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1marykatherine's profile picture

1marykatherine 's review for:

Purity by Jonathan Franzen
2.0

After hearing all the acclaim about Franzen's other books, I went to a book signing for Purity in Nashville. Purity is the first Franzen book I've read and it was a struggle for me. I liked the main character, Purity, and really cared about her.

To me, there was way too much background about the character of Andreas --- and way too much detail about German politics. Another reviewer made a comment about how the book doesn't pick up until page 400. I wholeheartedly agree. I think the stories of all the characters and how they related to one another could have been told more succinctly.

I often thought I was reading a book by a man who thinks he's the smartest person in the world and wants everyone else to know how smart he is, too.