Rating: 
Summary: Uncorrections
Review: I think the Uncorrections are the whole point of the book. All these awful people are busily correcting and criticizing *one another*, and it does no good. Nobody changes. The Enids of this world never do. I know. My mother is one, and as Carolyn says at one point, people like that think everyone has a problem but them. I had to watch my father die of Parkinson's and senile dementia under my mother's tender ministrations. I think she literally nagged him to death. Gee, what a trip down Memory Lane!Much as I hated reading The Corrections, I thought it was a wonderful, true-to-life representation of exactly the sort of dysfunctional family I myself grew up in. You don't have to like the characters to appreciate how skillfully and with how much insight they are portrayed. Makes you wonder which of this nasty crew little Jonathan was. (I'm betting on Chip.) P.S. Another nice little irony: My book club is discussing The Corrections on Sunday, June 16. Father's Day.
Rating:
Summary: A golden ring in the snout of a pig
Review: After it won the National Book Award, I decided that I had to read this book to see what all of the fuss was about. I read the most popular reviews listed here and found that I don't agree with any of them. Without question, Franzen is a very gifted writer. His prose and descriptive style were refreshing. Although I don't particularly agree with the philosophy of life/worldview that permeates the novel, he is obviously intelligent and thoughtful, which makes for an interesting read. I also found his characters to be realistic and captivating, and I found the book to be hard to put down. BUT ... What is the deal with all of the sexual hangups and screw-ups? Was the graphic detail necessary in the telling of the story? Did it make me see Chip any differently to envision him sniffing a chaise lounge looking for "DNA"? Seriously, has quality writing come to this? It seemed like I couldn't turn two pages without having something sexual come flying out of nowhere. This is obviously a dysfunctional family, but please. Some of the sexualization of the novel was very thoughtful and introspective, but often it seemed like a gifted pubescent teen was trying to write a novel while struggling with raging hormones that showed up on every other page. My other criticisms are a bit more idiosyncratic, but worthy of mention. As a midwesterner who has lived (for a summer) in the Baltics, I was annoyed with his descriptions of both. What is the deal with the East Coast perceptions of the Midwest? At least Franzen grew up in the Midwest, although his descriptions of things "midwestern" were hardly symnpathetic. Franzen doesn't have a monopoly on this thinking as it has been in evidence from the legend of the Hatfields & the McCoys up through the present in films such as Fargo. Apparently, it makes the urban East Coast feel better to imagine this seemy, dark side intermixed with breath-taking ignorance in all of the inhabitants of that large, netherworld that they call the midwest. It's the same mindset that sees a novel based exclusively in Manhattan as general fiction, but anything based west of Pennsylvania as a form of one regional genre or another. I don't know that Franzen even meant to have some negative portrayal of what it means to be midwestern, but I can't help but notice how it seems to resonate among the few East Coast readers whom I have heard comment on it. As for his descriptions of Lithuania, well, he picked the wrong former Soviet republic to denigrate. Much of his description of the gangland post-Soviet economic structure would have been much more suitable elsewhere in the former Soviet Union. Relatively speaking, Lithuania has been quite stable. Three stars seems like a fair overall rating because Franzen is a very gifted writer who tells an interesting and, at times, captivating story, but I just didn't see the originality that so many critics seem so ga-ga over. "A golden ring in the snout of a pig" is the analogy that lingers in my mind.
Rating: 
Summary: Post Modern, Gen X Drivel
Review: If you like literature, look elsewhere. If Tatler's your idea of where's its at, buy Tatler. If you want to read well written stories of suburban dysfunctionalism, read Cheever or Updike. Save your time with this one. The character's are cartoonish, the plot highly contrived; I am not a woman, but the female characters are clearly written from a man's point of view. You want a male writer of a female character? Read Nabokov. I cannot think of many redeeming features to this book, outside of the fact that its inspired me to write my first on line review. This book is derivative drivel. Please avoid!
