Rating: 
Summary: The Emperor's New Clothes in bookform
Review: At our most recent Bookclub Meeting we discussed amongst other things the question: What makes a book literature? The Corrections is certainly hailed as that. Does it deliver? To give you a hint: so far I seem to be the only person in our bookclub who has been able to finish it, which may have been helped by the fact that I was prevented by an injury to do a lot of other things I'd rather have been doing - such as going to the library to get something else to read. Now... what brings me to this unfavourable opinion? Maybe it's the picture of the author. He looks a lot like my ex-husband, possibly a bit smarter (not so difficult) but equally self-absorbed. Maybe it's the way this self-absorption shows in his writing. OK, he has a good eye for all those cunning little details. Does that mean he should be allowed to wallow on and on? He certainly has to be praised for his doggedness in filling more than 500 pages. Unfortunately half of them could have been deleted without being missed. Maybe his literary agent was too busy fanning the hype instead of calling Franzen to order? If so, the mission was succesful. This book has been very effectively advertised, even to the extent that I wonder if Franzen's refusal to 'be an Oprah book' was not just another marketing trick. For me a good book is one that moves me in some way. Favourite books are like friends, to be enjoyed time and time again. This book is about a so-called dysfunctional family. I don't know enough about families to judge if this one is truly dysfunctional. What I do know is that none of the characters in this book moves me. I have absolutely no desire to revisit this family. Even if the descriptions are poignant and lots of things happen, the total impression is one of gloom and doom. This could of course be intentional and even part of the selling proposition (let's make it more depressing - that way it will look more like literature!).
However, I'm totally baffled by reviews that call this book 'sexy' or 'funny'. 'Heartwrenching' I could agree on. After all, some people enjoy watching trainwrecks or another person going to pieces, don't they? Or do they? More importantly, do you? And if so, what does that say about you? After finishing this book I reread one of my long time favourites: a Lord Peter Wimsey novel by Dorothy Sayers. First published in 1923 I have never seen this promoted anywhere, but that does not stop Dorothy Sayers (or Nevil Shute, to name another truly great author) to still have a loyal following of readers. This book, too, is full of superfluous words and descriptions... each and every one of them enjoyable. Which proves that it can be done - but not by Jonathan Franzen. At least not until he grows up and starts to be either entertaining or truly meaningful. The Corrections is neither. If you really want to read this, don't invest your own money. Loan a copy first and see if you still want to read it after the first ten pages or so (I can promise you it will not get any better). And by all means do not buy a so-called collectible copy, with as only 'collectibility' that two pages are reversed. Sellers are charging between fifty and almost two hundred dollars for first editions of this book.... (Chip would love to be in this business, a living example of exactly the kind of hype described in the book. But then - he is already in this book, the poor thing.) Our bookclub got it at Amazon, first edition, sticker and all. Now I must correct myself (see how I, too, cleverly can insert corrections in my text? gee, it's easy to write!). In one way this book did move me. It moved me another big step further away from books that are intensely promoted by the relentless USA publishing industry. And it will move this copy out of my book case FOREVER. If after all this warning you still want a copy - our bookclub has several for sale.
Rating: 
Summary: Funny, thought-provoking, and a little maddening.
Review: I found this book to be a most entertaining read. On the most basic level, it has a soap opera thing going, and the travails of its characters draws you in. With that said, don't expect to like all the characters. They are most definitely flawed, and we see their vision of the world through their skewed views. The description of son Gary's depression, I belive, was dead-on, and I sympathized with him very much during his discover period. Basically we see each of these people as they go through major changes in their lives--Corrections, if you will. Each has gone so far in one direction and finds they must do some reversal soon or they won't survive it. In my own experience, these "corrections" are most often difficult and painful to experience and watch. All of the characters in "The Corrections" are basically good people, but you have to work to like them. If you need to really like the characters in the books you read, then this book is not for you. However, if you like interesting, multi-layered characters, then dive right in. The weakest aspect of the book, in my opinion, was son Chip's business venture in Lithuania. A week after finishing the book, that section sticks out to me as not fitting with the rest of the subplots, and hence I only give the book 4 stars. But that is no reason to dismiss the novel. If you're game, give it a try.
Rating:
Summary: For people who take writing seriously; it ain't t.v., folks!
