Rating: 
Summary: Better than the Bible. Honest. Engrossing. Enjoyable.
Review: I am not the most devoted reader; so many novels started that bore the hell out of me, recommended, best sellers, award winning, average novels of 300 pages that put me to sleep. Not the Corrections. I passionately read all 568 pages. I laughed alot, was erotically turned on in parts, yes, and reread paragraphs that left me thinking. He deserves all the praise that is normally given and not deserved, and I think a talent such as his deserves to be smug if that's how he wants to live. It's refreshing to see lives so real and chaotic, explored so that a reader can feel their own unspoken thoughts are not alone or extreme.
Rating: 
Summary: Unabridged Audio Book Review
Review: This review is of the unabridged Recorded Books on Tape version of the book, recorded by George Guidell. If "The Corrections" were a person, this person would be diagnosed with multiple personalities. The story is HYSTERICALLY FUNNY ... Chip steals $78 worth of salmon by stuffing it down his pants in a high priced NY deli - this section of the book made me laugh out loud; ABSOLUTELY REVOLTING... Alfred has hours of conversation with, how should I put this delicately, a piece of fecal matter that has mysteriously rolled out of his adult diaper; SYMPATHETIC ... Chip is forced to sit at a dinner table for hours until he eats his dinner of liver, mashed rutabaga and beet greens and finally falls asleep on his plate; TEDIOUSLY BORING ... Enid's and Alfred's conversation on their cruise with their Norwegian dinner companions is reminiscent of watching other people's home movies ...and many other different adjectives will certainly come to your mind while you are reading. While to me, this book is not the 5-star masterpiece that some reviewers have rated, it is certainly not the horrible book that others have lambasted as the worst book ever written. It is certainly worth reading and many parts are very entertaining. Others come a bit too close for comfort - almost like the author was hovering near your family for inspiration! The narrator for the Recorded Books on Tape version does deserve 5 stars - he is amazing and gives every character a different, distinctive voice. If you haven't been able to get through the book reading it, it might be better to listen to it on tape.
Rating: 
Summary: schizophrenogenic reunions
Review: The Corrections is literary psychological probing at its near best, providing a highly amusing, intriguing portrayal of humans on the brink of "normalcy" but not quite able to make the connection. Actually, within these pages "normalcy" and "abnormality" are creatively redefined. Situations seem to take on greater appeal and seeming vivacity the stranger they get. Families are always wondering "Is it just us?" Are we the only crazy ones? Franzen provides a way for the reader to delight in the idiosyncracies of his characters, richly developed personae of paranoia and paralyzation of emotions. A well-educated, witty writer to be reckoned with - I tip my hat, Mr. Franzen. This is a thoroughly enjoyable work.
Rating: 
Summary: over the over the top
Review: An interesting story, if one looks beyond Mr. Franzen's bloated self-importance. Everything in this book was too inflated, too ridiculous, too beyond belief even for the parody that it was.
Rating:
Summary: No sympathetic characters makes this a tough read.
Review: Franzen's descriptions of people and everyday events are some of the best that I have read in recent years. Many times I feel that "click" as I read his words, knowing EXACTLY what he is talking about. That said, the problem I have with this book is that none of these characters have any redeeming value. While Franzen does an excellent job of showcasing the minute flaws that make up our everyday characters, he doesn't show any of the positive aspects of human nature at all. The end result is a grim tale of how families go wrong. This is a very dark view of life and Franzen never lets up on that theme, making this a depressing and dreary read. If you like reading for the sake of reading and don't invest yourself in the characters, by all means, read The Corrections. Otherwise, go elsewhere.
Rating:
Summary: Correcting the Hype!
Review: I'm only into 60-something pages and I hate this book! I don't know if I'll be able to finish it. I hate the characters, I hate their lives and the writing isn't inspired enough to make me want to continue reading. I'm with all those other people out there who have gone against the hype to say, "What's the big deal?"
Rating: 
Summary: Not terrible, but certainly NOT a masterpiece.
Review: Well...the book is readable, but I think if Franzen was attempting to make a statement, he's failed utterly. Frankly, it's another case of "much ado about nothing". Not funny, not though-provoking...and certainly nothing new. But, unlike most of these over-hyped novels, I was able to read it all the way through without disgust or boredom. I just wouldn't particularly choose to ever read it again. And for those who compare this to Dostoyevski or Faulkner, that is really an insult to those writers (by the way,and this is admittedly irrelevant, I have read "Karamazov" three times in my life..the first time when I was in fifth grade!). Not a great American novel, and you certainly won't be missing anything if you skip this one. Dostoyevski, Tolstoi, Faulkner, etc...have nothing to worry about
Rating:
Summary: A pleasure to read
Review: Corrections is a wonderful read - the sort of book you immerse yourself in for several days. It is a painfully realistic dissection of the internal dynamics and tensions of pretty ordinary family life, and the sort of value shifts that occurred in the latter half of the 20th century (at least in western, Americanised cultures, such as mine). What I particularly liked was the shifting viewpoints; Franzen has managed to get into the subconscious, perhaps the soul of family relationships, and help us to understand the motivations, foibles and passions of very ordinary people - people who we can recognise, parts of whom it is not too difficult to imagine being able to see in ourselves. I am especially interested in the relationship of adult children to their elderly parents (probably reflecting the stage of life I am at) and I think Franzen has written about this with poignancy, but without maudlin or schmaltzy excess, which may have been the result in a lesser writer's hands.
It is thoroughly contemporary, and at the same time explores some universal themes. The social mores and conventions may change over generations, but the need to examine them and hold them up to the light do not diminish. What Jane Austen achieved with 19th century social relationships in a certain cultural setting, so does Franzen. It is also very funny in parts. I recommend it without hesitation.
Rating:
Summary: Unadulterated sardonic bliss...!
Review: It isn't important to me to lavish praise on "The Corrections" or Mr. Franzen, but simply to reach out to readers of contemporary fiction and encourage them wholeheartedly to ignore the detractors and consider reading this beautiful novel. For those who relish contemporary criticism of American family life, ala "The Royal Tennenbaums" or "American Beauty," this is assigned, mandatory reading! Cheers, JF!
Rating:
Summary: Rotten Read.
Review: I'm trying hard to find a character I can sympathize with in this book. Why did Franzen even write about these people: it seems as though he hates them as much as I do. I have read about 1/3 of this novel and I cannot stand it. I fail to see the need to read this book, so although I am on a strict budget, I'm shopping for another! If you love composite sentances and an author who needs to consult his thesaurus every five words, or just like to read about miserable people failing at life, read this book. If you need cheering, leave it on the shelf!
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