Rating: 
Summary: Bravo to Franzen for a novel well worth reading
Review: In a world where "dysfunctional" has become the norm, The Corrections by Jonathan Franzen gives an insightful and often poignant look into the twisted relationships that form and sometimes shatter the members of a small mid-western family. While the premise may seem blase and overworked, Franzen delivers a captivating novel that throws the dysfunction in your face while still generating enough empathy for the characters to allow the reader to feel connected in a familiar and almost surreal way. The book is organized in an easy-to-read fashion. Each section of the book focuses on a different aspect of the family, whether it be a character or a relationship, and ties each bizarre limb together by way of a central storyline - the mother's desire to have her entire family together one last time for Christmas. Franzen is extremely detailed in his development of each character and does an exquisite job making each member of the Lambert family come to life. The passages are well-written and colorful. The language is purposeful and imaginative. It is obvious that Franzen worked very hard crafting this novel. My only criticism is that the early portion of the book would have benefitted from some additional editing. There is excess verbage that made some sections feel contrived - as if Franzen was forcing an eccentric quality. I can best compare it to some of my old law school professors who droned on and on simply for the sake of hearing their own voices. Within a short span, however, Franzen falls into a groove and delivers a superb read. Not quite a literary masterpiece but when viewed next to some other contemporary literature...it comes close.
Rating:
Summary: The Uncorrections
Review: This is the worst book I have read in a really long time. There is not one likeable character in the book. After reading about half the book, I skipped to the end (something I never do) hoping to find out that there was something redemeaming in the ending. Not so. Enid is the same hateful character she was throughout the book. In fact they all are. This book shouldn't be called the Corrections which leads you to beleive that these people are going to have some life change during this story. It should be called the Uncorrections. No one changed and they were all awful human beings!! One reveiwer wrote he could related to every character. I don't know whom he hangs out with but these characters were all scum of the earth types to me. None of them are someone I'd want to know. This was not enjoyable or interesting reading. I can't wait for my book club meeting next month. Everyone I've talked to so far hates this book. It should be a great discussion - ripping this story apart!
Rating:
Summary: Maybe it got better, but I didn't get that far
Review: I tried, I really tried. I hung in there until the excruciating, long, drawn out description of Alfred trying to sit on Chip's chaise longue. I don't know if he ever did sit down. Yawn.
Rating:
Summary: the corrections
Review: There can be no doubt Mr. Franzen is an excellent writer, and I look forward to his next book. I even wrote down several memorable lines in a book I keep for that purpose. However, I had almost no sympathy for any of the characters. It's hard to get truly involved in a book when this element is lacking. I really didn't care what happened to any of them. I think it got a little tedious at times, but I kept on plowing through. All in all, a worthwhile book though not a great one.
Rating: 
Summary: Depressing isn't even the point
Review: Okay folks, we know that the content of this book was a tad on the depressing side. However, that was not at all the problem that I had with it. "A Fine Balance", another Oprah book, was one of the most depressing books I've ever read, but I loved it. The key? The characters. Try as I might, I just could not bring myself to like any of these people. Dysfunction is one thing. But reading about a bunch of whiny people with infantile desires and poor judgment is not my idea of fun.
Rating:
Summary: Endlessly boring
Review: This book was endlessly boring. I had trouble getting through it and only kept on with it because it was well-reviewed, I paid for the hardcover, and I kept thinking SOMETHING must happen. It finally did at the end, but it never should have taken so long to get there. What a strain!
Rating:
Summary: An insight into a family...may be your neighbors.
Review: I liked this book. I like any book that has an offbeat sense of humor about itself. Mr. Franzen is an amazing writer. I could identify with every single character (to some extent). The way Franzen can describe each individual and his/her emotions; as if he's been all of them before, is wonderful. I think people who didn't like this book may have taken it too seriously..maybe it hit too close to home? Either that or maybe they need to stick to their Harlequin Romance Pulp.
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