Review: After reading the negative reviews on your site I wanted to speak out. This is a wonderful book. The characters are not overdrawn, they are superbly drawn with the nuance, complexity and ambiguousness that ordinary people have, not the "quick read" that many writers of literature or film give in order to keep us from seeing our own weaknessess, venality, and intense ambivalence towards our families, or to fit a 40 minute programming slot. Franzen's writing is often so good, it stops you dead in your tracks as you're reading it. I had no trouble reading every page and felt no pull to skip pages.
He writes very honestly, particularly of the raw feelings between spouses as they come to terms with the lost potential of their relationships, and among siblings as they unsuccessfully try to come to terms with competition and familial bonds.
My only criticism is that I wish he had pulled out more of the history between Chip and Gary as young sibs.
This book is a very well told story.
Rating:
Summary: A lot of ballyhoo
Review: I just don't get it. This is NOT a good book. Some fine marketing, coupled with the whole 'Oprah Incident' did great things for sales, but sales and a ton o' press do not a good book make. I say to all who are considering picking this one up: Don't bother.
Rating: 
Summary: Disappointing and depressing,
Review: I bought this book full of high expectations. It is well written (which is why I gave it two stars) and imaginative, way too imaginative. The characters and situations are grotesque. It is impossible to identify with any of them. They are unlikable, self-centered and weird. Passages apparently intended to be funny approach slapstick; in fact, just about every situation and character is cartoon-like. If you like to see an author show off his clever way with words, you'll enjoy this book; otherwise, forget it.
Rating:
Summary: the Corrections
Review: I am half way through this book and have put it down. I do not find anything very literary in a book which turns all characters into carricatures. Yes, there is wit, but where is the compassion that books similar to this show. This book has been compared to T.Mann's "The Buddenbrooks". No way, whereas Mann's characters allowed me to identify with them on some level, Franzen's Characters lack any depth. One cannot relate to them, they are so exaggerated.
Rating: 
Summary: The Great American Novel of the New Millenium
Review: I agree with the reviewer named John from New York. I would even go so far as to say that if you don't see yourself and many of the people you know in this book, you're not living in modern America. Yes, it's disturbing, gritty, depressing, exciting, moving, and hysterically funny. Franzen pokes equal fun at everyone--gourmets, depression-era survivors, depressed yuppies, mothers, fathers, spoiled children, you name it. I can't remember when I got more out of a novel. If you have a brain, don't believe the reviewers who pan it--buy it and you won't be disappointed.
Rating:
Summary: A disfuncional family that is impossible to care about
Review: I can't imagine how this book managed to win a national book award. Its characters take disfunctional to new heights and as a reader I could not summon any sympathy for any of them. Franzen also jumps all around making it very difficult to follow whatever plot there is. If I hadn't had to read this for a book group, I'm sure I would have given up early on.
Rating: 
Summary: WONDERFUL AT TIMES BUT I SKIPPED LOTS OF PAGES
Review: Flipping through the Amazom.com reviews of The Corrections, I found a lot of common ground. Amusingly,several readers noted that, like me, they found themselves in the odd position of skipping pages but still finishing the book (although far more said they just couldn't keep going at all), which provokes guilt and anxiety. It's a very long book but my reaction can be summed up: - he is a brilliant writer and very funny at times
- the book's quirky style (derailing into slapstick, dwelling on meaningless details, carrying characters through to an obvious fall over and over again) is wonderful when it works, but boring when it doesn't
- the book is often tedious and pedantic
- the entire cruise section is just plain boring
- almost all references to Vilnius are not nearly as clever or funny as the author obviously thought; they read like someone in Iowa's idea of what would be funny about Eastern Europe - almost all references to the Internet phenomenon are trite; as I said, a good humorist would have recognized that the phenomenon really was beyond satire
- in short, this book cries out for some drastic editing, excising whole sections and also paring down the excesses sprinkled throughout. Finally, I would say that this is a very sad book, too sad I think. He seems unable to see the real love and occasional joy that somehow survives all the tragedy, stress and trauma of "life" and "family".
Rating:
Summary: Incredible book....
Review: I honestly cannot comprehend how any reasonably intelligent reader could criticize this book. It's a brilliant work of fiction, wildly entertaining, honest, disturbing, and incredibly revealing in how absurd, dysfunctional American families can be, to point of caricature. And then you realise, yes, there's alot people out there just like these characters! The critics can take a cruise. I would give the book ten stars if I could. John
New York
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