lubepizza's review against another edition
dark
emotional
reflective
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
God I hate this family so much but boy howdy does this sucker know how to write.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Dysphoria, Sexual content, Addiction, Alcohol, Drug abuse, Drug use, and Mental illness
Moderate: Suicide, Sexual violence, Body shaming, Abortion, Eating disorder, Infidelity, and Racism
Minor: War and Adult/minor relationship
msmichaela's review against another edition
3.75
I was engrossed for the first 60% but the story eventually bogs down. Also, Franzen’s obsession with the main female character’s weight was really off putting.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Body shaming
saskiasreads's review against another edition
dark
reflective
tense
slow-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
3.25
Content Warnings
Graphic: Drug use, Eating disorder, Body shaming, Mental illness, and Abortion
Moderate: Pedophilia
reverie_and_books's review against another edition
challenging
reflective
slow-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
5.0
Crossroads by Jonathan Franzen - Review (🇬🇧 + 🇩🇪)
This was my first book by Franzen and it will not be my last. What follows is a lose collection of parts I thoroughly enjoyed:
The vivid characterization: Not one of these characters is overly likeable. I don’t need likeable figures, I’m intrigued by tangible ones. Those who really mess things up, understandably so.
The family dynamics: it is told from multiple PoVs. The parents and the oldest three of their four children get to tell their side of things.
A portal back: it takes place in the 1970s. These characters have (as far as I can be a judge of that) the mindset of their time. But it is written in a way that doesn’t seem backwards, just sensitive of their time and ours.
The exploration of the male ego and female insecurity: Russ is a patriarch in Christian cloth on an ego trip. His wife Marion is the one who »refines« his sermons. She is insecure and little acknowledged. For me the question arises, whether their underlying issues aren’t of the same nature.
Explorations of Christianity: I’m not religious at all and at times I have difficulties to relate. But that’s okay, at least in »Crossroads« it is. The discussions around faith, the dimensions of it, the underlying goal. It was worthwhile to read for me.
Definitely a highlight of 2021.
CN: body shaming, drug abuse, white saviorism, mental illness.
_____
🇩🇪 Crossroads von Jonathan Franzen
Dies war mein erstes Buch von Franzen und wird nicht das letzte gewesen sein. Es folgt eine lose Auflistung von Dingen, die mir besonders gefallen haben.
Lebendige Charaktere: Keine der Figuren ist besonders sympathisch. Das brauche ich auch gar nicht, mir ist viel wichtiger dass sie nahbar sind und Chaos stiften. Großartig!
Familien-Dynamik: Die Geschichte wird aus fünf Perspektiven erzählt: die Eltern und die drei ältesten der vier Kinder.
Zeitreise: Es spielt in den 70ern. Die Charaktere haben gängige Auffassungen und Glaubenssätze ihrer Zeit (soweit ich das beurteilen kann). Das Buch wirkt aber nicht rückständig, Franzen zollt eher Respekt für ihre damalige Zeit und ordnet sie in unsere ein.
Facetten des männlichen Egos und der weiblichen Unsicherheit: Russ ist ein Patriarch im Pastoren-Gewand auf einem Ego-Trip. Seine Frau Marion ist eine hingebungsvolle Mutter und Ehefrau mit einer fast konträren Vergangenheit. Beide fühlen sich nicht gesehen und wertgeschätzt. Die Kombination ist sehr – sagen wir mal – interessant.
Religion: Eigentlich gar nicht mein Thema, hier fand ich die Betrachtung und Bedeutung der Religion für die Charaktere jedoch sehr interessant.
Definitiv ein Jahreshighlight in 2021!
Inhaltswarnungen: Bodyshaming, Drogenmissbrauch, Mentale Gesundheit
This was my first book by Franzen and it will not be my last. What follows is a lose collection of parts I thoroughly enjoyed:
The vivid characterization: Not one of these characters is overly likeable. I don’t need likeable figures, I’m intrigued by tangible ones. Those who really mess things up, understandably so.
The family dynamics: it is told from multiple PoVs. The parents and the oldest three of their four children get to tell their side of things.
A portal back: it takes place in the 1970s. These characters have (as far as I can be a judge of that) the mindset of their time. But it is written in a way that doesn’t seem backwards, just sensitive of their time and ours.
The exploration of the male ego and female insecurity: Russ is a patriarch in Christian cloth on an ego trip. His wife Marion is the one who »refines« his sermons. She is insecure and little acknowledged. For me the question arises, whether their underlying issues aren’t of the same nature.
Explorations of Christianity: I’m not religious at all and at times I have difficulties to relate. But that’s okay, at least in »Crossroads« it is. The discussions around faith, the dimensions of it, the underlying goal. It was worthwhile to read for me.
Definitely a highlight of 2021.
CN: body shaming, drug abuse, white saviorism, mental illness.
_____
🇩🇪 Crossroads von Jonathan Franzen
Dies war mein erstes Buch von Franzen und wird nicht das letzte gewesen sein. Es folgt eine lose Auflistung von Dingen, die mir besonders gefallen haben.
Lebendige Charaktere: Keine der Figuren ist besonders sympathisch. Das brauche ich auch gar nicht, mir ist viel wichtiger dass sie nahbar sind und Chaos stiften. Großartig!
Familien-Dynamik: Die Geschichte wird aus fünf Perspektiven erzählt: die Eltern und die drei ältesten der vier Kinder.
Zeitreise: Es spielt in den 70ern. Die Charaktere haben gängige Auffassungen und Glaubenssätze ihrer Zeit (soweit ich das beurteilen kann). Das Buch wirkt aber nicht rückständig, Franzen zollt eher Respekt für ihre damalige Zeit und ordnet sie in unsere ein.
Facetten des männlichen Egos und der weiblichen Unsicherheit: Russ ist ein Patriarch im Pastoren-Gewand auf einem Ego-Trip. Seine Frau Marion ist eine hingebungsvolle Mutter und Ehefrau mit einer fast konträren Vergangenheit. Beide fühlen sich nicht gesehen und wertgeschätzt. Die Kombination ist sehr – sagen wir mal – interessant.
Religion: Eigentlich gar nicht mein Thema, hier fand ich die Betrachtung und Bedeutung der Religion für die Charaktere jedoch sehr interessant.
Definitiv ein Jahreshighlight in 2021!
Inhaltswarnungen: Bodyshaming, Drogenmissbrauch, Mentale Gesundheit
Content Warnings
Moderate: Drug abuse, Mental illness, Sexual assault, and Body shaming
katerinapsi'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? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Addiction and Mental illness
Moderate: Body shaming
Minor: Sexual assault
cassidy's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
reflective
medium-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
4.0
Wow I really just wanted the characters in this book to stop making bad choices. Made me sad about the way that life turns out sometimes
Content Warnings
Graphic: Fatphobia and Mental illness
Moderate: Eating disorder, Abortion, Body shaming, and Suicide attempt
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