To answer questions about
Purity,
please sign up.
Thomas
I thought Freedom was brilliant (and enjoyed it more than The Corrections), but I suspect that may have had much to do with my personal frame of reference at the time. I thought both books were great, though, and I really appreciate the level of effort that Franzen clearly puts in to his craft. Purity is more Franzen (which I consider to be a very good thing.)
I've heard Franzen haters reference Donna Tartt's The Goldfinch, and while I enjoyed that work, I think she is not in the same league with Franzen with respect to his deliberate sentence, paragraph, and story construction as well as his relatable rendering of the human psyche in his last three books. (If you want to experience less refined Franzen, check out Strong Motion...it's great but stylistically very different.)
Re-reading this answer, I'm concerned that I come across as a pompous ass. I don't think I am, I think it's more that I don't mind that Franzen might be.
Franzen is an artist and a craftsman. If you appreciated the Corrections and Freedom, you'll appreciate Purity (and be glad you read it.)
I've heard Franzen haters reference Donna Tartt's The Goldfinch, and while I enjoyed that work, I think she is not in the same league with Franzen with respect to his deliberate sentence, paragraph, and story construction as well as his relatable rendering of the human psyche in his last three books. (If you want to experience less refined Franzen, check out Strong Motion...it's great but stylistically very different.)
Re-reading this answer, I'm concerned that I come across as a pompous ass. I don't think I am, I think it's more that I don't mind that Franzen might be.
Franzen is an artist and a craftsman. If you appreciated the Corrections and Freedom, you'll appreciate Purity (and be glad you read it.)
Bill Palmer
In short, no. But that doesn't mean it's not a very worthwhile read. In parts it is so heavily psychological it does become a bit tedious. Stick to it through those 3 or 4 twenty page passages and you'll be glad you did.
Dramatika
This book is very uneven, some parts are brilliant, but others seems to drag on indefinitely. I also find the whole story ridiculously melodramatic, reminds me not so much of Dickens, but of fairy tales. You find many unbelievable characters with very unusual story lines. I think this book is much inferior to both Corrections ( which I loved) and Freedom (this is only mine opinion though).
Boris
I think it is Franzen's best work by far. For me Purity is his best, followed by Freedom and then The Corrections.
Jana Bouc
Definitely not! I'm 94% finished and I've disliked just about every minute of reading it...not sure why I'm continuing. To me none of the characters make sense, are believable, etc. and the plot, which should be interesting, given the characters is boring. At least it puts me to sleep at night.
James napoli
Not for me. They have a lot of similarities, comparable to woody allen movies, similar characters, similar older man, younger woman follies.
With that said, it's still masterfully written and worth reading.
With that said, it's still masterfully written and worth reading.
James Thellusson
Much, much worse. Poor writing, plotting and characterisation. A deeply predictable story with the key 'twist' exposed half way through leaving you wading through the boring back stories of a few, rich, egotistical media types (male and female).
I dragged myself numb through the last 300 pages waiting for something new, insightful or 'poetic' to be said about politics, media, marriage, sex, privacy - in fact, anything. This is 600 pages of recycled, reworked territory. And the ending....oh come on. But what is really sad is the quality of the writing: cliche after cliche; strained insight, tired internal psycho-anytical babble. A big miss for a very good writer.
I dragged myself numb through the last 300 pages waiting for something new, insightful or 'poetic' to be said about politics, media, marriage, sex, privacy - in fact, anything. This is 600 pages of recycled, reworked territory. And the ending....oh come on. But what is really sad is the quality of the writing: cliche after cliche; strained insight, tired internal psycho-anytical babble. A big miss for a very good writer.
Barbara
I loved PURITY. Sure, it's uneven, but there is so much to love about it. I loved the CORRECTIONS, too. I may have to re-read the CORRECTIONS. FREEDOM I read but can hardly remember what it was about. Better than the CORRECTIONS....? I dunno. Different. Worth reading.
Sierra
I hated The Corrections but loved Purity - give it a shot.
Mark Schuliger
Nope, not even close. Corrections is #1 and will likely always be. Freedom was awfully good in it's own right. These two books also seemed to share a similar tone. Purity has a tone and structure all it's own. I enjoyed it, but it is is not in the same class as the other two.
I felt the same way when I finished "Strong Motion". With that novel, I was left wondering if it was the same author....
I felt the same way when I finished "Strong Motion". With that novel, I was left wondering if it was the same author....
Rodney C. Hakes
I will update this when I have finished it, but at about 1/3 of the way through, no in my opinion.
Of course, I think The Corrections is one of the best modern American novels ever written. I am also a huge fan of the author's work generally, and I liked Freedom very much. I am finding that the tone of Purity is very much like a John Irving novel, which is not a slight; however it is a bit unexpected from Franzen. It feels a little lighter and has more humor. I love John Irving, especially his earlier work, but I expect something different from JF.
halfway through - definitely not better than Corrections, but good in it's own right and better than anything else currently out.
FINAL ASSESSMENT - I finished it over the weekend. I find Mr. Franzen's writing to be very captivating and entertaining. I finished the book over the weekend, because I could not put it down (also I was in bed with a bad cold).
Having said that, I did not find it to be as good as the The Corrections (I daresay, nothing will ever be that good) or Freedom, but it was quite good nonetheless. JF writes in a way that is both economical and lyrical, while also putting together a captivating story on a global stage. I said previously in early parts of the book it read more like a John Irving novel, and I stand by that. I do think there are a lot of similar elements and reminders of early John Irving, i.e., Hotel New Hampshire. At any rate, I highly recommend this book.
