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kandicez's review against another edition
dark
emotional
reflective
slow-paced
4.0
This is my first Franzen. I only picked it up because I read Matthew Quick's newsletters and he sites Franzen as one of his favorite authors. I expected a novel, not a series of essays, but I enjoyed them once I let go of my expectations. Franzen has an easy, realistic style of writing that I will definitely be reading more of.
brunogcarr's review against another edition
3.0
Que Franzen é um grande romancista já tinha comprovado com Liberdade e Correcções. Este registo mais autobiográfico - em que até se percebem alguns dos temas trazidos aos romances atrás referidos - volta a ser muito bem escrito, mas nunca impressiona, nunca sobressalta. É interessante para quem gosta do autor, mas não substitui a sua obra ficcional.
jdgerlach's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
informative
inspiring
reflective
medium-paced
5.0
qwertyatty's review against another edition
4.0
Jonathan Franzen is a good storyteller. It's as if he's directly talking to me and sharing his stories over a nice, warm cup of coffee. His essays switch from one anecdote to another (with some touch of political comments), but everything connects with each other. A good read, indeed. :)
carolinecherie88's review against another edition
3.0
A tratti brillante e profondo, a tratti dimenticabile. Franzen ha voluto usare la letteratura come prova di coraggio, scrivendo alcuni degli episodi più imbarazzanti della sua vita?
rubyii's review against another edition
4.0
Before reading this book, I read Crossroads, and found it a fascinating study in how an author’s life has informed his fiction.
samantha_shain's review against another edition
3.0
I loved this book and I wish I could give it 5 stars, but unfortunately, Franzen seems to treat women like props or wallpaper... accessories with which men might compete, project, desire, scorn, or wonder. What a shame, because Franzen's adroit reflections on his inner life, his parents' relationship, his adolescence, the influence of literature on his intellectual and social development were all brilliant. I can see why he has gotten so much mainstream acclaim - the writing certainly checks off lots of boxes. The chapter on pranks, the chapter on birding, the chapter on reading Kafka were all exquisite. So, read it if you have a high tolerance of misogyny. Otherwise, keep it moving :)
nssutton's review against another edition
4.0
memoirs are hard to review - do you enjoy them for the storytelling or the stories told? in this case, it was both. the end was a little clunky (bird watching, really?) but i guess you can't fault someone's life experiences