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A review by laviskrg
Freedom by Jonathan Franzen
5.0
This book will go directly to the shelf "Best books of my life", but it puts plenty of the books on that list to shame. This was by far one of the greatest, most fabulous, most thought-provoking and heartbreaking books I've ever read in my life. It was recommended by an awesome friend with exquisite reading tastes who mentioned that he would not be surprised if this book ended up being taught in school. I share the same thoughts.
"Freedom" is a Great American novel, and it is essential to understand the strong political context, but as far as the family saga at its center and main focus, it is a novel of the world. It is very easy to falsely reject the characters as being weak or inactive or pessimistic but I found them extremely viscerally human and relatable on an emotional and sensitive level. What was at the beginning a decent into the destructive spiral of stangers' lives, turned out to be a personal, riveting, intellectual analysis of people I found to be all to real and all to close to me towards the end.
The language is sublime. It makes me cry out in joy to find a writer with such a beautiful control over language, such a diverse vocabulary, such a flowing prose, and such a realistic dialogue. Such a refreshing break from mediocre and sub-par wannabe "artists" who over-think and over-describe anything. This book, which was devoid of shallow action scenes was more exciting and nerve-wracking than entire volumes of non-stop action written for the Twitter generation.
I adored every page, and it is truly miraculous nowadays to find a book that you devour and that consumes you as well. A book which leaves so much within you while also peeling away your self defense layer by layer.
A true work of art of the modern time, humorous for how totally unfunny it is, intense, brutal, obvious yet unexpected. Heart-wrenching and warming at the same time. A must-read, must-love, and an immense warning sign of how not to live, but how many do. And yet, they do live.
"Freedom" is a Great American novel, and it is essential to understand the strong political context, but as far as the family saga at its center and main focus, it is a novel of the world. It is very easy to falsely reject the characters as being weak or inactive or pessimistic but I found them extremely viscerally human and relatable on an emotional and sensitive level. What was at the beginning a decent into the destructive spiral of stangers' lives, turned out to be a personal, riveting, intellectual analysis of people I found to be all to real and all to close to me towards the end.
The language is sublime. It makes me cry out in joy to find a writer with such a beautiful control over language, such a diverse vocabulary, such a flowing prose, and such a realistic dialogue. Such a refreshing break from mediocre and sub-par wannabe "artists" who over-think and over-describe anything. This book, which was devoid of shallow action scenes was more exciting and nerve-wracking than entire volumes of non-stop action written for the Twitter generation.
I adored every page, and it is truly miraculous nowadays to find a book that you devour and that consumes you as well. A book which leaves so much within you while also peeling away your self defense layer by layer.
A true work of art of the modern time, humorous for how totally unfunny it is, intense, brutal, obvious yet unexpected. Heart-wrenching and warming at the same time. A must-read, must-love, and an immense warning sign of how not to live, but how many do. And yet, they do live.