Anonymous wrote:I couldn't finish the Corrections because I found all of the characters to be so unlikable.

+1 It's very rare that I will abandon a book, even if I'm not enjoying it, but the Corrections was an exception. Hated it.

I liked his writing but I can't get over how misanthropic he is. He obviously contemptuous of humanity.

I powered through the Corrections thinking it must get better given the high praise it got--nope, it never got better. Go get a pedicure or organize your coupons.

Freedom was good, but not mind-blowingly good. Franzen certainly does a lot with character development - IMO too much, because 20 or 100 pages later I was really wanting to return to the plot. I guess his books are more about the characters than the plot, which would be OK if I liked or even was fond of most of the characters. I read a review that says Franzen basically hates all of his characters.

This is the book I quit Book of the Month club over-when a book devotes a chapter to someone having a conversation with their poop, it is time to abandon the new crap and return to the classics.

If you think the Corrections is depressing at the beginning, stop reading now because it does not get better. I kind of hate his characters and I pretty much hated the Corrections. BUT I find him to be compelling reading, and I finished the Corrections even though I usually don't finish books I don't like. I liked Freedom much better because I found those characters slightly less awful and some of it was really funny.

I liked both Freedom and Corrections. I like how ambitious they are, and how they follow people's lives chronologically in a contemporary American setting that I can relate to (I feel like other books written like this are historical fiction or based in other geographic locales). That said, if you don't like it now I don't think the book will change much as you read further along - the characters stay unlikable.

His books have really amazing moments--he's clearly capable of great writing--but overall he's not my cup of tea. I'd rather read Michael Chabon or Jonathan Lethem.

I didn't like Freedom

Hated the Corrections, so much I haven't tried anything else by him

I don't get all the accolades from critics. I think he's OK, but like many, many writers better.

I couldn't finish the Corrections because I found all of the characters to be so unlikable.

I didn't like Freedom either. My book club read it and a few people really liked it, but most did not.

I had never heard of him and read Freedom because it got so much attention. I'm not sure what the fuss is about. I think it was a pretty terrible book.

Just started The Corrections and I'm not sure if I really like it. It's kind of depressing. Should I keep plugging along?