Rating: 
Summary: I loved this book even though I wanted to hate it.
Review: In my opinion, this book was fully deserving of the National Book Award. I wanted to hate it because of Franzen's ungentlemanly behavior toward Oprah, but I found myself absolutely fascinated. Franzen succeeds in making every character believable; not an easy task when three men and two women are involved. The only character we don't really forgive is Alfred because we don't understand what made him the way he was. But we understand Enid and her response to fifty years of being unloved, but sooo deserving of love. One of the reviewers mentioned that none of the characters redeem themselves. Finish the book; at least three of the five do so. I don't think they can truly be described as dysfunctional. Please!! They had money and education and were never beaten or starved. Their dysfunctions are the dysfunctions of late 20th century society. I personally have known far worse parents who managed to produce functioning children in spite of themselves. Franzen's description of Denise's discovery of her sexuality is brilliant as is his description of Alfred's descent into senility. Denise, Chip, and Enid all ultimately come to terms with their lives. Gary continues to live with blinders on, but so do many people. I found this an extremely satisfying book, one that gave new insight into why people behave the way they do.
Rating: 
Summary: Worst Book I've read in years
Review: I can't believe I wasted 2 days on this long, boring, sexually disgusting, depressing book! It came "highly recommended" from a reputable bookstore. After reading it, I shared parts of it with the friend who gave it to me and she was so embarrassed - neither of us can understand why anyone would EVER recommend this to anyone! We can't imagine how it got such a high rating - did these people actually read the book??
The characters are cartoonish, the plot non-existant, the sex graphic and boring, and everyone is so self-absorbingly unhappy from doing awful things to each other. What a waste!!
Rating: 
Summary: Disappointing.
Review: I read "The Corrections" because it was an Oprah selection, but, like so many of her picks, the novel was just dark and depressing and gave me an overall feeling of hopelessness. The family dynamics were interesting and I found myself wanting to learn how the family members' lives played out, but Franzen really fell short, in my opinion, in many ways. I felt that after the author had spent so much time/so many pages describing mundane events in the characters' lives in excruciating detail, he could at least devote a little more attention to describing the later years of the characters; he just sort of glossed over huge periods of time by the end of the novel. Learning about various aspects of dementia was fairly interesting, but I found the account of the protagonist's "battle" with a turd to be just too far-out and, frankly, disgusting. In fact, I read that passage to my father as we drove on a vacation together, and he actually told me to QUIT READING aloud to him. He simply couldn't stand any more. Now, my Dad is a senior citizen, but he has excellent taste in books, and he wouldn't have spent the time I did on "The Corrections." That's not to say that I don't have discriminating tastes; I like to think that I do. I'm just unwilling to give up on a book. I kept reading, waiting for the novel to improve; it just didn't deliver. I heard a little about the furor over the author refusing to appear on Oprah's show. Did she slap her corporate logo and accompanying endorsement onto the book without even asking the author? If is that what happened, it is understandable that Franzen would be more than a little disconcerted. After reading "The Corrections," I can't understand what made Oprah think it was such a terrific read; I just didn't enjoy it, and I didn't really learn any important life-lessons from the novel. I hated all the characters in the book, and I almost never experience that with a book. I can almost always find something good about somebody; Franzen made that task extremely difficult.
Rating:
Summary: The Corrections? May as well be anything!
Review: I found reading a 24+ line sentence in the very beginnning very off putting. The "t***" sequence on the cruise ship held no weight to the popular theme of cashing in on the old man's patent. I found the characters to be deep and binding: however, the longevity and "family dysfunction" too much Oprah for me. I congratulate the author for opposing his work to the Oprah circuit. He is a good writer and if left alone, will produce great works. Isn't it time for Oprah to move beyond the oppressed and empowered genre? Our book group is sick of her selections.
Rating: 
Summary: Not One Of Oprah's Best Books
Review: This book is interesting, and I finished it. If you want a great book, read 'a fine balance'. It's a book that has stayed with me long after I've read it.
Rating: 
Summary: Forget the Hype! Superb
Review: Franzen's work is excellent. A vital and important snapshot of the way life is, The Corrections is every bit the book you hope it'll be. Leave behind all the controversy, and just read the book. Chip wants to get out of debt. Denise wants to get out of a relationship (with a married woman). Gary wants his wife to apologize. Arthur wants to be left alone. And Enid just wants her family to stay together. What do you want?
Rating:
Summary: If you like being depressed you will like this novel
Review: I think The Corrections was one of the most depressing stories I have ever read. I managed to read the whole book but I never felt like anything good was going to come out of it. Every relationship in this book was beyond dysfunctional. I generally read to escape into the life of someone else, but I did not want any part of this family. I especially disliked the relationship between the oldest son and his wife. I really hope that this was just the exaggeration of a relationship the author has witnessed. If this is at all based in fact I weep for the couple it was based on. This novel definitely made me feel better about my familial relationships. We may be dysfunctional in some ways but we don't even come close to the family in The Corrections. Mr. Franzen, Lighten up!
Rating:
Summary: I hated it.
Review: This book has no soul. It should have been titled "The Disconnections." It's must have been dipped in Roget's II - for that extra disconnected feeling.
Rating:
Summary: Tale of family woes is eerily familiar
Review: Funny, touching, and oh so familiar. While my sibling and I do not have these exact faults, the general experience of dealing with a dying parent comes off true to (my) life. That's not to say that this novel is a downer. I laughed out loud and that made it all the more human. Excellent read. I'm looking forward to that time in my life when reading this book a second time will bring a whole new look at family life.
Rating:
Summary: Good start.....then BORING
Review: At the beginning of Corrections, I thought I would really enjoy this book. WRONG. Talk about a dysfunctional family!! There is absolutely nothing to redeem any of the characters. At times, the book was so "wordy", I scanned paragraph after paragraph. If you want to be REALLY depressed and REALLY tired of reading...try this ...it will certainly fill the bill. I scanned (very quickly) the last 100 pages or so because I was just worn out with it. Really don't know why I stayed with it that long except I kept thinking....something interesting surely will happen that caused this to be a best seller.
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