Amazon.com's Best of 2001
Jonathan Franzen's exhilarating novel The Corrections tells a spellbinding story with sexy comic brio, and evokes a quirky family akin to Anne Tyler's, only bitter. Franzen's great at describing Christmas homecomings gone awry, cruise-ship follies, self-deluded academics, breast-obsessed screenwriters, stodgy old farts and edgy Tribeca bohemians equally at sea in their lives, and the mad, bad, dangerous worlds of the Internet boom and the fissioning post-Soviet East.
All five members of the Lambert family get their due, as everybody's lives swirl out of control. Paterfamilias Alfred is slipping into dementia, even as one of his inventions inspires a pharmaceutical giant to revolutionize treatment of his disease. His stubborn wife, Enid, specializes in denial; so do their kids, each in an idiosyncratic way. Their hepcat son, Chip, lost a college sinecure by seducing a student, and his new career as a screenwriter is in peril. Chip's sister, Denise, is a chic chef perpetually in hot water, romantically speaking; banker brother Gary wonders if his stifling marriage is driving him nuts. We inhabit these troubled minds in turn, sinking into sorrow punctuated by laughter, reveling in Franzen's satirical eye:
Gary in recent years had observed, with plate tectonically cumulative anxiety, that population was continuing to flow out of the Midwest and toward the cooler coasts.... Gary wished that all further migration [could] be banned and all Midwesterners encouraged to revert to eating pasty foods and wearing dowdy clothes and playing board games, in order that a strategic national reserve of cluelessness might be maintained, a wilderness of taste which would enable people of privilege, like himself, to feel extremely civilized in perpetuity.
Franzen is funny and on the money. This book puts him on the literary map. --Tim Appelo
Book Description
Winner of the National Book Award
After almost fifty years as a wife and mother, Enid Lambert is ready to have some fun. Unfortunately, her husband, Alfred, is losing his sanity to Parkinson's disease, and their children have long since flown the family nest to the catastrophes of their own lives. The oldest, Gary, a once-stable portfolio manager and family man, is trying to convince his wife and himself, despite clear signs to the contrary, that he is not clinically depressed. The middle child, Chip, has lost his seemingly secure academic job and is failing spectacularly at his new line of work. And Denise, the youngest, has escaped a disastrous marriage only to pour her youth and beauty down the drain of an affair with a married man-or so her mother fears. Desperate for some pleasure to look forward to, Enid has set her heart on an elusive goal: bringing her family together for one last Christmas at home.
Customer Reviews:
my favorite book written recently .......2007-09-29
This book has everything anyone who loves serious fiction is looking for. If you are sick of sentimentality and machismo in contemporary literature, try "The Corrections." Franzen has the sober eye, ear and tongue that we all need. Oh, and he's also funny, which is always a beneficial in a writer.
Franzen is Fantastic.......2007-09-27
Even though Jonathan Franzen is probably most famous for his refusal to allow Oprah to use "The Corrections" for her book club, you shouldn't use that as a basis to read or reject this book. Franzen is an excellent writer, and he knows how to troll the minefields of family life like no one else. His writing has been compared with that of author Anne Tyler, but where her vision is sweetness and light (accompanied by disfunction), Franzen's is the more bleak approach.
Franzen's characters in this novel (the Lamberts) are so real because we know them instinctively from people in our own life. His portrait of Alfred, the aging and Alzheimer's impaired father, is a love song to the difficult-to-love father; Enid, the mother, is in a world of denial, which she uses as a tool to manage day to day. The children (Chip, Denise, and Gary) each bring their own coping mechanisms and grief to this story. Franzen tells a human story, and you'll wonder how he was able to capture your own parents and family quirks so well (ok, maybe this is just if you're from the Midwest like me).
Not only does Franzen use this family and its disfunction to talk about the social milieu in which we find ourselves, he also mixes personal crises with the problems of a wider society. In this book, when you're not laughing, you'll be gnashing your teeth. His writing is equal parts humor and pain, which is just what makes Franzen so unique and contemporary.
Don't miss this great book, the hype surrounding it was for good reason. I also loved Franzen's "How to Be Alone," but that's for another review.
