Rating: 
Summary: nice prose, sloppy tale
Review: I was interested in this book because of the uncommon setting of St. Louis--a city I love, but one that is definitely falling apart. That decay is beautifully described by Franzen. There's no doubt that the prose in 'The Twenty-Seventh City' nearly always sparkles and only occasionally falls flat, usually when he gets too caught up in his philosophical meanderings inside the head of Martin Probst (who is quietly and slowly lovable). There are so many artful descriptions and astute retellings of every-day occurrences to propel readers. Unfortunately, the interesting premise never expands much beyond its setup in the first 50 pages. S. Jammu and her comrades are interesting, but haughty, and their reasons for taking on their twisted plot are never clarified beyond vague sketches of their activist and corrupted pasts. EVERYone in high society, apparently, enters into either physical or intellectual affairs, which often defy their characterisations, and there are so many characters that are highlighted in their dull everyday routines just to service their importance in the book's ending that it drags down the beginning in middle. And when the climax of a 500-page novel hinges on the outcome of a referendum vote... well, I think that's all that needs to be said about that.Still, Franzen's observations on our every day lives and interactions are shocking in their familiarity, and he undeniably has a good grip on many facets of how our society and culture functions. Twenty years after the fact his comments are still relevant. 'The Twenty-Seventh City' is worth reading, but only if read quickly; labouring over it and its blunted intricacies is not worth the time.
Rating: 
Summary: A must-read
Review: I'm not good at writing reviews, but I'm writing this because there are no reviews of this book and people need to know how compelling it is. I read The Corrections first, and loved it, so I sought out Franzen's other two novels, The Twenty-Seventh City and Strong Motion. Once I started reading The Twenty-Seventh City, I couldn't stop. The story is set in St. Louis in the mid-'80s. When the position of Chief of Police becomes vacant, somehow the Police Commissioner of Bombay, India, a woman named S. Jammu, gets the job. Once she is installed, she and her henchman set about achieving their goals (which never really become clear, so if you're not comfortable with unanswered questions, you should probably avoid this book) by any means necessary, including electronic snooping, murder, and terrorist attacks. None of Jammu's many supporters is aware of the connection between her and all the violent events that happen after she is installed as Chief of Police. The story centers on Jammu's efforts to persuade Martin Probst, a prominent St. Louisan and the last holdout to her agenda, to approve her plan to merge the city of St. Louis with the West County. Her campaign is a lot more complicated, suspenseful and dramatic than you might expect. Jonathan Franzen's writing is wonderful in this book, though not at the level of art that he reaches in The Corrections. Franzen's writing combined with a suspenseful and mysterious story results in a book that you simply can't stop reading. I was sorry when it ended.
Rating:
Summary: You should read this book
Review: I'm suprised at the negative reviews. The book is ambitious, but not overly so. The writing is simple and beautiful. The story is suprising and magical, but not implausible. The character developement is wonderful and the characters imaginative. Read it when you want something refreshing to perk up your brain.
Rating: 
Summary: No St. Louis I've Ever Known....
Review: In fairness to the author, I must say that St. Louis is a tough city to write about, with its small town politics conflicting with its never-ending desire for national recognition, but this book is the most bizarre departure from real St. Louis I've ever read. When I met Jonathan Franzen at a signing at UM-St. Louis shortly after the book was published, I was excited about reading fiction set in my beloved hometown. As I read the first few chapter, however, what struck me is how little Franzen seemed to know about the city -- its dynamics, history, or social layout. Perhaps Mr. Franzen should write books about New York, his home. This book tops my recommendation of items to read when you can't get to sleep at night.
Rating:
Summary: An excellent book
Review: In the interest of full disclosure, I knew Jon Franzen when he was in high school. (He was a very intelligent, soft-spoken person; always interesting to talk to). We had many friends in common. When I first read 27th City, soon after it was published, it was impossible to form an objective opinion, because I was unable to get past the familiarity of it all. Many of the characters were based on people I knew (or at least, I imagined them to be based on people I knew, and I spent considerable time trying to figure them out); their homes were places I'd visited; the high school was my high school. As a result, I wasn't able to pay much attention to the plot or the writing style. I re-read it recently; happily, time and distance allowed for a more objective analysis. It's a very good book. It's not at all confusing, nor is it lacking in suspense (unless one equates suspense with wholesale carnage and things blowing up. Although, to be fair, there is a bit of violence and mayhem, so if you're a fan of such, you won't be entirely disappointed). It's intelligent and thoughtful, without being dry or pedantic. I particularly appreciated the sense of humor. Franzen's an excellent writer, and I look forward to following his (hopefully long and prolific) career.
Rating:
Summary: Read Bush for Jummu ...
Review: Scrap the coming of age story and just read the Jummu sections, substituting the Bush family throughout, transposed for nationality and religion. It sat on my shelves for a year and when I read it I enjoyed it, in part for Franzen's reasonably accurate speculation on the future of corrupt politics in St. Louis. So goes St. Louis, so goes much of the world. There are way too many words in The Twenty-Seventh City, including the "The" in the title. The narrative only works in the action writing--which contains many, many ambiguous semi-scientific accurate but convoluted sentences like this one.
Rating: 
Summary: Messy
Review: There are snippets here of the writer Franzen was to become with The Corrections, but ultimately, this is a mess. Ambitious, sweeping, blah blah blah. Also, too packed with minor characters that have no bearing on the plot -- and have too little effect on the main characters to be worth the effort. I'm willing to do a little work when I read a book, especially something that aspires in the way this one does, but rein it in a bit, man. Reminiscent in reach of Zadie Smith's White Teeth -- another rambler that at least had some likable characters.
Rating:
Summary: amazingly prescient
Review: This book has some amazingly prescient elements in it...particularly in its depiction of a group of plotters from a third-world country operating in plain view within a large, unsuspecting American City. There is one scene, involving an airplane and the big monument in St. Louis, the Arch, which was absolutely harrowing to read, in light of recent events.
Rating: 
Summary: Franzen's First Novel
Review: This is the first novel I've read by Franzen, who's recently been in news because his new novel "The Corrections". St Louis is the scene of "The Twenty-Seventh City" (and it's also where Franzen grew up.) On its surface the story is an action thriller. But beneath it's a more complicated mesh of greed, xenophobia, and a rash of other human shortcomings. Franzen weaves a good tale. His writing ability shows through when he is able to change perspective and scene in the next paragraph. The trick of a good writer I think is to do this without being too clever and confusing the reader (unless that's the writer's aim). Franzen does this well and even intentionally misleads the reader. He characterizations are well done, although some of the supporting roles are a bit one dimensional (the greedy businessman, the xenopobe etc). The only major criticism I have is the premise of the main protagonist's "Jammu's" actions. I didn't think there was enought to justify her actions- i.e. the stakes weren't worth the plan of action she developed. I recommend "The Twenty-Seventh City". It's serious writing by a committed author.
Rating:
Summary: Brilliant
Review: This tale of love, ambition and duplicity is one of the best I have ever read. The plot is a little too complex, but the story is so gripping, each scene so vividly described, that reading it is like watching a movie. Better actually, because Franzen takes you inside the mind of each of his diverse characters in a way a film director cannot. And what characters. First time I read it years ago I wondered if such sinister people existed. After Sept. 11 we all know they do. The book is as topical as anything by Tom Wolfe, nearly as subtle as a William Trevor story, and certainly more exotic than Franzen's third novel The Corrections, which is also worth reading.
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