Freedom By Jonathan Franzen
We had the Great Gatsby and Adventures of Huckleberry Finn and for many readers it could be said with some certainty that the "Great American Novel"
had simply died. Gone. Vanished. Disappeared into the night without a trace. History being written as 'lost art' and a dying lot. The "Great" being replaced with "Junk". We all have times when we'd rather be reading junk anyways. Right? The typical romance novel, the science fiction thrill ride.
had simply died. Gone. Vanished. Disappeared into the night without a trace. History being written as 'lost art' and a dying lot. The "Great" being replaced with "Junk". We all have times when we'd rather be reading junk anyways. Right? The typical romance novel, the science fiction thrill ride. And then, as if the little carnival ride of junk reading comes to a momentary halt, along comes Jonathan Franzen.
n Franzen.He is first recognized with his book, the Corrections. A book that I certainly will add to my reading list. Oprah recognizes him and gives him accolades ONLY to have Franzen ironically diss her for picking some "junk" books within her book club's reading list. It happens. Right? Wrong. Dissing Oprah is like throwing a grenade inside a brand new Ferrari. You just don't do it. Never. Not once, not ever. But, his writing was good and nobody expected that his next book would EVER out do his first. But, along comes Freedom. What we have with the novel Freedom is a 360 degree turn from the world of junk to a return to greatness. The "Great American Novel" is alive and well. Ultimately, what we have in this novel from Franzen could be the next great classic. This is a MUST read for classic literature readers and even Oprah herself couldn't refuse adding his second book to her infamous bookclub reading list.
Corrections. A book that I certainly will add to my reading list. Oprah recognizes him and gives him accolades ONLY to have Franzen ironically diss her for picking some "junk" books within her book club's reading list. It happens. Right? Wrong. Dissing Oprah is like throwing a grenade inside a brand new Ferrari. You just don't do it. Never. Not once, not ever. But, his writing was good and nobody expected that his next book would EVER out do his first. But, along comes Freedom. What we have with the novel Freedom is a 360 degree turn from the world of junk to a return to greatness. The "Great American Novel" is alive and well. Ultimately, what we have in this novel from Franzen could be the next great classic. This is a MUST read for classic literature readers and even Oprah herself couldn't refuse adding his second book to her infamous bookclub reading list. The book surrounds itself around the story of a family in Minnesota (the Berglund's) who find themselves going through a mid-life crisis that brings them back to the very beginning of their relationship. The book carries itself through the years until it comes to a climatic end that only resolves where the book started....finding freedom within themselves. Finding freedom within each other, and learning to forgive.
A highly recommended book and ranks as one of Oprah's book club reads! (For all you Oprah nuts out there!)However, Oprah has nothing to do with Franzens brilliance. So, don't let that stop you from reading this book. Make sure you have some time to chew through this thick novel. It's not a quick read, but fairly easy to digest with Franzen's good writing technique.
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