Just finished Freedom by Jonathon Franzen on my kindle while on a trip to visit my parents in the Southwest. I read his book The Corrections a few years ago and didn’t think it was any great shakes while reading it but have found that it stayed with me, lingered in my mind and I find myself referring to it at odd moments. Same thing, I think, with this other book of his. Sometimes the scenes and characters felt cartoonish but now a month later I keep thinking about it. If that’s the test of a good book . . . then this is a good book.
I loved The Corrections – couldn’t get into Freedom. Finally gave up about half way through. I must be the only person in America underwhelmed by it. (My daughter says it’s generational - that is, I’m too old for it! lol.)
I’m halfway through; I’m slowing a little but will finish. I don’t think it’s generational; the main characters are our age range.
Franzen makes amazing observations about the way the world works, and writes great individual lines. His dialog is always interesting. I agree that his characters can verge on cartoonish. In making them “complicated,” he does so by zigzagging–too much good?, now bad. too much victim? now victimizer. and vice versa. I think you can do that more subtly. I keep thinking of my favorite novel, Middlemarch, which also had people who were good but deeply flawed, or kinda evil but a little bit redeemed, but Eliot made the contradictions more naturally endemic to the characters rather than grafted on to make points.
But then, comparing a novelist to George Eliot is probably unfair, though I think Franzen is aiming for that big nineteenth century widescoping, character driven type of novel.
“though I think Franzen is aiming for that big nineteenth century widescoping, character driven type of novel”
– I agree. Which is why I loved The Corrections. I think in Freedom I was turned off by the three main characters - I just didn’t find them terribly interesting. The family in The Corrections seemed much more real and multi-faceted. But again, I realize I’m in the minority. Most people do like that book very much.
Katlia–I actually reacted the same to both to some extent, because in Corrrectins, I also felt sometimes a bit manipulated in how I was supposed to feel about the characters. But again, I think both books are great at portraying society, and sometimes great at portraying characters.
i know this is an older book, and i know that it has been mentioned more than once, but i just finished The Book Thief by Markus Zusak and i loved it. i started last night and just couldn’t do much else until it was done.
i’m sorry that i waited so long to read it–and i’ll probably read it again.
Not to make this the all-Franzen-all-the-time-thread, but I just finished Freedom, and after a slow middle, it really came together for me, and the characters did, too.
Just finished 'Room" by Emma Donoghue. Started last night, finished tonight. Highly recommended. Don’t let the depressing-sounding premise put you off. It’s as life affirming and funny and moving a novel as you will find.
I * loved* The Corrections. Freedom was okay. It got really bogged down in the middle. He could easily cut a third of that book and had a tighter story. While I thought the characters were interesting, I thought the characters in The Corrections were much more fascinating. The reviews I read on Freedom weren’t nearly as good as The Corrections.
I think a lot of literary authors run into this problem. First book is great, a bestseller and then they try to outdo themselves with the next one and end up overdoing it. Of course, writing is much harder than it looks.
Just looked at Room on Amazon. Sounds fascinating, am downloading it right now to my Kindle. Thanks, Katliamom, for the recommendation. I need a ‘can’t put it down’ novel right now.
I did not read through all 80 pages of this thread so this may be redundant. Just finished Outliers by Malcolm Gladwell and this was one of the best books I have read in a long time. Riveting. I could not put it down. His ability to tie the whole book together was great from the hockey players to the Beatles, to Bill Gates.
I just reread Room yesterday because I’m attending a book club this week where it’s the selection and it’s been months since I read it. Certain things affected me more deeply the second time around.
I know so many have probably already read this, but I just finished The Overachievers by Alexandra Robbins. Boy, is it an appropriate book for anyone with high school/college age children! I have just started reading another one of Robbins’ books, Pledged. It’s an undercover expose about sorority life. My D just pledged a sorority…so far what I’ve read scares the **** out of me!
Currently reading The Duchess by Amanda Foreman, originally published as Georgiana: Duchess of Devonshire. A biography, based on the author’s dissertation. I understand that the movie doesn’t begin to do it justice.
The Duchess was born Lady Georgiana Spencer, the same Spencers who produced Princess Diana. Georgiana was a power broker of London politics of the late 17th century, a great beauty and social/fashion/culture leader, ruinously addicted to gambling, close to both Marie Antionette and the Prince of Wales, involved in several affairs including (possibly) a lesbian relationship, messy family dynamics. Delicious.
Stayed up late last night to finish Peace Like a River. What a beautiful read! Leif Enger’s first novel, unbelievably. His use of language/turn of phrase reminds me of Mark Twain.
Peace Like a River sounds interesting.
I am currently enjoying God on the Rocks by Jane Gardam: <a href=“http://www.nytimes.com/2010/10/31/books/review/Kline-t.html[/url]”>http://www.nytimes.com/2010/10/31/books/review/Kline-t.html</a>
I agree! Lusciously revealed, the text turns ever so slightly,
I enjoyed every line!
Obama’s Wars was very well done, about the decision making process behind the surge in Afghanistan.
Little Bee - very good - and a very quick read (sometimes that’s nice!)
“The Shack” by William B. Young. I found it to be a very powerful story which led me to analyze and strengthen my relationship with God. Some Christians find it to be spiritually renewing while others consider it “false doctrine”, but I think any book that generates polarizing opinions is worth a read.