The Corrections: A Novel

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It's a hit!

Some people would call Franzen's writing elitist, I would have to disagree. On the other hand, it is one of the few books that is paired up on ama... (show more)

Some people would call Franzen's writing elitist, I would have to disagree. On the other hand, it is one of the few books that is paired up on amazon with "4% of people who bought this book also bought...a digital dictionary". I only give it 4 stars because there are sections of the book that delve so deeply into various depressed mindsets that I thought I was depressed myself. Regardless, the man can write at a level that I believed was unsustainable for more than 20-30 pages. There are sections of this book that just suck you in and make you HAVE to get to that next twist, and those make it all worth it. When reading this book, keep in mind that no reference or word is out of place. Everything seems to have a set meaning within the context of the overall world that Franzen creates, from a common piece of furniture to the latest news story on the TV. I loved it, I hated it, and I now have an admiration for Jonathan Franzen. Brilliant. (show less)

 

 

by Facebook-gebruiker

No, it's a flop!

Terrible. 560+ pages of waste. Story follows a Midwest family that you wouldn't wish on your worst enemy. Dad has parkinson's, going demented, Mom ... (show more)

Terrible. 560+ pages of waste. Story follows a Midwest family that you wouldn't wish on your worst enemy. Dad has parkinson's, going demented, Mom lives in fantasy world where nothing is wrong, except what all her kids do, oldest son may be clinically depressed, and has a wife that seems to be turning their 3 boys against him, and he mostly cares about making money and being noticed as 'elite'. 2nd oldest son is a communist who got fired from univ teaching position for sleeping w/student, failed at writing screenplay, went to Lithuania to defraud American investors until that country turned into ungoverned, warlord run mess, where he's robbed of $20,000 before walking to Poland to return back to States. Youngest daughter sleeps w/older men, marries older man, divorces him, then sleeps w/her boss' wife, until she gets jealous that the wife is sleeping w/her husband, so brushes her off. Then sleeps w/the husband, and they find out about it, both hate her, and they get a divorce, and she gets fired. Altho she does wind up w/the wife later. At end, they put Dad in nursing home, which he thinks is prison, and it seems Mom, 2nd son and daughter are happy now.

This was an Oprah's book club book too. Nice job Oprah. I'm sorry I'll never have that time back in my life. 560+ pages. I can't imagine anyone raving about this book, but apparently people do. Must be b/c makes them feel better about their life. It was for my work book club, I'm interested to see who liked it. Follows The Shack too, couldn't have two pretty polar opposite books.

Stay away. (show less)

 

 

by Andy Wiesendanger

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  Wow. Ok first of all, The Corrections is one of the most brilliantly written, thought provoking books I've ever read. The characters are so three-dimensional that you feel they really are living out their misanthropic lives out there somewhere. The observational writing style is engaging and witty. Sometimes something that I read would strike me so hard I would stop and sit and think about it for an hour. In this way, the book was beyond excellent.

  That being said, I hated almost every pag... (show more)

  Wow. Ok first of all, The Corrections is one of the most brilliantly written, thought provoking books I've ever read. The characters are so three-dimensional that you feel they really are living out their misanthropic lives out there somewhere. The observational writing style is engaging and witty. Sometimes something that I read would strike me so hard I would stop and sit and think about it for an hour. In this way, the book was beyond excellent.

  That being said, I hated almost every page of it. I would have to take breaks, because this book basically made me want to throw myself in front of a train it was SO depressing. I finished it and wanted to sleep for three weeks. This book makes you suspect that you could lead a completely normal life and it would be pointless and miserable and then you just die horribly and alone. In this way, it was beyond awful.

  If asked to give a starred a review, I would have no idea what to do. (show less)

   

  by Facebook-gebruiker on Feb 26, 2008 at 10:28AM

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  I agree with Peter on the insight into depression:
  Depression: "A lack of desire to spend money becomes a symptom of disease that requires expensive medication. Which medication then destroys the libido, in other words destroys the appetite for the one pleasure in life that's free, which means the person has to spend even *more* money on compensatory pleasures. The very definition of mental 'health' is the ability to participate in the consumer economy. When you buy into therapy, you're ... (show more)

  I agree with Peter on the insight into depression:
  Depression: "A lack of desire to spend money becomes a symptom of disease that requires expensive medication. Which medication then destroys the libido, in other words destroys the appetite for the one pleasure in life that's free, which means the person has to spend even *more* money on compensatory pleasures. The very definition of mental 'health' is the ability to participate in the consumer economy. When you buy into therapy, you're losing the battle with a commercialized, medicalized, totalitarian modernity right this instant."

  It is something I deal with every day - the truth in the statement hits a nerve with me. I tend to keep track of passages of books that strike a chord somewhere within me - this is one that I had recorded.

  Having said that, I actually read the book over four years ago, and can barely remember anything about it. As I read other reviews it started to come back, but it left no lasting impression, other than the above - and a specific reference to a bridge in Toledo, Ohio (where I was born). It was accurate and I remember being tickled, but that's a personal one - especially since I was far from home when I had read it. (show less)

   

  by Gillian Harden Pokela on Jun 27, 2009 at 11:56PM

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