Monday, February 21, 2011
Book Review: Freedom
It's been a couple of months since I read Freedom by Jonathan Franzen. This book has gotten quite a lot of buzz. So much buzz in fact, that I was preparing myself to be blown away by some life-altering social commentary.
The story focuses on the Berglunds, supposedly a typical midwestern family. The story weaves seemlessly with different family members holding the narrative. I absolutely loathed some of these characters. It was hard to read through parts. But what I found so fascinating, was the way Franzen was able to describe such deep emotional and psychological tendancies of these characters. It was raw, gritty, and real.
I don't know if I was blown away by this book, but it was definitely a page-turner. I appreciated the extremely smart and witty writing. I appreciated the story, but I don't know if I was persuaded.
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I think your review was right on. I, too, kept turning pages even though I wasn't sure at times if I wanted to go on. The real-ness and grittiness of it captivated and disgusted me. It seemed so very very possible.
ReplyDeleteI kept thinking as I read this, "what am i not getting?". Like you both, I kept on reading. I was curious why the daughter didn't have a story. It was like reading a train wreck. What the hell was wrong with these people?! Plus, did you notice Patty's obsession with being a "good" person? And, I thought all the characters were caricatures, way over the top. I read a review that called them "stridently unlikable characters". I find it interesting that I could hate them so much and keep on going!
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