The Corrections - Franzen

[Pip]

I cannot believe that there isn't a review for this book posted somewhere, but I have failed to find it. Having read Freedom earlier this year I was thrilled to have this Franzen as my TBR choice this month, but, sadly, I took a long time to read it. The satire of old age was just too close to the bone at the moment and it took the stories of each of the children to finally garner my interest. The characters are all appalling in their own disparate ways and as a commentary on near contemporary life I can understand the appeal (although I did pick up my copy in a heavily discounted sale!) Some of it, especially the Lithuanian section, was farce, some of it was laugh out loud funny, but most of it was an excruciating portrayal of the modern family. Sadly, my lasting memory will be of the appalling salad that Enid made in anticipation of her grandson's Christmas visit.

[Jamie]

This is a novel about a family, with significant focus on the various aspects of ageing and watching your children grow up and find new ways to build their own lives in a world you thought you knew. The child with the seemingly least likely chances of success winds up in Lithuania, for a brief while living very comfortably and profiting from the chaos of that country's post-Soviet development.
There were scenes and ideas that I still remember and once my sisters read it I am sure I'll find I remember quite a lot, but very little really stuck with me from this novel. I enjoyed it, but not enough to rate it more than 4 stars.

[Gail]

I had heard a great deal about this novel The Corrections which ironically has been compared to Underworld, another "Great American Novel" that I am slowly grinding through currently. It has also been compared to Dickens, in that it is largely a one family domestic tragedy dressed up with some satire, farce and over the top bad judgement on the part of many of the characters.
The story highlights each member of the family from St. Jude, mid-western America. The children have all run off to the east coast and the father is slowly disintegrating from Parkinson's disease while his wife works furiously to deny how bad off he is. Each section of the novel gives us an in-depth look at each of the characters and their particular envies, anxieties and depressions due to both their American upbringing and the consumer culture that they find themselves in. The book's popular reviews hinge on Franzen keeping the characters sympathetic while pointing out the bankruptcy of contemporary American life. Franzen's language use is tight and smooth and I did find myself sympathetic towards the father with his straight-laced morality coupled to a deep love of his most wayward child and a total acceptance of his daughter who always felt that she had to perform for his love. However, although much of the book is amusing, it is also painful to care about these characters. Events would hit close enough to my experiences to make me cringe but then would push me away with total farce. The characters are recognizable and yet too too much. I found myself very impressed with the book while not truly liking it. I also gave it 4 stars.

[Diane]

From the book jacket; a comic, tragic masterpiece about a family breaking down in an age of easy fixes.

I listened to the audiobook narrated by George Guidall which really helped as I don’t think I would have made it through this book otherwise. I enjoyed getting to know the Lambert family, flaws and all. The book started to lose steam for me around the cruise which I found to be a bizarre chapter, what’s with the turds? I didn’t have much sympathy for this family, I wasn’t really pulling for anyone. I was glad to have read a Franzen book but I am not sure he is for me.

[Gail]

Congratulations on making it through Diane. It isn’t a light hearted fun book.

[Diane]

Gail wrote: "Congratulations on making it through Diane. It isn’t a light hearted fun book."

You are so right!

[Patrick]

***

I was a bit annoyed with this bloated novel (not a reference to Alfred Lambert's bowel problems). Since the 80s (and probably from John Irving onwards), there seems to be this type of formulaic American novel where we examine a family with quirks (and/or flaws) through time and observe how they will end up. Over time and further novels, the quirks become exaggerated and the experiential gradually seeps through the narrative cloth to saturate it and make the characters more unbearable and the storyline less plausible. It's with those unpleasant impressions that I am left after reading about the Lambert family's tribulations. Yeah, there were funny moments, especially with Chip, but there were also cringing episodes with Gary (I don't know how he puts up with Caroline; I would have dumped/divorced her ages ago, that b***h). Sure, it seems that these types of novels enjoy some commercial success, but I doubt they will stand the test of time.