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3.71 AVERAGE
3.71 AVERAGE
this is by far one of the best books i've read in a long time.
the characters are so fully developed that i often think of one of them as if they were real and then remember seconds later that they are only fictional.
do not let the page count scare you away.
read it and you'll thank me later.
the characters are so fully developed that i often think of one of them as if they were real and then remember seconds later that they are only fictional.
do not let the page count scare you away.
read it and you'll thank me later.
I guess I wasn't as enthusiastic about this book as Oprah ;) I loved The Corrections, but found Freedom too...sad? Tragic? I saw the satire, and enjoyed the writing, but felt empty despite the ending. I realize that is part of the power of the book, but it doesn't make me like it better.
He had me absorbed until about page 400...and then there were 150 more pages...
I've struggled with this rating for a while because at times, I thought it was well-written and even perceptive, but at the end, I hated this book more than I thought possible. Usually, if I don't like a book, I'll simply cease to read it, but I kept on reading this slog even though I had just rented it from the library so there was no real profit lost.
At first, I even identified with Walter and Lalitha's certain environmental values, but it turns out that Walter was nearly as bad as the rest of his family, and Lalitha was written simply as an object (an "exotic" one at that, good job, Franzen). The last sentence of the book (spoiler alert?) simply refers to her as "the brown-skinned girl." Now, I love a lot of books by white straight men, but this one screamed his privilege and contempt a little too loudly. There were some sentences and unrealistic fantasies that were particularly heinous, two scenes involving feces, that felt like they were written by a talented yet horny middle schooler still obsessed with his own shit. I hated one character so much I almost wanted to throw my book down in disgust. I understand he was supposed to be problematic and disgusting, but it also seemed like Franzen was putting him on a high pedestal, and that we were supposed to love his sexist horniness and ego.
It also seems, as other reviewers have commented, that it's not a timeless tale. In 2017, and also raised in the upper middle class as a white person concerned with the planet, I couldn't relate to nearly anything in this book.
And finally, I'm pissed at myself that I bought into the hype. When I saw it on the library shelf, I thought I would finally give it a try. I didn't know a lot about the Oprah recommendation, but Leslie Knope in Parks and Recreation raves about it at one point, and hey, I love that fictional character. So because it was such a miserable read, the book's prase made it even more detestable.
Anyway, I usually don't review books, but like I said, I feel a particular hatred towards this one.
At first, I even identified with Walter and Lalitha's certain environmental values, but it turns out that Walter was nearly as bad as the rest of his family, and Lalitha was written simply as an object (an "exotic" one at that, good job, Franzen). The last sentence of the book (spoiler alert?) simply refers to her as "the brown-skinned girl." Now, I love a lot of books by white straight men, but this one screamed his privilege and contempt a little too loudly. There were some sentences and unrealistic fantasies that were particularly heinous, two scenes involving feces, that felt like they were written by a talented yet horny middle schooler still obsessed with his own shit. I hated one character so much I almost wanted to throw my book down in disgust. I understand he was supposed to be problematic and disgusting, but it also seemed like Franzen was putting him on a high pedestal, and that we were supposed to love his sexist horniness and ego.
It also seems, as other reviewers have commented, that it's not a timeless tale. In 2017, and also raised in the upper middle class as a white person concerned with the planet, I couldn't relate to nearly anything in this book.
And finally, I'm pissed at myself that I bought into the hype. When I saw it on the library shelf, I thought I would finally give it a try. I didn't know a lot about the Oprah recommendation, but Leslie Knope in Parks and Recreation raves about it at one point, and hey, I love that fictional character. So because it was such a miserable read, the book's prase made it even more detestable.
Anyway, I usually don't review books, but like I said, I feel a particular hatred towards this one.
an easy read that makes finishing something of this volume feel like a big success. overall a damning picture of the trappings of masculinity
Ok, here's the thing about this book. It is incredibly long, the characters are mostly unlikable, there are long stretches of it where almost nothing happens, it has some very crude sex scenes and the politics intrude in the story in several places. So, why then am I giving it five stars? Because, at the end of the day, I found myself completely absorbed by it. Franzen's writing is such that he so completely presents a three-dimensional portrait of these characters. None of them feel static and flat and it is for that reason that I would recommend this. Also, I think this book does a fairly accurate job of portraying marriage and family life in the most recent decade in this country. Overall, this book will not appeal to everyone for many of the reasons I cited above. It is not a quick read by any stretch of the imagination. However, if you are looking for a challenge, this is it. Your patience will be tested mightily but it will be worth it in the end.
This is my first Franzen book. I was skeptical reading it because of how so many people I know feel about Franzen. But I actually really liked this book. Imperfect families, imperfect love, imperfect morals.
One of the best works of fiction I've ever read. I don't care that Franzen is getting hate from people these days. He is a master and he deserves every bit of his status.
