The Corrections by Jonathan Franzen
Monday, September 29, 2008 by Jan in Edmonds
#68
Title: The Corrections
Author: Jonathan Franzen
Genre: literature
Challenges: 100+, 101 Books in 1001 Days, 2008/2009 Unread Authors, New Classics, Book Awards II - National Book Awards
Rating: A+
No. of CTs/Playing time: 15/22
Published: 2001
Dates listened to: 9/9/08 - 9/28/08
From the back cover - “The Corrections has been hailed as ‘ferociously detailed, gratifyingly mind-expanding,’ by Booklist in a starred review. It is a New York Times best-seller, an Oprah’s Book Club pick, and was shortlisted for the National Book Critics Circle Award. Crafted by New Yorker writer Jonathan Franzen, this novel draws parallels between the problems in one family and the malfunctions of modern society.
“Statistically, the Lamberts may be a typical Midwestern family. But in reality, they are far from it. Alfred, the father, is losing his fight to control Parkinson’s Disease and dementia. His wife, Enid, no longer in control of her household, feels her choices slipping away. Their three grown children are struggling with their own clashes between dreams and disasters. But for one Christmas, Enid is determined to being them together for the ideal family holiday.
“As Franzen traces the Lamberts’ lurch toward the crisis of this Christmas, he seasons his novel with satire, humor, and affection. The final chapter, infused with hope, is the perfect conclusion of Enid’s quirky quest to correct the course of her life.”
This is America’s classic dysfunctional family and I could so relate to it -- the playing of family members against each other and the feeling of being in prison whether in a rest home or the family home or one’s own mind. As Publishers Weekly says -- “This is, simply, a masterpiece.”
see my blog - http://jottingsfromjan.blogspot.com
Title: The Corrections
Author: Jonathan Franzen
Genre: literature
Challenges: 100+, 101 Books in 1001 Days, 2008/2009 Unread Authors, New Classics, Book Awards II - National Book Awards
Rating: A+
No. of CTs/Playing time: 15/22
Published: 2001
Dates listened to: 9/9/08 - 9/28/08
From the back cover - “The Corrections has been hailed as ‘ferociously detailed, gratifyingly mind-expanding,’ by Booklist in a starred review. It is a New York Times best-seller, an Oprah’s Book Club pick, and was shortlisted for the National Book Critics Circle Award. Crafted by New Yorker writer Jonathan Franzen, this novel draws parallels between the problems in one family and the malfunctions of modern society.
“Statistically, the Lamberts may be a typical Midwestern family. But in reality, they are far from it. Alfred, the father, is losing his fight to control Parkinson’s Disease and dementia. His wife, Enid, no longer in control of her household, feels her choices slipping away. Their three grown children are struggling with their own clashes between dreams and disasters. But for one Christmas, Enid is determined to being them together for the ideal family holiday.
“As Franzen traces the Lamberts’ lurch toward the crisis of this Christmas, he seasons his novel with satire, humor, and affection. The final chapter, infused with hope, is the perfect conclusion of Enid’s quirky quest to correct the course of her life.”
This is America’s classic dysfunctional family and I could so relate to it -- the playing of family members against each other and the feeling of being in prison whether in a rest home or the family home or one’s own mind. As Publishers Weekly says -- “This is, simply, a masterpiece.”
see my blog - http://jottingsfromjan.blogspot.com
