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.
nxnw4321's review against another edition
dark
tense
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
4.75
ferris_mx's review against another edition
4.0
It's complicated, OK?
The book did a really nice job illustrating each character's internal thought process. Even though they are family, other people only see 10% of who a person is and what they are going through.
The comparisons with my own life are uncomfortable. The decision to stay or go. The children, each disaffected in their own way. And OMG, they are all so disaffected.
I felt a bit like the editor got tired near the end. Why else would "plangent" be used four times, and not for reduplicative purposes? Same with "lambent". The use of "testosterone" made me uncomfortable - I don't think it surges like that, or can be blamed in that way. And "boy hair"? nah thanks.
The book did a really nice job illustrating each character's internal thought process. Even though they are family, other people only see 10% of who a person is and what they are going through.
The comparisons with my own life are uncomfortable. The decision to stay or go. The children, each disaffected in their own way. And OMG, they are all so disaffected.
I felt a bit like the editor got tired near the end. Why else would "plangent" be used four times, and not for reduplicative purposes? Same with "lambent". The use of "testosterone" made me uncomfortable - I don't think it surges like that, or can be blamed in that way. And "boy hair"? nah thanks.
lisagernand's review against another edition
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
bbboeken's review against another edition
5.0
For 2022 I set myself the challenge of reading at least one longer, slower book per month. I started with Franzen because I'd passed up on _The Corrections_ and then _Freedom_, and it's always motivating to start with an author's recent work. I thought I had to tackle this novel piecemeal, planning to read a shorter novel over two days, and sampling _Crossroads_ in between. While that started out fine, I found myself continuously drawn towards the tribulations of the Hildebrandt family, in so much that these past few days I focussed all my reading time on them. I was not disappointed.
There is nothing really *spectacular* about the story in _Crossroads_. The genius of this book lies in the way the plot develops, with its multiple iterations and viewpoints that thoroughly make sense, the evident outcome and the origins of it all. First surprising in adventure and experimentation, but soon the story turns out predestined for the inevitable familiarity of what is about to happen. Therein also lies the further strength of the novel: Franzen steers the Hildebrandts upon the path of determinism or at least cyclicism. History repeats itself, also on a microscale.
Added to the language, the mastery of the vocabulary, the eloquence, is the rhythm of Franzen's writing that flows almost like a stream of consciousness, reiterating in the points of view of the various characters.
If Franzen set out to write the great American novel, he is well underway.
There is nothing really *spectacular* about the story in _Crossroads_. The genius of this book lies in the way the plot develops, with its multiple iterations and viewpoints that thoroughly make sense, the evident outcome and the origins of it all. First surprising in adventure and experimentation, but soon the story turns out predestined for the inevitable familiarity of what is about to happen. Therein also lies the further strength of the novel: Franzen steers the Hildebrandts upon the path of determinism or at least cyclicism. History repeats itself, also on a microscale.
Added to the language, the mastery of the vocabulary, the eloquence, is the rhythm of Franzen's writing that flows almost like a stream of consciousness, reiterating in the points of view of the various characters.
If Franzen set out to write the great American novel, he is well underway.