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Title: The Corrections: A Novel by Jonathan Franzen ISBN: 0312421273 Publisher: Picador Pub. Date: 27 August, 2002 Format: Paperback Volumes: 1 List Price(USD): $15.00 |
Average Customer Rating: 3.01
Rating: 5
Summary: Read It; Don't Be Put Off By The Hype
Comment: "The Corrections" has been delivered with a blizzard of media hype than can be off-putting to the very readers the publishers want to reach (people starved for serious, readable, intelligent fiction.) But you really should get ahold of this excellent novel. I devoured it in one night's frenzied reading. Yes indeed, Franzen has taken the somewhat inaccessible avant-garde concerns of writers like Don DeLillo or the David Foster Wallace of "Infinite Jest" and placed them in the context of a mainstream novel about *family* and how it prepares you to function (or not) in the larger world. Franzen manages to create a little universe that mirrors our own crazy world, yet makes the madness more comprehensible. He is devilishly funny, in a laugh-out-loud sort of way, yet his message is ultimately one of forgiveness and reconciliation. The Lamberts, the screwed-up family at the heart of the story, have the feeling of real people you know. That are unique, unforgettable individuals, but you may squirm when the self-destructive ways of Gary, Chip or Denise remind you of the stupid mistakes you have made in your own life. Alfred and Enid, the mom and dad, will make you shake your head; when did Franzen meet *my* parents? The book becomes genuinely suspenseful as Enid struggles to get her wayward children home for "one last Christmas" before Alfred's decline becomes irrevocable. And don't let Franzen's bad-mouthing of Oprah deter you from reading this. Ironically, his comments are just the sort of thing one of the Lambert kids would say in order to sabotage themselves. It just proves Franzen really does know what he's talking about.
Rating: 5
Summary: A Modern-Day "Brothers Karamazov"
Comment: Much like Ben Jonjak's recent, brilliant novel "Glorious Failure," "The Corrections" aspires to litearary greatness. This is the heart-wrenching story of a family torn apart by the ravages of modern times, which yet, find a way to share tender moments in a satisfying Christmas reunion. Although "The Corrections" lacks the intense social dialogue of Dostoevsky or Jonjak, it is a fullfilling effort and, if the weight of the other two is too great, a far more readable effort.
Rating: 5
Summary: Modern living. Complex quirky people. Great writing.
Comment: This book manages to capture, with tongue-in-cheek humor, the essence of modern American life. With a mastery of his craft, Jonathan Franzen brings it all to life -- from stock scams to cruise ships to pharmaceuticals to consumer culture to an idealization of Midwestern family life. I found myself smiling at the way he used his words to convey the essence of it all.
But it's not his wry look at the foibles of our society that pulled me into the book. And it's not even the plot, which is a simple one regarding a mother's wish to have her three adult children together with her at Christmas and all the personal dramas of each member of the family to make this happen. What kept me awake each night, fighting sleep until I could read just a little bit more, were the wonderful, richly developed characters. They are all interesting, quirky and complex. I hesitate using the word "dysfunctional" as it implies that perfection is actually possible and if only we could make the right "corrections", we'd all live in an ideal world. This is exactly the point the author is making though, as he gets into the heart and soul of what human beings are really and truly like.
We meet Edna and Alfred, the aging couple from a small town called St. Jude. His bodily and mental functions are deteriorating. She's denying it all. We meet their son Chip, who has just lost his college teaching job because of an obsession with a student. Their other son, Gary, is supposedly happily married and living the consumer's dream. And their daughter Denise, divorced and a successful restaurateur, is in a rather non-conventional relationship.
But that's just the bare bones of who they are. The author makes sure that we get into each of these character's skins. I felt the tensions, heard the thoughts and saw the weaknesses. I got inside their heads as they make their foolish choices. I experienced their upsets. I let the author's words wash over me and change me and, for a short time, I actually became each of them. I found that fantastically exciting. And I was left with an enriched understanding of my own imperfections.
If a book can do all that I can give it nothing less than one of my highest recommendations.
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Title: The Lovely Bones: A Novel by Alice Sebold ISBN: 0316666343 Publisher: Little Brown & Company Pub. Date: 2002 List Price(USD): $21.95 |
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Title: Atonement: A Novel by Ian McEwan ISBN: 0385503954 Publisher: Doubleday Pub. Date: 12 March, 2002 List Price(USD): $26.00 |
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Title: Empire Falls by Richard Russo ISBN: 0375726403 Publisher: Vintage Books Pub. Date: 12 April, 2002 List Price(USD): $14.95 |
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Title: Bel Canto: A Novel by Ann Patchett ISBN: 0060934417 Publisher: Perennial Pub. Date: 16 April, 2002 List Price(USD): $13.95 |
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Title: Life of Pi by Yann Martel ISBN: 0151008116 Publisher: Harcourt Pub. Date: 04 June, 2002 List Price(USD): $25.00 |
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