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3.71 AVERAGE
3.71 AVERAGE
This book was recommended by someone I generally have good reading karma with so I was eager to read, but sadly I realize this wasn't the book for me. You see this is a real story. And by real, I mean, Jonathan Franzen does an excellent job of creating "real" characters. This is the story of a seemingly perfect family who over time becomes a bit unhinged... basically a family we probably all know or can relate too (sort of).
The problem for me is that I don't like "real" contemporary novels. I don't like "real". I deal with real life all the time, all I have to do is look around me and see broken people and marriages in disarray. You see I like fantasy or stories with a bit more "cooky" characters and these people in this book are regular people with regular people problems (i.e. boring). You see, I prefer to escape reality in my novel selection.
With that said, this book is probably perfect for people who like real life drama (apparently many people loved it, it was even an Oprah book club choice) but for me, I just found it a bit dull and was not enamored by Mr. Franzen's writing. Actually, I didn't like his writing, he wrote in, at times, oddly structured sentences that didn't always flow for me and he likes (seriously) to write very long sentence. Not to mention he likes to go on tangents, I'm talking 10 pages of dialog about a particular cerulean warbler bird and the structure of a non-profit corporation, that I felt we could most certainly do without.
Of course, I might be overly critical because like I explained, I don't like contemporary "real" life novels. I think I'll stick with my science fiction, fantasy and regency romance...
The problem for me is that I don't like "real" contemporary novels. I don't like "real". I deal with real life all the time, all I have to do is look around me and see broken people and marriages in disarray. You see I like fantasy or stories with a bit more "cooky" characters and these people in this book are regular people with regular people problems (i.e. boring). You see, I prefer to escape reality in my novel selection.
With that said, this book is probably perfect for people who like real life drama (apparently many people loved it, it was even an Oprah book club choice) but for me, I just found it a bit dull and was not enamored by Mr. Franzen's writing. Actually, I didn't like his writing, he wrote in, at times, oddly structured sentences that didn't always flow for me and he likes (seriously) to write very long sentence. Not to mention he likes to go on tangents, I'm talking 10 pages of dialog about a particular cerulean warbler bird and the structure of a non-profit corporation, that I felt we could most certainly do without.
Of course, I might be overly critical because like I explained, I don't like contemporary "real" life novels. I think I'll stick with my science fiction, fantasy and regency romance...
This book was recommended to my by a friend and I jumped into it without really knowing what to expect. Through the first 100 pages or so I was second guessing my buddies tastes but I continued reading and was very glad I did. This ended up being a excellent book. The family drama kept me going but it was the environmental themes that really made the book stand out for me. They directly correlated to topics I was studying at school during the same time which added a whole other element to the story.
I think it’s difficult for a book this long to never drag, and for a book with this many characters getting their own moment to not leave any of them feeling underdeveloped. This kept me hooked throughout and gave each character the right amount of space that, even though they were frequently frustrating, I never got tired of them but felt satisfied with where they all ended up.
Wenn Franzen so ein großartiger USSchriftsteller ist, wundert mich nichts mehr ...
langatmig und nicht nachvollziehbar
langatmig und nicht nachvollziehbar
Dodged this tome for years because I dislike Franzen the Person for reasons I can't even recall--some piece of criticism that incensed me decades ago.
Which was of course petty and silly as I always knew. It's a damn fine book, good enough to send me back to The Corrections next. It likely helped that I waited a full decade for the Great American Novel! nonsense to die down.
Which was of course petty and silly as I always knew. It's a damn fine book, good enough to send me back to The Corrections next. It likely helped that I waited a full decade for the Great American Novel! nonsense to die down.
Finally finished! Had to take a break in the middle, but I really enjoyed it.
I will be thinking about this book for a long time.
An epic about marriage, relationships, purpose, and the over-arching theme of life in the modern age. By reading Freedom you grow (perhaps not enough growth for some characters but that makes it more realistic in some ways) with the characters as they age from childhood to adolescence, adulthood to the golden years of life. It's a fairly long read, and I can't say I regret spending the time to read it--by the end it was like saying farewell to good friends. I'm still in the early throes of life and have yet to settle down and find a partner (if I ever will), but reading Freedom gives some insight, even if fictitious, into the cogs & wheels of depending on another person.
Thank god that’s over. I’m so resentful of this book. I feel like it was such a ring around and I really didn’t enjoy it
Ummmm I have no idea I just read. Was this supposed to mean something?