FREEDOM by Jonathan Franzen

Well, this was Oprah's Book Club selection.  And I enjoyed the book the author became famous for, The Corrections. 

To purchase or download this book, click below:

http://sh.st/Q4PZL

It's a family saga.  Rather than following the family member linearily, the author chose to focus on each character in a chapter, much like he did in The Corrections.  It's very well-written, I really felt for the characters, and even the most debasing, disgusting and reprehensible behaviours seem acceptable within the context of this world.

The one issue I had with this book is that there is so much information on each character.  I got bored for about a hundred pages that delved into American politics, and then another fifty or so pages that dealt with saving a bird species.  I think that the author felt too passionately about these subjects to leave them out, and while they were a part of the characters, I didn't really see how they added any real value to the story.


This is a long book - over 700 pages - and definitely not a beach-read.  If you enjoy dissections of humanity and family, and have long commutes to work, then this would be a good addition to your electronic reading device.