Freedom

by Jonathan Franzen | Literature & Fiction |
ISBN: 0374532575 Global Overview for this book
Registered by wingEdwardstreetwing of Lower Hutt, Wellington Province New Zealand on 7/25/2011
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This book is in a Controlled Release! This book is in a Controlled Release!
3 journalers for this copy...
Journal Entry 1 by wingEdwardstreetwing at Martha's Pantry in Wellington City, Wellington Province New Zealand on Saturday, January 28, 2012

Released 12 yrs ago (1/29/2012 UTC) at Martha's Pantry in Wellington City, Wellington Province New Zealand

WILD RELEASE NOTES:


The new novel from the author of The Corrections. Patty and Walter Berglund were the new pioneers of old St. Paul - the gentrifiers, the hands-on parents, the avant-garde of the Whole Foods generation. Patty was the ideal sort of neighbour who could tell you where to recycle your batteries and how to get the local cops to actually do their job. She was an enviably perfect mother and the wife of Walter's dreams. Together with Walter - environmental lawyer, commuter cyclist, family man - she was doing her small part to build a better world. But now, in the new millennium, the Berglunds have become a mystery. Why has their teenage son moved in with the aggressively Republican family next door? Why has Walter taken a job working with Big Coal? What exactly is Richard Katz - outre rocker and Walter's old college friend and rival - still doing in the picture? Most of all, what has happened to poor Patty? Why has the bright star of Barrier Street become "a very different kind of neighbour," an implacable Fury coming unhinged before the street's attentive eyes? In his first novel since The Corrections, Jonathan Franzen has given us an epic of contemporary love and marriage. Freedom comically and tragically captures the temptations and burdens of too much liberty: the thrills of teenage lust, the shaken compromises of middle age, the wages of suburban sprawl, the heavy weight of empire. In charting the mistakes and joys of Freedom's intensely realized characters, as they struggle to learn how to live in an ever more confusing world, Franzen has produced an indelible and deeply moving portrait of our time.



Journal Entry 2 by Sherlockfan at Upper Hutt, Wellington Province New Zealand on Wednesday, February 1, 2012
Passed to me as this is my month to receive books through the Southern Cross Book Exchange. Thanks very much for checking out my Wish List and finding this book for me.

Journal Entry 3 by Sherlockfan at Upper Hutt, Wellington Province New Zealand on Saturday, March 10, 2012
562 pages too a marathon effort to plough through. Although I found the book interesting in some ways, perhaps mostly because of the portrayal of middle America, did wonder whether there are many families like this, and how like this. The zeal with which Walter tried to protect the cerulean warbler - partially depicted on the cover of this version - reminds me vividly of New Zealanders' zeal over protection of giant slugs but is much more picturesque.
Overall, while I am pleased I did continue to read all of this work and wasn't tempted at any stage to give up because I really wanted to know what would happen next but I believe that the publishers could or even should have asked Franzen to prune at least 100 pages from it.
The autobiographical sections did appear to give a different perspective but the constant reference to 'the autobiographer' seemed just plain daft. Irritating rather than adding anything; autobiographies generally don't do that.
The characters were not endearing except perhaps to a slight extent Walter, or was he simply too weak to be anything other than nice all the time to Patty in particular? Mostly they were flawed folk and not people with whom one would want to be friends.
When I checked for JEs by other BC readers I was slightly surprised to see that out of 70 registered copies only two had more than one person journaling. Curious. Why no book rings? Perhaps its size and weight and the effect that would have on postage costs is something to do with that.
I was glad I read it and would recommend it if asked but with some warnings. It is earmarked for someone with it on their Wish List.

Journal Entry 4 by Sherlockfan at Upper Hutt, Wellington Province New Zealand on Saturday, March 10, 2012

Released 12 yrs ago (3/12/2012 UTC) at Upper Hutt, Wellington Province New Zealand

CONTROLLED RELEASE NOTES:

Sending to Jeniwren for her month in Southern Cross Book Exchange. I'll be watching with interest to read her comments once she's read it.

Journal Entry 5 by wingjeniwrenwing at Greigs Flat, New South Wales Australia on Monday, April 2, 2012
Waiting in my letterbox this afternoon was this wish listed book. Thankyou to Sherlockfan for granting my wish at the SCBE.

Journal Entry 6 by wingjeniwrenwing at Greigs Flat, New South Wales Australia on Tuesday, February 5, 2013
I have received another audio copy of this novel and due to the daunting size have opted to pass this copy on in controlled release to a bookcrossing friend at my workplace who says she is up for reading almost anything! I will be interested to see how she goes with Mr Franzen.

Journal Entry 7 by wingjeniwrenwing at Pambula, New South Wales Australia on Tuesday, February 5, 2013

Released 11 yrs ago (2/5/2013 UTC) at Pambula, New South Wales Australia

CONTROLLED RELEASE NOTES:

Passing on at work today in controlled release.

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