The Corrections: A Novel
Registered by wyldanthem of Lancaster, Pennsylvania USA on 9/21/2013
This Book is Currently in the Wild!
This Book is Currently in the Wild!
1 journaler for this copy...
A comic tragic epic stretching from the Midwest of the midcentury to the Wall Street and Eastern Europe of today, The Corrections brings an old-fashioned world of civic virtue and sexual inhibitions into violent collision with the era of home surveillance, hands-off parenting, do-it-yourself mental health care, and globalized greed.
After almost fifty years as a wife and mother, Enid is ready to have some fun. Unfortunately, her husband, Alfred, is losing his sanity to Parkinson's disease, and their children have long since flown the family nest to the catastrophes of their own lives. Desperate for some pleasure to look forward to, Enid has set her heart on bringing the family together for one last Christmas at home.
After almost fifty years as a wife and mother, Enid is ready to have some fun. Unfortunately, her husband, Alfred, is losing his sanity to Parkinson's disease, and their children have long since flown the family nest to the catastrophes of their own lives. Desperate for some pleasure to look forward to, Enid has set her heart on bringing the family together for one last Christmas at home.
Reading the synopsis, this book should be right down my alley - a family suffering from modern issues and a story that tackles current political issues such as do-it-yourself mental health care and globalized greed? Sign me up!
And yet I couldn't get into this story.
The characters were interesting, but all self-absorbed. Alfred, the husband, is suffering from Parkinson's disease and a general depression. He's interested in nothing his wife is interested in and is unable to connect with his children. Enid, the wife, is upset because no one is interested in anything she's interested in; but the only thing she's *really* interested in is maintaining the appearance that everything is perfect. She's even willing to make stuff up to maintain the facade, a trait her son Chip (who even at a young age plagiarized a paper to win first place in some science fair) picked up on. And the rest of the children are no better. They all fall more in the pathetic, rather than sympathetic, category.
I was just barely able to finish this book. It wasn't exactly a pleasurable read, and I can't say I'm too keen on picking up anything else by Jonathan Franzen. He had some very honest and intriguing observations to share about the family dynamic, but some authors just aren't for me.
But I did find this gem of a quote, that's stuck with me: "What you discovered about yourself in raising children wasn't always agreeable or attractive."
And yet I couldn't get into this story.
The characters were interesting, but all self-absorbed. Alfred, the husband, is suffering from Parkinson's disease and a general depression. He's interested in nothing his wife is interested in and is unable to connect with his children. Enid, the wife, is upset because no one is interested in anything she's interested in; but the only thing she's *really* interested in is maintaining the appearance that everything is perfect. She's even willing to make stuff up to maintain the facade, a trait her son Chip (who even at a young age plagiarized a paper to win first place in some science fair) picked up on. And the rest of the children are no better. They all fall more in the pathetic, rather than sympathetic, category.
I was just barely able to finish this book. It wasn't exactly a pleasurable read, and I can't say I'm too keen on picking up anything else by Jonathan Franzen. He had some very honest and intriguing observations to share about the family dynamic, but some authors just aren't for me.
But I did find this gem of a quote, that's stuck with me: "What you discovered about yourself in raising children wasn't always agreeable or attractive."
Journal Entry 3 by wyldanthem at St. Elmo's Coffee Pub in Alexandria, Virginia USA on Sunday, September 22, 2013
Released 11 yrs ago (9/22/2013 UTC) at St. Elmo's Coffee Pub in Alexandria, Virginia USA
WILD RELEASE NOTES:
Planned release at my old favorite coffee shop - St. Elmo's!
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To the finder of this book:
Hello, and congratulations! You have not only found yourself a good book, but a whole community of booklovers dedicated to sharing books with each other and the world at large. I hope you'll stick around a bit and get to know BookCrossing — maybe even make a journal entry on this book. You may choose to remain anonymous or to join (its free!). And if you do choose to join, I hope you'll consider using one of the previous journallers as your referring member.
Feel free to read and keep this book, pass it on to a friend, or even set it out "in the wild" for someone else to find like you did. If you do choose to join and journal, then you can watch the book as it travels — you'll be alerted by e-mail each time someone makes another journal entry. It's all confidential (you're known only by your screen name and no one is ever given your e-mail address), free, and spam-free.
Happy reading!
