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3.71 AVERAGE
3.71 AVERAGE
I haven't read many books this year, but this stands out as one of the best I have read in quite some time. Amazingly insightful, with characters that are complexly formed reflecting feelings we all have had at one time or another. It's the in depth story of a modern family, how it was formed, how it evolved, how it was damaged. Simply stunning.
This was fun enough to read. I feel like some of the word choices were a bit pretentious, but it was well written. The characters were all kind of horrible, but I was rooting for them anyway. Felt sad for all of them and angry at all of them all at the same time. And was kind of horrified by all the statistics of how badly and quickly we are ruining this world...anyway, can't say it's one I'd be telling people they have to read or anything, but it was good and I wouldn't tell someone not to read it.
Of course Leslie Knope would recommend a book where something that could be said in 120 pages is said in 600.
#PawneeGodess4Life
#PawneeGodess4Life
challenging
emotional
reflective
sad
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
The tale of America's most miserable family and what it means to have freedom. It is seeped with Americana, Capitalism, and nearly immutable personalities. I detest this book - a character exploration about a bunch of assholes. Nobody in this story is a real person and yet it is presented as if "yes, these miserable folks are exactly how *real* people think!". These are real problems, yes, but the logic and selfishness of every single character was brutal to wade through. Their twisted logic made me sadder for humanity, that the author could think this about people, and that these folks could exist on earth with us. But they don't! Greedy, selfish people exist, no doubt. These folks are so vastly emotionally intelligent and in-tune with their inner workings. And yet, they are crusaders of terrible decisions and how brutal with how they behave towards each other. Plus, I cannot believe that I was on page 519/560 and I was still getting expository backstory for a character's childhood and their motivations for being a dick; we're 92.6% of the way through the book about how they're an asshole, you needed more ammo? That is an insane choice. Fuckin' brutal read. Was this supposed to be pleasurable? Was it supposed to be chockablock full of wisdom? Who was this for? In addition, fell back on some shitty tropes about male-female relationships. An extremely unflattering take on female autonomy and how they "need a man" to be happy. Patty was starting to feel like her marriage was back on track after Walter "fucked her like a brute"? Really? Get that alpha-male dominance on a pedestal bullshit out of here, toxic masculinity-ass author. The sole redeeming quality is the prose isn't awful.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Excrement
Moderate: Rape, Sexual assault, Islamophobia
The story within the book is phenomenal, I could not put it down. Read it in one week, very interested in reading more of his books.
This is the best book I've read in a long time. Franzen is a master of style, and reading his work goes down smooth and easy. Franzen himself is a total misogynistic jerk, and it comes out in his writing at times, but he by far redeems himself by writing sheerly beautiful and nearly flawless work that looks into the dysfunction of modern society with refreshing clarity and meaning. We all have a little Walter in us, and I can say that I have more than less.
Despite the author's best effort in the last 1/3 of the book, I can't say that I actually liked any of the characters. It was, however, an interesting read.
emotional
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
N/A
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Okay, I loved this book for a while, liked it better than The Corrections, found it witty and incisive, but then it got darker, gloomier, unredeemable. There isn't a female character in the book I could like, recognize or care about. The only person I did care about for a long time was Walter and then he turned nasty and unlikable. Like the Corrections, the story moved along with the train wreck of family drama and got bogged down in the mire of a not very interesting political story. There were times that characters started giving speeches and I couldn't stand it-- I just skipped them.
I see some reviewers liked the ending. I hated it. Although I was happy that it was over.
I see some reviewers liked the ending. I hated it. Although I was happy that it was over.
I kept waiting for this book to get better or have some redeeming value... what a dissappointment!