Brilliant .......2007-09-17
This is a witty, wonderful, hilarious, tragic, and philosophical book. It is important, and it should be read and thought about for years to come.
A superb analysis of a disfunctional family - like them all........2007-08-18
This is an exceptional novel, written with considerable literary skill, penetrating the characters in their all-to-human problems and relationships. There are numerous strenghts, including the ability to create characters that seem to take on a life of their own. I was very impressed with Franzen's ability to create fully-developed, phychologically present characters with the Lambert family. Every character in the book is developed with sensitivity, realism, and insight into the workings of the human heart. Despite the justice that Franzen dispenses to this characters, Denise (the daughter), Chip (the youngest son), and Enid (the mother) are the most fully developed.
Franzen's treatment of Denise, the bi-sexual chef daughter, is superb and is really an unforgetable character. This may be one of the finest characterizations of a female bi-sexual in English literature.
Enid, the mother, is perfectly drawn as a mom who's judgements of her own children are heavily influenced by her peer's perceptions of her children. This core insecurity does not allow her to really see her children, who and what they have become, and keeps her trapped in a nieve state of denial and unrealistic romanticism. My heart went out to her even as I cringed at the manipulations she attempts on her husband, children, and grandchildren to situate them in her vision of familiar harmony and happiness. This was perfectly drawn in the passages of the Christmas daily calendar where every day a little window is opened until December 25th when the youngest child in the family opens the 25th window with a picture of the Christ Child behind. These seemed to be Enid's outward familial ritual that conveys to her inner soul that everything is alright, everything is at peace.
Chip, the college professor who has sex with one of his students, takes methamphetamine with her, writes her term paper for her, and then gets fired by the University is a perfect example of the bright rebellious person who has yet to sort out their own demons and thus becomes victim to these internal demons despite the high intelligence.
The language is beautiful in this book, even when describing cruise ships, basements, and share holder meetings. The book is long but rewarding in that the story of Denise could have been a stand alone novel but is certainly more enjoyable embedded in the context of her family background.
Talk about DRAMA!.......2007-08-15
A real page turner! I can't remember the last time I've enjoyed reading a book like The Corrections! Jonathan Frazen is up there with John Steinbeck's East of Eden and Charles Frazier's Cold Mountain. Talk about superb writing! A beautiful masterpiece! I couldn't wait to get home from work/school to continue reading The Corrections! It found myself reading in the middle of the night when I had to be at work at 8:00AM!
J. Franzen is brilliant. His description of the Lambert family is so vividly colorful, ro richly depicted that it gives the book a humanly touch! I fel;t like I was a part of the Lambert family. I really felt engaged with the characters. The Corrections gives a sense of normalcy to all the (dys)functional families out there. You will find yourself celebrate with Denise, cry with Enid, yell with Gary, wanting desperatly to make (some) CORRECTIONS with Albert and running away all the way to Eastern Europe with Chip...
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Correccion / Correction (Biblioteca Bernhard)
Thomas Bernhard
Manufacturer: Alianza (Buenos Aires, AR)
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ASIN: 8420655929 |
Book Description
This volume is produced from digital images created through the University of Michigan University Library's preservation reformatting program.
Customer Reviews:
Title mislisted.......2007-09-30
The one star is not for the book per se. The title is mislisted. The correct title is "The Waverly Novels, by Sir Walter Scott, Vol 12: Count Robert of Paris; Castle Dangerous; My Aunt Margaret's Mirror, Etc." and then it goes on to say the complete set is 12 volumes. This is only volume 12, not the complete set.
the Waverly Novels by Sir Walter Scott, complete in 12 volumes etc.......2007-01-26
This is not an estimation of the quality of the writing, buy rather a criticism of the deceptive nature of the title. I had always thought that the Waverly novels were all the novels of Walter Scott. So when I received my order, Just one volume and not twelve, and the material in it obscure writings by Walter Scott known only by scholars of Walter Scott, I was disappointed. I looked up Wavwely novels on the internet and found the websites of some booksellers. I found that they share my definition of Waverly novels, they include such novels as Ivanhoe, Kenilworth, The Fair Maid of Perth, etc.I am keeping my volume and will read it. I think I am being punished for my eagerness to get a good bargain, but I am disappointed.
