The Corrections

by Jonathan Franzen | Literature & Fiction |
ISBN: Global Overview for this book
Registered by wingjanna2wing of Castricum, Noord-Holland Netherlands on 11/7/2007
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This book is in the wild! This Book is Currently in the Wild!
4 journalers for this copy...
Journal Entry 1 by wingjanna2wing from Castricum, Noord-Holland Netherlands on Wednesday, November 7, 2007
Gekregen, zelf al gelezen, mag dus verder reizen.


Journal Entry 2 by wingjanna2wing at Theater Griffioen in Amstelveen, Noord-Holland Netherlands on Saturday, April 17, 2010

Released 13 yrs ago (4/17/2010 UTC) at Theater Griffioen in Amstelveen, Noord-Holland Netherlands

WILD RELEASE NOTES:

WILD RELEASE NOTES:

I will release this book on the second day of the BookCrossing Convention 2010 in Amstelveen!!


Hallo daar, vinder! Als je dit leest, heb je een boek gevonden. Gefeliciteerd! Hopelijk is het iets dat je leuk vindt; zo niet, dan heeft het je toch tenminste hier gebracht en dat is ook wat waard. Je mag het boek gerust doorgeven aan iemand anders, of zomaar ergens achterlaten. Ondertussen was je toch maar mooi nieuwsgierig genoeg om op deze site te komen kijken. Kijk gerust wat rond. Veel plezier! Als je het boek ook wilt volgen dan kun je je het beste aanmelden als nieuwe bookcrosser (Engelse pagina). Ik zou het erg leuk vinden als je mijn naam (janna2) wilt invullen als Referring Member, dan kan ik zien dat je ook een geregistreerde bookcrosser bent geworden.Oh ja, er is ook een Nederlandse website voor als je nog meer wilt weten over bookcrossing: www.bookcrossing.nl.

Journal Entry 3 by bookguide from Wijchen, Gelderland Netherlands on Sunday, April 18, 2010
I keep hearing about this book, and bought the Dutch translation of it last year. I believe it's on this month's planned reading too, coincidentally, but now I shall read it in English, and send the Dutch one off on its travels. I prefer to read in the original language if possible, so thank you Janna2 for the chance to read the book in English.

Journal Entry 4 by bookguide at Wijchen, Gelderland Netherlands on Sunday, October 7, 2012
First reviewed on Goodreads:
The reason I started to read this is that it is on the list of '1001 Books You Must Read Before You Die', and being a book of 570-odd pages, it was taking up a lot of room on my bookshelf which could usefully house another two or three books, assuming I didn't want to keep it after reading. So in that sense, I have accomplished my aim in reading, but it became something like a guilty pleasure, because it didn't feel like a book which was "worthy" enough to be one of those 1001 books. Why was it included? The back cover suggests that "it announces Jonathan Franzen as one of the most brilliant interpreters of American society and the American soul". Does it really deliver this promise? No, I don't think that it does.

The book is one of many novels telling the story of a fictional family's fortunes, morals, beliefs and physical and mental health problems, set against the background of America and the world. The only difference about this book is that it's longer, each member of the family has an interesting story and their own more-or-less-guilty secrets, and the author uses the odd word which is obscure enough to make you feel like you should look it up in a dictionary. The fact that I, for one, didn't bother was a result of the fact that those words weren't necessary to the telling of the story which was the motor of the book; skip over the difficult words (and there aren't that many), and you'll have missed no deeper meaning.

So is the book included on the 1001 list because it is so representative of a particular time in history? Yes, there is a tension between Enid trying to live in her 1950s Pollyanna-ish time warp, Alfred retreating into his own space out of time and their children who are engaged in running their lives according to the morals and exigencies of the 1980s. Or is it later? I'm not sure. How about the novel reflecting deeply on the American character? Yes, there is a contrast between the morally-corrupt and ruthlessly modern East Coast and the old-fashioned Midwest, but is this not just the contrast between town and country, young and old, middle-class and yuppy? It also excludes vast swathes of such a diverse nation, and so many different kinds of people with different circumstances. Nor is it so specifically American as to represent the country's soul. There is nothing so outstandingly American that the novel can represent the country to the world, as the feelings of the family and the things which are happening to them are not particular to the USA; families all around the world induce guilt, misunderstand each other, cause each other deliberate and unintentional pain, get themselves into financial and relationship difficulties, make bad decisions, and so on and so on. Perhaps, then, this is the justification for its inclusion in the list, in its very universality.

One of the strongest parts of 'The Corrections' is the way in which we get to know each character, through their actions, but more particularly through their thoughts and insecurities. I didn't particularly like any of the characters, but I could understand some of their motivations. I could identify with Enid, the woman who had invested her life into being a perfect wife and housewife, papering over the cracks and trying to stand by her man - a difficult man. I'm not sure I would be so patient, but I sympathise with her attempts to have fun whilst burdened with a husband who preferred being a recluse. As the book progresses, my feelings towards Alfred changed. He seemed a hard and unreasonable man, but he was highly principled, and when he failed those principles, he took action, or failed to act, to keep his self-respect. If only he'd explained to his nearest and dearest. I felt sorry for Denise, who was initially only looking for love and approval, although she manipulated other people's feelings to get her own way and ended up paying the price. Likewise, I couldn't feel anything but contempt for Chip and his life choices; he only had himself to blame. As for Gary, he was paying the price for not having the moral courage to stand up to his wife and expect cooperation from his family; he stood his ground for a while, then sold his soul to his wife in return for conjugal rights, letting himself be bullied into whatever she wanted. In fact, the downfall of all three of Alfred and Enid's children hinged around sex, the need for which was suppressed in their parents. Likewise there was a dichotomy between the parents' self-sufficiency and hoarding and their children's conspicuous consumption, consumerism and obsession about earning large sums of money.

I came away from reading this book with a feeling that I hadn't learned anything new or come to new insights about anything. It was a good page-turner of a book, but there wasn't any great revelation or climax at the end. There were a few surprises, but nothing to necessitate writing such a long book about it, no reason I needed to know so much about this family's dirty laundry. It wasn't funny enough to be a comedy, nor serious enough to be thought-provoking, and it wasn't literary enough to be great literature (notwithstanding post-modernist talking excrement). What was this book? Really nothing more than well-written entertainment, and if you approach it from that angle, it succeeds.

P.S. Read Jacob's review of 'The Corrections'. It's hilarious! - http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/30991957

Journal Entry 5 by ForeignExchange at Wijchen, Gelderland Netherlands on Sunday, November 18, 2012
Added to the ForeignExchange book boxes.

Journal Entry 6 by bookguide at BC meeting 2018 in Castricum, Noord-Holland Netherlands on Sunday, July 8, 2018

Released 5 yrs ago (7/8/2018 UTC) at BC meeting 2018 in Castricum, Noord-Holland Netherlands

WILD RELEASE NOTES:

This book has been released as part of the following BookCrossing challenges:
- The Ultimate Challenge - read and release books, with extra points for a monthly theme
- Reduce Mount TBR (To Be Read) - read and release books on the TBR list since before the end of the previous Year. My reading goal is 36 books.
- 1001 Books You Must Read Before You Die Challenge.

Journal Entry 7 by wingInge1990wing at Albert Heijn boekenkast in Rhenen, Utrecht Netherlands on Sunday, July 29, 2018

Released 5 yrs ago (7/30/2018 UTC) at Albert Heijn boekenkast in Rhenen, Utrecht Netherlands

WILD RELEASE NOTES:

Catch and release. Was still on the table at the end of the meeting

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