Rated of 5
by Dorothy S Most despicable group of characters I've encountered.
I most heartily disagree with all the "official" reviewers and the general public who find this book to be a masterpiece and a potential classic that accurately reflects the angst and dysfunction of modern American social and family life. The book is well written from a literary and technical standpoint, except, perhaps, for the author's preoccupation with various forms of sexual obsession and a curious obsession himself with scalp odors. The characters, however, are universally odious. There is not one person portrayed that has any personal nobility or even honesty. Perhaps the author does not know any kind, honorable or non-neurotic people. I cannot believe these characters are meant to represent normal human beings. Perhaps the author meant us to recognize, as Chip does toward the end, that the whole story is (or should be) a farce. If so, I find it fails miserably in being either farcical or illuminating. It is entertaining, in its morbid way, which kept me reading to the bitter end. What a waste of time.
Rated of 5
by Ryan Schiely Franzen's Best to Date
From small town life to big city indulgences Franzen's novel brings forth nearly every aspect of family life beginning with childhood memories and working it's way through the fallout of the child-parent relationship and the failing relationship of each sibling with each other. Parkinson's disease, global politics, sexual desires, drug habits, alcoholism, depression...all intricately woven together to create a stunning web of fiction. A true masterpiece from one of the world's greatest living writers.
Rated of 5
by S. Peddycord
The Corrections entertained me while making me question "what the heck is going on here?" I often had to flip back several pages to figure out who, when and where. The author brilliantly jumped from one setting to another (and there are many scttings described in this book) sometimes seemingly in the middle of a paragraph. Generally the point of view changed at the same time, which gave clues which I would eagerly pursue. The multitude of settings as well as the range of the characters' problems that needed correction make this a wonderful read. Having been born in the fifties, I could identify, either sairically or empatheticly, with everything the author threw up for discussion. The Corrections is definitely the Great American Novel for my generation.
Rated of 5
by JenniferA
I hated this book. I'm tired sick of dysfunctional families being the basis for so many novels these days. I despised these characters (what a pathetic bunch of self-destructive losers). There were some passages that actually made me nauseous. I hated to pick up the book and only did so so I could finish it a get it out of my house. I think this book is a case of the emperor having no clothes.
Rated of 5
by ShayF
A big disappointment. I was so excited to begin this book, but quickly realized that I would not finish it. There were only 2 people who finished it in our group of 12. I really tried, but just couldn't bring myself to finish it. Too wordy, too boring and not one character that I cared to discover more about. Just not a book for me.
Rated of 5
by Bert Bell
I found The Corrections to be a remarkably insightful and moving family saga that struck a good balance between social issues and personal issues. It is also at times extremely funny. The characters are nuanced and very real.
A bold, mesmerizing novel about the woman known as "Typhoid Mary," the first known healthy carrier of typhoid fever in the burgeoning metropolis of early twentieth century New York.
Z, the novel about the life of Zelda Sayre Fitzgerald is at points charming and; like another reviewer, I kept thinking of the movie, "Midnight...
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Although heavy on the scientific details, which slowed down the story for me (OK, I admit, I was one of those liberal arts majors who skipped out on...
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Loved this book. Magical, quirky, enchanting I could go on. All books do not have to be literary fiction, sometimes it is just so comforting to read...
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British Parliament asks Amazon to clarify why it pays $9 million in income tax on $23 billion of UK sales.(May 20 2013) Amazon will be called back to give further evidence to members of the British Parliament "to clarify how its activities in the U.K. justify its low corporate...
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of 5
by Dorothy S 
of 5
by Ryan Schiely 
of 5
by JenniferA 
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by Bert Bell 
