Is It Available?
Reviewer Jennifer Flygare
Jennifer Flygare is a Research & Learning Librarian at the University of Central Oklahoma.
Title
Freedom
Jonathan Franzen
Review
I will say on the outset that when I have talked to people who have read Freedom, I find people’s reactions are polarized; they either love it or hate it.
The book centers on a typical American Family. One that on the outside looks perfect, but on closer inspection is a den of dysfunction. This bleak portrayal of an American family is a familiar theme in Franzen’s novels. His 2001 novel The Corrections came out with a lot of critical acclaim. It won a lot of awards, so I read it and thought it was pretty good, but not spectacular. Freedom came out in 2010 with similar fanfare, so again I read it wondering what all the hype was about this author. Let me say it blew me away and has become one of my all-time favorite books.
Franzen’s characters are not sympathetic or particularly likeable, but as you read the book you begin to understand the motivations for their behavior. I could not help but relate to some of the really stupid choices that the characters have made with their life. They are imperfect, flawed and ultimately completely believable. I suppose that is why this book has stuck with me for so long. This may not be everyone’s cup of tea, but if you want to read something that is superbly written, with rich complex characters that I think we all can relate to, this is your book.
Review Date
Reviewed May 2014
