Rating: 
Summary: The Great American Novel?
Review: A plot summary doesn't do it justice. It's the story of Alfred Lambert's descent into dementia and the attempts of his family to cope with the old tyrant's decline. Enid, his wife, focuses her energy on bringing her reluctant children back home for Christmas. Much is made of the contrast between the connservative mid-west and the liberal east. You can even feel that the chapters set back in St Jude are reminiscent of the American novelists of the first part of the twentieth century, Sinclair, Veblen, Cather, Dreiser, Fuller, while the chapters in the suburban east have touches of Updike and Cheever. One senses the "great American novel" urge (That's not altogether a compliment). Anne Tyler was the author I was most reminded of.
The humor is best when he describes small domestic details, such as the chaos in an old house inhabited by an elderly couple. Chips, the failed academic son has farcical adventures in which Franzen takes aim at targets that have been hit too often before, like post-modernist literary criticism. Gary is the materialist son ith the business career and three children. Denise is the daughter with a with an even more successful career who earns her parents' disapproval by divorce and childlessness.
There's lot more to it than that, a whole lot more, 587 pages, but, with the exception of the episodes with Chips in Lithuania, I didn't think it rambled or was overlong or baggy. Oddly enough, Enid's pressure to get everyone together for Christmas holds the narrative together and keeps up tension better than a more melodramatic device would.
Rating: 
Summary: not for everyone
Review: If you're not american, this book won't mean much to you. this didn't stop me from reading the book, but I did not enjoy it.
Rating: 
Summary: Oprah hype irrelevant - CORRECTIONS is well worth the effort
Review: Jonathon Franzen's THE CORRECTIONS is an incredible novel that is well worth the effort of getting past the first 100 pages or so. It has been a long time since I've read something so engrossing that is based on characters I find thoroughly repugnant at the start; Franzen's skill as a writer held my attention until the story just swallowed me up. What works best in this engaging novel is the simple instability of four of the five main characters. Franzen works magic as he recounts the epic rise and fall of Enid, Gary, Denise, and Chip Albright - in his recounting of their self-sabotaging imperfections the reader is horrified and at the same time not at all surprised. As Franzen weaves their stories around Alfred, the 'head of the household,' the effect is nearly hypnotizing; in his advancing dementia Alfred is taken prisoner by what he considers his highest virtue, the ability to remain 'private' to the point of emotional solitary confinement. Alfred's distance, one realizes, is at the same time a gift and a curse for his family. They all thrive in their own reflections of his emotional isolation, yet their craving for the connection that comes only with emotional vulnerability and openness leads them all to horrible levels of self-delusion and denial. THE CORRECTIONS is just what the title suggests - a recounting of external issues that must be painfully borne and also an evaluation of how different people may or may not be open to the self-understanding that comes only when one considers one's family of origin. But if this were just psychology wrapped up in fiction it wouldn't be nearly so entertaining - Franzen's skill is such that even when the reader's skin is crawling with revulsion (and a bit of self-identification as well!), they also can't wait to turn the page and find out what happens next. THE CORRECTIONS is a book that will cause discomfort in the first few hundred pages, yet it is well worth the effort in the end.
Rating:
Summary: Not for everyone, but still memorable
Review: Like many readers of this book, I had to read about 100 pages until my interest was peaked--the characters are all unlikable in the beginning. But by the end, I liked nearly all of them ... and I was most surprised to like Chip. I guess nearly every character has a redemption of sorts in this book. That being said, I wouldn't think a lot of people would like this book unless they really appreciate character development and a plot that has many elements of farce (such as the Lithuania part). I did find this book realistic, especially Enid's thoughts and behaviors. In the end, I've very glad I read this book, but I would not read it again. It's a tough journey with a lot of muck to slog through.
Rating: 
Summary: Reluctant Admiration
Review: ...P>Franzen's Lambert clan keeps you engaged in their misadventures and over-the-top experiences as they struggle with simpler life themes. Franzen's ego does shine through in this book, which frankly ought to have been 50-100 shorter with tighter editing. And though I strongly feel that The Corrections is certainly not the "Great American Novel" the self-satisfied Mr. Franzen believes it to be, it is certainly a well-written and laudable "Great American Dysfunctional Family Novel". On a completely childsih and pedantic note, Enid is EVIL.
Rating: 
Summary: Why the hype?
Review: I can't quite figure out what all they hype about this book is? It's a rather tedious story about a family that is not particularly interesting or compelling. You won't be missing anything if you skip this one. I wish I'd quit reading at the halfway point instead of slogging through it.
Rating:
Summary: Woe be to the reader
Review: What an enormous disappointment. After all the hype and accolades, I have determined that I am just not "in tune" with what is good modern literature. Maybe I should say that good literature at least ought to draw me into the characters. Whether I personally like them or not I would hope there could be some empathy engendered, but there was none in this story. Every character in this book with the exception of Jonah (Gary's youngest son) was self-centered and boring. If this is a reflection of the "modern family" may the fates help us all. Maybe in Franzen's world these people are the norm, but thankfully even with many of the odd characters I know, few have the diseased emotions and/or values of this family. Granted it was well written and was an easy read, but I wanted to discover one decent,... character or at least one adult who "saw the light". Maybe Franzen's portrayal of Chip was supposed to endear the reader to him at the end, but it failed in my mind's eye. Read something else.
Rating:
Summary: Boring!
Review: This was possibly the most tedious and depressing book that I have ever read. I didn't want to finish it, but kept thinking that maybe it would get better (it didn't). The characters are all sad and annoying and you don't really feel sorry for them as much as you would like to slap them into reality. Don't be fooled by reviews you've read in magazines, I was, and this book is only readable if you enjoy torturing yourself.
Rating:
Summary: Interesting, but...
Review: Dysfunctional family, annoying characters... but still mildly entertaining & amusing. How three kids from the same family could be SO [messed] up is beyond me, but can sure make for some funny moments. Overall, though, a bit of a letdown after hearing all the hype. It just goes to show what good P.R. can do for a book (or movie).
...
Rating:
Summary: Oprah was right
Review: OK -- so Oprah gave this book her blessing, but then Franzen made his work even more famous when he tried to trump her applause. It doesn't matter because this is just such a good book. Its a story where the author takes time to develop at least four solid characters -- Chip, Gary, Denise and their mother Enid. i found things to identify with in each character. While that would be enough to make this book worthy of reading, there is also all of the valuable social commentary. Franzen makes fun of investment cruises, pyschotropic drugs, at home security systems, and other odd developments in our era that deserve to be examined.
Some people have said that this is a "guys book." It is true that the opening section spends a lot of time developing the character of Chip through a series of first-person platitudes about breasts. Still, this is not just for guys. My wife refuted the apathy of her fellow book club members and plowed on through.
I see that some people claim to have read this book in one night. That seems very difficult, but is certainly the kind of story that compels you to return to it shortly after putting it down.
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