibly complicated love life, and an even less credible work arrangements (I am not giving anything away when I say she is a cook - a rather clumsy one, as her hands are cut beyond belief - none of the professional chefs I know has more than a scratch, and the amount of time she spends away from the kitchen is also something from outer space); Chip's work arrangements and associates become progressively overblown to reaching a climax which you would expect in the script of a Bond movie, and the eldest son, Gary, the most rounded of the three Lamber children, getting into more and more of a twisted relationship with his slightly deranged wife.
This fresco of American family and American life has a lot of entartaining moments: but given the space Frenzen has allowed himself to develop the plot, you can't help feeling let down by the succession of surprises and twists leaving not enough room for a more subtle study of the characters and the times. Sexual more of all types, greeedy capitalists, the wreck of old age: we know all that, I needed some cleverer, more skilful insights. In the end, though, I found the book rather shallow. Good for the beach, though.
The characters, especially the three siblings of the Lambert family, are not credible at all: Denise, the only daughter, has an impossibly complicated love life, and an even less credible work arrangements (I am not giving anything away when I say she is a cook - a rather clumsy one, as her hands are cut beyond belief - none of the professional chefs I know has more than a scratch, and the amount of time she spends away from the kitchen is also something from outer space); Chip's work arrangements and associates become progressively overblown to reaching a climax which you would expect in the script of a Bond movie, and the eldest son, Gary, the most rounded of the three Lamber children, getting into more and more of a twisted relationship with his slightly deranged wife.
This fresco of American family and American life has a lot of entartaining moments: but given the space Frenzen has allowed himself to develop the plot, you can't help feeling let down by the succession of surprises and twists leaving not enough room for a more subtle study of the characters and the times. Sexual more of all types, greeedy capitalists, the wreck of old age: we know all that, I needed some cleverer, more skilful insights. In the end, though, I found the book rather shallow. Good for the beach, though.
smeyers98's review against another edition
emotional
funny
reflective
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
katherineflitsch_'s review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Entirely loved and adored and admired