Quote:
Originally Posted by sputnik
i like franzen, he's an über-nerd and was obviously a very serious, self-conscious kid. it's a very honest, almost mundane account of his childhood and adolescence and i think there are things that almost everyone can identify with. it's not as riveting as 'the corrections' but also not as painful, but there is just something about the way he describes families... i can think of few authors that capture so well that moment when you grow up and the relationship with your parents shifts irreversibly.
i admit i still have about 50 pages to read (got sidetracked by another novel) so can't quite give my final verdict yet but so far i'm giving it a tentative 7/10
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I pretty much share the opinions already presented on the book so far, but I especially like what sputnik says here because I find it to be very true. It especially resonates for me personally now that my mother has Alzheimer's. I am actually re-reading The Corrections, which is one of my fave books about family dynamics.
I was disappointed by this book to some extent, mainly because I'm not that interested in what most teenage boys think, but I did enjoy parts of it. Franzen is a talented writer and I loved the section about the hippie ministry. Brings back old memories for me.... Not sure if we are supposed to rate it, but I give it a 7/10.