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Liked It “I read this book mostly on the merit of the powerful final chapter which I had originally read in the New Yorker. I thought it was profoundly affecting. |
Didn’t Like It “Well, I got this book because I've wanted to read The Corrections for years! I saw this book at Dollar Tree and couldn't pass up the price, so I got it. I am not sure exactly how I feel about the experience of reading it. It was a bit too much academic reading for me. Franzen mentions...” see full review » see other reviews » |
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“Well, I got this book because I've wanted to read The Corrections for years! I saw this book at Dollar Tree and couldn't pass up the price, so I got it. I am not sure exactly how I feel about the experience of reading it. It was a bit too much academic reading for me. Franzen mentions throughout the book how superior he felt to fellow students, at both church fellowship and at school, I felt as he were feeling rather superior to his readers as well. It's summer vacation for goodness sakes, I shouldn't feel as though I have to work to understand a book that I paid only a buck for!!”
Jeanine B wrote this review Friday, July 24 2009. ( reply | permalink ) Was this review helpful? Yes | No
“What do you think it says about a review of Franzen when I start it with: "I am looking forward to reading The Corrections", rather than ending with that statement? I'll let you determine.
Philip Swanstrom Shaw wrote this review Monday, June 15 2009. ( reply | permalink ) Was this review helpful? Yes | No
Franzen is an incredibly talented writer (and list maker) and while this slim memoir is engaging – in the end it feels only like a more intellectual version of a sit-com. I identify with the era, the family, the scenarios and they make me laugh, AND they make me think. However, there isn't much more to this than that. Also, while I sped through the work, at least satisfied with the experience, the end where he wraps his life into a capsule of Bird Watching, was interminably long, as if he gave up but couldn't stop putting words on the page. In fact, there is a moment where he quotes a colleague whom after him sharing his new addiction of Bird Watching declares: No, you're not one of those!?!
I feel a little the same. I read the book with glee, laughing and thinking occasionally, but when I got to The Bird Problem – it was all I could do, like Franzen, to just finish.
I DO look forward to reading The Corrections to see what all the hubbub is about and I imagine I will enjoy it greatly, given Franzen's wit and nuance.
– Philip Swanstrom Shaw”“I read this book mostly on the merit of the powerful final chapter which I had originally read in the New Yorker. I thought it was profoundly affecting.
moik wrote this review Sunday, January 18 2009. ( reply | permalink ) Was this review helpful? Yes | No
The rest of the book, while good, does not rally "go" with that last chapter. It is mostly a memoir of his youth. Anybody that has read The Corrections knows that Franzen is a tremendously gifted writer. The book is all over the place, I think. Sometimes he is a disaffected outsider and at other times he is popular prankster - at times he was lovable and at other times despicable. But I guess that is an accurate portrayal of a teenager.
The powerful last chapter seems sort of pinned on as an afterthought.”
“I liked this memoir very much; here Franzen was accused of self-indulgence and being grotesque at times, but he writes beautifully and there's suspense as well as pathos and some laughs in these pages. I couldn't put it down.”
csneed2 wrote this review Wednesday, May 28 2008. ( reply | permalink ) Was this review helpful? Yes | No
“This book was pretty good. It is a memoir of growing up in Kirkwood, MO. The subject matter is entertaining although there are times when I think he wrote a little too much about events that seemed unimportant and then not enough about others that seemed like they would be more important. I guess it's all about perception. I'm sure he wrote most about what he felt was important in his own life. Actually, if you see this in the bookstore you should check out the cover. It is a print from an old McCall's magazine and it's almost more entertaining than the book! ”
Memoree V wrote this review Saturday, May 24 2008. ( reply | permalink ) Was this review helpful? Yes | No
“I love, love, love Jonathan Franzen. His snobbery, his arrogance, his sourpuss demeanor. . . I don't care if he's no one I'd want to be friends with in real life, I just get a kick out of his mean-spirited sassiness and narcissism. Also, 'The Corrections' is probably my favorite contemporary book of all time (so much so that I am tongue tied and unable to write a review detailing my deep and intense love for it as of this writing). I was worried that his books of essays (this one and 'How To Be Alone') would bring the more unpleasant aspects of his personality into sharper focus. Not so. Rather, this book had a softening effect on my star-struck impression of him as a prickly genius. It is a meandering collection of essays which details incidents and experiences from all stages of Franzen's life. Of course, it is expertly written, edited and arranged. He insightfully details some carefully chosen events and discusses his personal realizations regarding family, sex, love, career and travel. I found the tidbits about his personal life to be excellent fodder for my Franzen obsession (the man rejected Oprah, for Gods sake- though not without considerable back-peddling), as they are written with his usual flair, intelligence and, yes I'll say it, genius. ”
Angelina S wrote this review Wednesday, March 26 2008. ( reply | permalink ) Was this review helpful? Yes | No
“Pitiful attempt at being interesting.”
RodneyPWelch wrote this review Thursday, March 8 2007. ( reply | permalink ) Was this review helpful? Yes | No
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