Rating: 
Summary: Worth Finishing...But Barely
Review: I had high expectations for this book. Franzen's refusal to be a member of Oprah's book club led me to believe that he had set the bar a bit higher for his readers than the standard emotional playground that Oprah endorses.
In some ways, I was not disappointed. This book is brilliantly written in parts (the early reference of the father's encroaching senility as wandering lost in a forest is beautiful and engrossing)but the characters' ultimate redemption comes at the cost of the author having made them so unlikeable from the first that, by the end, I didn't really care WHAT happened to any of them.
Franzen's understanding for his female characters is so thin it's almost non-existent. All of the women in this book serve as role-types to the men and not one of them is interesting enough or real enough for a woman reader to relate to them.
To be fair though, the men are not well developed either. They range from the pathetic to the self-absorbed to the merely hateful. Thankfully, I have never met anybody like any of these characters and I never expect to do so, but there are indications of a talented writer at work here. I think we can expect great things from him when he grows up!
Rating: 
Summary: Brash, bold -- The Babe of fiction? Franzen knocks one out
Review: Jonathan Franzen is either a publicity genius or a complete buffoon. His inane comments both about Oprah's book club and its women readers as well as his earlier promises to reinvent and revitalize American literature have created much animosity. Right now it is nearly impossible to read or write a review of "The Corrections" without being influenced by its author and his outrageous comments trumpeting his own abilities and belittling the shortcomings of his readers. But face it, his antics have made "The Corrections" the first book of literary merit to splash into our nation's pop awareness - without any ties to a film - since Salinger shut himself away in Vermont.Did Franzen reinvent literature with "The Corrections"? No. In fact, Franzen's novel is not at all that unusual or important from a craft perspective. Less audacious or experimental than David Foster Wallace or even Stephan King, Franzen reminds a reader of a Phillip Roth who writes in the third person or a William Gaddis who uses quotes. His characters are less self-destructive and repulsive than those found in a Todd Solondz movie. He uses time and plot structure in a more conventional manner than Vonnegut. But the book is good, even great. He's skillful, turns a phrase well, uses all the tricks and baubles of the professional writer with ease. Symbolism, emotion, character, it's all there. "The Corrections" is a fast read and creeps under the skin. To me what makes the book are the themes. The conflict between self-illusion and ugly reality. The dashing of the American Way of Life, moving away from rigid and unreal Midwest values to an equally absurd set of urban rules. Family. Love. Failure and success. Personally, I loved Franzen's depiction of family reconciliation. That moment when, as a child, you manage to realize that your parents are neither horrible nor terribly unusual. But with all the hype and energy spent hating or loving Franzen, it's impossible to judge the book fairly in the immediate aftermath of its release. Perhaps in a decade we'll know better what to think.
Rating: 
Summary: Nightmare
Review: Well I am the only one in my book club of five to even finish this so called novel. If you are lucky enough to make it through the first 100 pages prepare yourself for a storyteller who just wants to think of the most bizarre things that could possibly happen to individuals and a family. The dysfunction was ridiculous at times. Did it make it funny? NO. It was just a terrible way in which for the author to fill pages. There is so much wordplay. Almost everyone has some form of dysfunction in their family but this was over the top. I just don't get the hype
Rating: 
Summary: The Human Condition with a Twist
Review: The majority of this 562-page novel is about the characters' individual lives. Franzen wrote this novel so well that I not only felt like I was walking in each character's shoes, but felt transported to St. Jude, New York City, and Lithuania.
The Corrections packs a humorous and realistic punch about life at the end of this century. He depicted the '90s parent very well in Gary, who tries to be the authority figure in his household and fails due to his insecurities. Denise is the Career Woman who doesn't know who she is or how to deal with life's emotional challenges. Chip starts out as a directionless sex fiend, a man I really started out despising. Out of the three, he surprised me with his growth. Enid and Alfred are the aging parents these adult children have to deal with.
I give this book four and a half stars for two reasons. Although the Lamberts' lives are interesting, I couldn't wait to get to the Christmas Dinner, which I expected to be darkly satirical. Instead, it was brutally realistic but not a total letdown. Still, I enjoyed it for what it was.
I would recommend this book to anyone who enjoys reading about the human condition.
Rating:
Summary: An English Opinion
Review: I was interested to read what Americans would make of this. Perhaps it is because we are a little more cynical in England, but I didn't find this depressing or the characters unlikeable - just real. It is not a book for rivetting plot lines, but i could relate to all the characters. Chip had tried to define himself by intellectual conceits until his humanity got in the way. Gary, well, there must be millions of people like him. They have everything, they have tried to do the conventional thing, but on one side they are attacked for their conventional materialism, and on the other, it hasn't brought them a lot of pleasure, only they can't accept this, that would be defeat, so they plug on, isolating themselves. I'm only half way through, but psychologically at least, it seems spot on - maybe Americans are engrained with enough optimism to find the characters too defeatist. The only really significant cultural variation I have found is that I hadn't realised just how stock market obsessed Americans are (if, that is, the book is a fare representation). The uk is pretty materialistic, but no way near as money focused as this book portrays the US to be.