Of course, I think The Corrections is one of the best modern American novels ever written. I am also a huge fan of the author's work generally, and I liked Freedom very much. I am finding that the tone of Purity is very much like a John Irving novel, which is not a slight; however it is a bit unexpected from Franzen. It feels a little lighter and has more humor. I love John Irving, especially his earlier work, but I expect something different from JF.
halfway through - definitely not better than Corrections, but good in it's own right and better than anything else currently out.
FINAL ASSESSMENT - I finished it over the weekend. I find Mr. Franzen's writing to be very captivating and entertaining. I finished the book over the weekend, because I could not put it down (also I was in bed with a bad cold).
Having said that, I did not find it to be as good as the The Corrections (I daresay, nothing will ever be that good) or Freedom, but it was quite good nonetheless. JF writes in a way that is both economical and lyrical, while also putting together a captivating story on a global stage. I said previously in early parts of the book it read more like a John Irving novel, and I stand by that. I do think there are a lot of similar elements and reminders of early John Irving, i.e., Hotel New Hampshire. At any rate, I highly recommend this book.
Jim Huinink
I loved the Corrections, one of my top five favourite novels ever. I was disappointed in Freedom because I couldn't relate so well to it. So I would say it's in between those. It IS a brilliant novelist in very fine form, for sure.
Olga
I think this is much better than either of the other two. But I was turned off by Franzen's being as another reviewer said, "pompous ass". In "Purity" there was some of the self-indulgence, but more of actual people, relationships, current events. And humor
Shari Spoelman
No. I enjoyed both Freedom and Corrections more than this book. I want a story with substance. This one seemed to lack in that category. It was disjointed at times, although it all comes together (in a fast swoosh) at the end. Was it a story about the characters? Perhaps - but they weren't characters I related well to. Probably the most defined and interesting character was Andreas Wolf, and it's almost worth reading just for that, if you like to explore brilliant yet troubled minds.
Sheila
I didn't think so. To me, the characters are not fully lived as were those in his earlier books. I think he is reaching beyond his own experience (as writers eventually have to do) and--with the exception of Tom's narrative about his relationship and marriage to Anabel, which has a ring of authenticity (from his point of view, of course)--the narrative suffers from artificiality. That said, I enjoyed the book.
Noah
Not in my opinion. The Corrections was outstanding in every way. And Freedom was like the one-two punch that proved Franzen could write a Great American Novel twice, with gusto. Purity seemed less important to me. I only finished it out of concern for whether there was something crucial I was missing. He's super talented in his niche. But I wouldn't give friends and family copies of Purity and tell them to change their priorities for it.
Marco Fiemozzi
The key is studying the psychology of the characters based on their family history. In this, it is quite similar to The Corrections. Freedom was more entertaining (up to you to choose if this is good or bad), but I really like the analysis of the characters' mind. From this point of view it is the best one of the three.
Catalina Soare
Better than The Corrections - no; reading that book gave me an amazing feeling of a voice fresh and new;
Better than Freedom - yes; more entertaining at least; Freedom became depressingly hard to read from a point on.
Better than Freedom - yes; more entertaining at least; Freedom became depressingly hard to read from a point on.
Jorge Greenwood
I can't say it is better since I'm like a third in, however his style stays true and it has a somewhat dark/funny take on Julian Assange via his german parody Andreas Wolf (who might or might not be the futbolist of the same name). The main character is really funny since she seems really unfit to succeed. If you like Franzen previous work you should give it a read, I don't know if it will be better than Freedom, at least to me, at this point it is better than The Corrections based on characters alone.
Tony Opsata
No. Half of the book is great, the other half is just bad.
Diana
I couldn't get through it!
Joseph Eastburn
definitely not!
Cindy
I tried reading it two separate times. I couldn't get past page 18. Gave up. Given the fact the book was well over 500 pages, I knew I wouldn't be able to slog through it.
Deb
I've never read any of other Franzen's books but I feel as if I should get a medal for finishing this one. Hope that helps your decision-making.
Quinn MacDougald
I think it goes Freedom> Corrections> Purity.
I devoured all three in quick succession over the past month and a half. The prose of the Corrections I think is by far the best - not just of the three, but one of the eloquent and beautiful books I've ever come across. Freedom had the best story line, thematic elements, character development, and to me is overall the most satisfying read. If I was going to recommend one to the Franzen newcomer it would be Freedom.
That being said, I think enjoyed Purity most. Franzen's books are thematically topical and critically pointed outward toward the world in which they were written. I think of Franzen's greatest talents is his ability to articulate things you already were unconsciously aware of, and he is particularly adept at capturing the zeitgeist of post-modern America, which of course changes with each novel. Not that any of his works have an expiration date, but like most works I think they are likely best enjoyed fresh.
I devoured all three in quick succession over the past month and a half. The prose of the Corrections I think is by far the best - not just of the three, but one of the eloquent and beautiful books I've ever come across. Freedom had the best story line, thematic elements, character development, and to me is overall the most satisfying read. If I was going to recommend one to the Franzen newcomer it would be Freedom.
That being said, I think enjoyed Purity most. Franzen's books are thematically topical and critically pointed outward toward the world in which they were written. I think of Franzen's greatest talents is his ability to articulate things you already were unconsciously aware of, and he is particularly adept at capturing the zeitgeist of post-modern America, which of course changes with each novel. Not that any of his works have an expiration date, but like most works I think they are likely best enjoyed fresh.
Nanno Mulder
His books have high similarity: profound and moving passages and garbage. Purity has more of both than the others. Characters are often unbelievable, with larger than life problems, in Purity you will find some of the weirdest ones. On the other hand while you would probably never want to meet anyone from Corrections or Freedom you could live with a few characters from Purity.
About Goodreads Q&A
Ask and answer questions about books!
You can pose questions to the Goodreads community with Reader Q&A, or ask your favorite author a question with Ask the Author.
See Featured Authors Answering Questions
Learn more