1001 April Group Read: [The Corrections]

I've been out of pocket for a couple of days, but here's the string for our April group read. I started The Corrections a little early and am now about half way through. I'm enjoying this book. Franzen has a writing style that appeals to me. I particularly like the way he uses symbols in his writing. Won't give away more than that. I am looking forward to reading your thoughts.

I read The Corrections a few weeks ago. I'm not sure why I left it so long. It's been on my shelves for years. I thoroughly enjoyed it, and I agree about liking the way Franzen uses symbols in his writing. I think I was expecting something denser and more difficult to relate to – I'm just trying to figure out why I left it so long. But it was actually a very accessible book.

Hmmm.....I've been meaning to get this one off my tbr pile for a while. Maybe I'll join you . . .

Read The Corrections last year, I enjoyed it. Will have to pick myself another book from the list as my April alternate read!

Nickelini, please do join us.

Thanks. It's not a matter of interest or desire, but a problem with time.

I finished the book last night and overall thought it was excellent. I particularly liked the way the author used symbols in his writing and thought the comparisons to events in The Chronicles of Narnia was ingenious. His characters were believable, familiar and real. Hope your enjoying it and would love to see your comments about the book.

if anyone's interested, here's my review from when I read this back in 2008

http://johnandsheena.co.uk/books/?p=139

Arukiyomi, you hit the nail on the head.

I finally started this, and got to page 100 before I had to call it a night. It is an engrossing book, but I am encountering my normal problem of not catching onto the symbolism. Anyone willing to give me a hint?

I was a little afraid to keep reading this and seeing if it was going to turn into a train wreck, until I realized that sad-sack Chip would be hard pressed to mess up his life further and that I wouldn’t really care if he did. This to me is the mark of a good writer, that in 100 pages a character is drawn well enough that I can loathe him (in this case anyway). I am hoping that the other family members are focused on later in the book, because the glimpses of them so far are interesting to me.

Aliciamay other family members are focused on in the book. I think you will find yourself both loathing and loving them. One of the major symbols is the title itself. These are not "bad" people. They are people who are dysfunctional for a variety of reasons. They are trying desperately to find a normal level of life, albeit pretty much without realizing it. They are trying to correct themselves and each other in the process. This is one of those books where you can look at the characters and see if you can find yourself. Maybe you will, maybe you won't. But if you do, what do you need to bring corection to what is wrong? The answer is in the book/Book. Enjoy your reading.

One thing I have to say about Franzen is that his characters are so unlikeable, yet so three-dimensional that they stick in your mind for years after. The same goes for Freedom. I almost want to say that the Berglunds and Lamberts are the Rabbit Angstroms of the 90s and 00s. They reflect America in a way that's not flattering, but honest.

I'm also looking forward to the HBO series. The cast is excellent.

I'm also looking forward to the HBO series. The cast is excellent.

Details, please! I hadn't heard about this.

And yes, I could go look it up. But I like to hear it in your voice. :-)

Thanks for the explanation George! I finished the section on Gary Thursday, another unlikeable but interesting character. As a native mid-westerner, I was relating to many if the situations and characterizations until Gary's relationship with his parents was revealed. While I can understand the parent's disappointment, I can't fathom them being so outspoken about their feelings. Most of us just bottle those up and smile through the holidays : ) Maybe I should withhold judgement on this point until more of the story is unfolded...

Off the top of my head, Chris Cooper's Alfred, Ewan McGregor is Chip, and Maggie Gyllenhaal is Denise. They managed to get some really talented folks attached to it, so I'm looking forward to it.

#8 Thanks for posting your review.

Well, April is just about over, and I didn't get much time to read anything, let alone a long novel like this one! However, I plan to read it sometime this year, and will appreciate all your comments. And I'm sure I'll have something to say too.

welp the TV series is not happening. best to leave a good book alone, i guess.