Rating:
Summary: Dark, naked, unsettlingly insightful
Review: Regardless of the Oprah imbroglio, this is hardly lightweight or middlebrow reading. This is a dark, complex, thought provoking, and somewhat unsettling novel. It is a brutal and searing depiction of mid-west middle class life, reflecting the angst, inadequacy, and lack of fulfillment that many people have. The irony in the distain which many adopt, turning their backs on their origins after attaining success was among the many depressing, yet accurate types of unattractive behavior represented. "The Corrections" reflects the many ugly things about the lives of many seemingly normal mainstream people, and much of it represents a scathing indictment of mainstream mores. As a reaction to such upbringing the characters it produces end up breaking many of "the established rules" as a consequence. The novel incorporates a signficant surrealistic component, which highlights many of the underlying themes, but which also makes this work far more complex, and requires that it be carefully read to fully appreciate the metaphors. Franzen's detailed knowledge of disparate areas, such as international commerce as well as the chemistry is daunting and vastly enhances the novel, as well as making it that much more complex. This is a very thought provoking work; I think it would be ideal for book groups.
Rating: 
Summary: Ho Hum till the end....not bad for a long car ride
Review: This book did not really capture my attention until the last CD. There were 8 altogether. I listened to it driving from NH to NJ and back again. The characters especially the secondary ones, could have used a little more depth. I am glad I had to listen to it, because if it had been the book, I would have put it down after the first 100 pages.
Not all it was hyped to be.
Rating:
Summary: Last Noel
Review: Five years ago, Franzen set himself an impossible task when he declared in the pages of Harper's that he would write the Great American Novel. Does he succeed? No, but the results are noneless entertaining. "The Corrections" tells the tale of the saturnine Midwestern patriarch, Alfred, his hapless, neurotic wife, Enid, and their three children, Gary, Chip and Denise, whose personal and professional failures are traceable to their father's chilly emotional reserve and outdated moral values. Eldest child Gary is an outwardly successful banker who succumbs to alcoholism as his marriage disintegrates. Middle child Chip is a disgraced academic who is forced, by a chronic lack of funds, into conning investors in Lithuania. The youngest, Denise, is a successful chef who loses her job due to a series of complex romantic entangelements. Because of Alfred's rapidly deteriorating mental and physical health, all three children are recalled by a frantic Enid to their midwestern homestead for one last Christmas reunion. Franzen's tale of midwestern dysfunction is nothing that hasn't been done before, but his telling displays above-average wit and a great sense of pacing. And now, the caveats. One: like many authors of his generation (Zadie Smith, Jonathan Lethem, David Eggers), Franzen seems more concerned with erudition and wordplay than plot. Pages go by without action or dialogue, as the author treats his audience to exegeses on metallurgy, medical technology and Eastern European politics. The asides are well done, but impatient readers may find them irritating. Two: all of Franzen's characters--including elders Alfred and Enid--speak and think in the fast, ironic, self-conscious psychoanalytical argot of early 21st century Oprah-philes. (Sorry, Mr. Franzen, but the Oprah endorsement is the perfect complement to this novel.) They characters are well done, but older readers may find them incomprehensible. Three: while Franzen displays a wonderful ability to juggle multiple storylines, he relies on too many coincidences to bring together the disparate pieces of the plot. The epilogue also seems a little pat. (Who ordered the perfectly-timed Lithuanian revolution? How about the prodigal son?) The stories are well done, but skeptical readers may find them incredible. Overall, there's enough good writing and good storytelling here for me to recommend. Criticize Franzen for his poor professional judgment and his poor manners, but "The Corrections," apart from its author, is a solid piece of work.
Rating:
Summary: Intense
Review: Had to read the book based upon the Oprah issue alone. I liked this book a lot but became disinterested with some of the sub-plots that seemed to go nowhere (impending execution). I recognize these issues added depth - but detracted from the intriguing family dynamic. Incredible new writer with great character development. I think his editor could have trimmed back some of the meanderings. Mental Health and Aging issues were incredibly well written. I definitely recommend reading this book. A great book club discussion book.
Rating:
Summary: Disappointed
Review: I am very sorry to say I had a very hard time getting through half of this book. The subject (when I first bought this book) was very interesting. I thought this would be an appealing book. I think he overdid one of the characters in the plot and I felt very sorry for the main character. One of the characters in the story was hard to believe, I could not relate her to anyone or imagine her even being real. For whoever finishes this book, I hope the second half is better than the first....
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