gajeam's review against another edition
5.0
Yes, it is a book by Jonathan Franzen (“who caaaaaarrres about him”) about a Midwestern family wrestling with how to be good (“boorrriiinnggg”) and finding God (“BOOORRRIINNGG”) in the face of their own desires and self interests. But this thing is a perfect ten. Cannot recommend enough and will for sure read the whole trilogy.
sarwas's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
annawalsh's review against another edition
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
clairemariarose's review against another edition
4.0
bb’s first franzen!!
if you like reading about terrible people doing terrible things, then this is the book for you!! i personally love a book that explores morality and what it means to different people, and franzen’s characters are such good test subjects. for nearly 600, i’m so surprised that i was interested almost the entire time (with the exception being clem and his boring personality).
can’t wait to see where the series goes!
if you like reading about terrible people doing terrible things, then this is the book for you!! i personally love a book that explores morality and what it means to different people, and franzen’s characters are such good test subjects. for nearly 600, i’m so surprised that i was interested almost the entire time (with the exception being clem and his boring personality).
can’t wait to see where the series goes!
kellierickson's review against another edition
5.0
Loved this one! This is my first Franzen novel, and I’m really intrigued by his writing style and how he portrays family dynamics (especially in the context of church/purity culture). This was an excellent read, although slow at parts— I knew I had to keep reading. The ending was left open, which is fine by me considering this is a series!
averyywilsonn's review against another edition
emotional
reflective
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
jayden_mccomiskie's review against another edition
3.0
3.5
compulsively readable as usual with Franzen.
compulsively readable as usual with Franzen.
laviskrg's review against another edition
5.0
Is this book perfect? Yes.
Is absolutely anything written by Franzen perfect in my eyes? Also yes.
Is this for everyone? No, but only because most readers are too stupid after decades of commercial crap and years of woke cancer. Their atrophied brains would never comprehend the poetic, social, intense, dramatic, personal, brutal reality of this amazing candidate for a Great American Novel.
I hope the rest of the trilogy will not take decades to arrive.
Is absolutely anything written by Franzen perfect in my eyes? Also yes.
Is this for everyone? No, but only because most readers are too stupid after decades of commercial crap and years of woke cancer. Their atrophied brains would never comprehend the poetic, social, intense, dramatic, personal, brutal reality of this amazing candidate for a Great American Novel.
I hope the rest of the trilogy will not take decades to arrive.
danuunad's review against another edition
4.0
This is a very clever book. It's full of funny, interesting, insightful or otherwise entertaining little observations. The main characters are easy to understand but not superficial. The fact that there are five of them, each of which is confronted with sufficient dramatic events to fill an entire book, means that there are lots of things happening all the time. The sense of drama is enhanced by Franzen's usage of dramatic irony: Chronologically, most chapters begin just before the point where the previous one ended, giving us an alternate take, before moving on to reveal the next plot twist (and boy, there are many!). If that sounds like a TV show, that's because it is like a TV show: As many before me have noted, this book is a Netflix show waiting to happen.
But that's just the thing. For all of its wittiness and entertainment, this book never really goes beyond those things. It lacks in subtlety, suggestion; the characters are often a bit too insightful and smart. As a result we are constantly, while the action unfolds, being fed with incredibly precise psychological analysis, ostensibly from the characters themselves, about their underlying motives. After a while, this feels a bit too much like being spoonfed. There is a kind of depth that can only be reached by leaving the reader free to ponder and wonder on their own, instead of keeping them tightly strapped in on a rollercoaster ride. That's what Crossroads is missing and why it, despite being well-written and definitely fun to read, is good but not great.
Nevertheless, it contains a lot of interesting material: Drug addiction, the impossibility of true altruism, charity and its unforeseen consequences (all very much my thing), family secrets and religious redemption à l'américaine (the latter not so much my thing) are just a few examples of the myriad issues touched upon. Lingering just underneath the surface, though not (yet) discussed explicitly, are concepts like whiteness, priviledge and identity politics. I have a feeling that Franzen, who is apparently working on multiple sequels, is setting the stage for a deep discussion of these themes. The sequels will be worth reading for that alone; I'll be sure to do so.
But that's just the thing. For all of its wittiness and entertainment, this book never really goes beyond those things. It lacks in subtlety, suggestion; the characters are often a bit too insightful and smart. As a result we are constantly, while the action unfolds, being fed with incredibly precise psychological analysis, ostensibly from the characters themselves, about their underlying motives. After a while, this feels a bit too much like being spoonfed. There is a kind of depth that can only be reached by leaving the reader free to ponder and wonder on their own, instead of keeping them tightly strapped in on a rollercoaster ride. That's what Crossroads is missing and why it, despite being well-written and definitely fun to read, is good but not great.
Nevertheless, it contains a lot of interesting material: Drug addiction, the impossibility of true altruism, charity and its unforeseen consequences (all very much my thing), family secrets and religious redemption à l'américaine (the latter not so much my thing) are just a few examples of the myriad issues touched upon. Lingering just underneath the surface, though not (yet) discussed explicitly, are concepts like whiteness, priviledge and identity politics. I have a feeling that Franzen, who is apparently working on multiple sequels, is setting the stage for a deep discussion of these themes. The sequels will be worth reading for that alone; I'll be sure to do so.
pkedzie's review against another edition
I felt that that that the story line was over the top and most of characters too stereotypical. I would have appreciated more nuance and I didn't want to devote hours to the story.