froleymoley's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
reflective
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
sergefelipe's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
reflective
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.75
mariocomputer's review against another edition
5.0
I don't have the same worldview as Jonathan Franzen, but I am hard-pressed to find any author who writes as well about relationships and families and personalities as well as he does. I couldn't put this book down. I read 600 pages in a week, which is a lot more than I've been reading in a long while.
It doesn't surprise me to find out that Noah Baumbach wanted to adapt this book for TV. I feel like this falls right in with mumblecore stuff I've watched like Frances Ha and Transparent. It's stories about white affluent people, and their relationship to the contemporary world, and their family dramas. It's deeply dark and cynical. It tries to act like any left-wing desires white liberals have are frivolous and hypocritical (although the most loathsome character, Gary, is definitely no liberal). It tries to be post-political, or above politics. So although this book is does not appeal to me on a political level, it's so well-executed that I have to admit that it's really, really good, mainly because of the masterful way it accesses humanity.
It doesn't surprise me to find out that Noah Baumbach wanted to adapt this book for TV. I feel like this falls right in with mumblecore stuff I've watched like Frances Ha and Transparent. It's stories about white affluent people, and their relationship to the contemporary world, and their family dramas. It's deeply dark and cynical. It tries to act like any left-wing desires white liberals have are frivolous and hypocritical (although the most loathsome character, Gary, is definitely no liberal). It tries to be post-political, or above politics. So although this book is does not appeal to me on a political level, it's so well-executed that I have to admit that it's really, really good, mainly because of the masterful way it accesses humanity.
sabinamas's review against another edition
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.0
The slow pace of the book and the sometimes provocative scenes made it a rather difficult book for me to read. As promised by my book club, the pace really picked up during the last 200 pages, which enabled me to enjoy the coming together of the book. However, the final chapter left me with an unsatisfied feeling.
alexa360's review against another edition
4.0
Franzen makes you turn the pages effortlessly. The sometimes strange, sometimes mundane happenings in the lives of the members of this dysfunctional family are balanced out by his almost poetic writing style.
He manages to almost make you understand what it looks like inside the head of a person suffering from dementia. At the same time he envokes all sorts of feelings (annoyance, wonderment, amusement - just to name a few) towards the rest of the family, whose members all seem to struggle in one way or another.
Sure, none of them are likeable, but this doesn't really matter, as it is heaps of fun to spend time inside their twisted minds for a while...
He manages to almost make you understand what it looks like inside the head of a person suffering from dementia. At the same time he envokes all sorts of feelings (annoyance, wonderment, amusement - just to name a few) towards the rest of the family, whose members all seem to struggle in one way or another.
Sure, none of them are likeable, but this doesn't really matter, as it is heaps of fun to spend time inside their twisted minds for a while...
gavin1030's review against another edition
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
sbromley92's review against another edition
2.0
None of the characters are likeable and most of them are awful. The story is pretty much about three selfish kids and how they don't want to come home for Christmas. Their Dad has dementia and I came thisclose to bailing when he was hallucinating about turds, but I was already halfway through the book. The parts about Lithuania and the Dad's invention that he didn't get squat for patent fees bored me. But I kept going because the writing was good and I wanted to see how it all turned out. I'll save you the read-- no real redemption here. The middle son might have changed for the better some, but it happens so late you don't really know. I'm happy to move on.