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Jonathan Franzen's THE CORRECTIONS may one day be seen as wickedly funny satire. For many readers, though, it will be so true to life that they will miss the satirical aspects. Meet the Lamberts. Well, there are the aging midwestern parents, Alfred and Enid. Are they like your parents? Probably, but if you are lucky the resemblance isn't too close. Alfred is Having Problems and Enid is losing her patience with him. Meanwhile, they have Three Beautiful Children. Gary is the oldest. He lives in Philadelphia. He has a beautiful rich wife and three beautiful sons. And his life is a parade of depression. Then comes Chip, the academic (and presumably more like people Mr. Franzen has MET than like Mr. Franzen himself). Chip is a screwup. He has lost his job teaching at a liberal arts college in a spectacular way. Now he is in New York, trying hard to get some traction on his book. He is broke and his parents have come to visit on their way to an OCean Cruise. And then there is Denise, the younger sister, whose life only seems OK when she compares it to Chip's. Franzen has a remarkable eye for detail and his depictions of conversations between adult children and their parents sometimes ring so true that you get a headache. He presents the dawn of the 21st century, with Buyouts, IPOs and Central European upheavals in a way that really is funny, if you can just step back and be glad this isn't happening to you. This book is Franzen's third novel. The previous ones were workmanlike, but nowhere near this one in scope or intensity. He became briefly famous when he declined Oprah Winfrey's favor of making this book a part of her book club. Many copies are marked with her seal of approval, despite his wishes to the conrary. No matter what you think of Oprah, this is a book you should read.Read full review
Jonathan Franzen's "The Corrections" doesn't mention the names George W. Bush or Osama bin Laden once and yet the book, which was published on September 1, 2001, eerily anticipates the major issues that have transpired since September 11. Franzen creates a nation kept awake at night by nameless dread in his second sentence: "You could feel it: something terrible was going to happen." Franzen uses his main characters- the Lamberts, a Midwestern family with three adult children who resist their mother's hysterical insistence that they make it home for Christmas- to expound on many of the themes that have dominated the first decade of the twenty-first century: global warming, economic recession, HMOs, psychopharmaceuticals, viral marketing, Eastern European instability, even the organic food movement. Readers familiar with the book's history know that Oprah Winfrey selected "The Corrections" for her book club, but Franzen made some ungracious comments about being in the company of her past "schmaltzy" selections. He was labeled elitist, and she withdrew the invitation. But even this controversy was prophetic, as a strain of anti-intellectualism has become prevalent in the national conversation, as exemplified by George W. Bush's avowed suspicion of "fancy talk." In truth, "The Corrections" is anything but elitist. The novel is a warm social epic, the sort of cultural commentary that many novelists have tried to write since September 11. Because Franzen got there before the 9/11 problem- an event too big to be ignored and too unwieldy to be taken head-on- his book serves as an excellent idea that our culture can be neatly divided into "before" and "after," the events about which others struggle to write.Read full review
Thanks so much....I love this book and can now forgive myself for giving my first copy away. I appreciate your communication and speed!
Verified purchase: Yes | Condition: Pre-owned
Franzen has a terrific turn of phrase, marvelous vocabulary, but remains very readable. He builds suspense in the smallest spaces of the human mind, and yet sees the importance of the big picture, and leaves gorgeous clues as to where his characters will find themselves, or where they see themselves. 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.
the price was right! I wish that I could find more books by the same author at such a good price. It is wonderful to be able to acquire items without leaving home!
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