Book Description
This volume is produced from digital images created through the University of Michigan University Library’s preservation reformatting program.
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Bookclub-In-A-Box Discusses the Novel The Corrections by Jonathan Franzen
Jonathan Franzen
Manufacturer: Bookclub-In-A-Box
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Binding: Paperback
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ASIN: 189708210X
Release Date: 2006-02-01 |
Book Description
Discusses the novel, "The Corrections".
Average customer rating:
- Nice idea, poorly done
- A Few Corrections; Many, Many Connections
- Well written, but ultimately tedious
- A refreshing change of pce; totally original and refreshing
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A Few Corrections: A Novel
Brad Leithauser
Manufacturer: Vintage
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ASIN: 037572558X
Release Date: 2002-03-12 |
Book Description
According to his obituary, Wesley Sultan died at the age of 63, leaving behind three children, a wife, an ex-wife, a brother, a sister, and a life-long business career. According to his obituary, Wesley Sultan led a quiet, respectable, and unremarkable life. Our narrator, however, is about to discover that nothing could be further from the truth.
Using Sultan’s obituary as a road map to the unknown terrain of the man himself, our narrator discovers dead-ends, wrong turns, and unexpected destinations in every line. As he travels from the bleak Michigan winter to the steamy streets of Miami to the idyllic French countryside, in search of those who knew Wesley best, he gradually reconstructs the life of an exceptionally handsome, ambitious, and deceptive man to whom women were everything. And as the margins of the obituary fill with handwritten corrections, as details emerge and facts are revised, our mysterious narrator–whose interest in his quarry is far from random–has no choice but to confront the truth of his own life as well.
Customer Reviews:
Nice idea, poorly done.......2001-09-13
There's not really a lot to say about this book other than Leithauser comes up with a really intriguing concept and basically does little of interest with it.
Basically, the book's narrator explains that he is seeking to correct the many errors in the brief obituary of the recently deceased Wesley Sultan. That's not a bad concept for a book but unfortunately, the discoveries we make about Wesley are, for the most part, banal and painfully predictable. The narrator's identity is supposed to be something of a mystery so I won't reveal it in this review but I will say that it should be obvious to anyone who makes it beyond the second chapter.
The book's real problem is that it is just painfully dull. Basically, it consists of our narrator interviewing the people from Wes's past. All of these people are written to be very flamboyant but instead just comes across as rather "annoying." Its as if Leithauser used a random, create-an-interesting-character generator and so, he ended up with familiar figures like the young man with a dark secret, the chatty old woman who goes on about sex (yeah, never seen that before), and of course, the grouchy misanthrope who has a secret heart of gold. All stereotypes and all presented to the reader as if Leithauser actually believes he's the first person to ever come up with these stock figures.
Leithauser does have style to burn. He puts his sentences together with undeniable skill. You want metaphors? This guy has got a metaphor for everything. In fact, his writing is so florid and metaphor-driven that it only makes the plot's refusal to be anything other than thoroughly banal all the more annoying. Its like being forced to listen to the bar know-it-all, so in love with his own vocabulary and so convinced that everything he's saying is a gem of great wit, that eventually any sensible person can't help but yell, "WILL YOU JUST SHUT UP!?"
So, in short, I guess I didn't care too much for this book.
A Few Corrections; Many, Many Connections.......2001-05-22
Midway through this exquisite novel the narrator recalls, through an alcoholic mist, that, "the most distant object visible by day--the sun-- lies some eight minutes away at the speed of light. The most distant visible by night--the Great Andromeda Galaxy--lies two million light-years away. In terms of visible boundaries, then, night is some 100 billion times bigger than day." Clearly (or murkily), that leaves much to explore. The primary object of exploration in A Few Corrections, Wesley Sultan, the quintessentially American salesman, has departed for the great darkness beyond life, and the obituary of the man is less than illuminating. The narrator methodically seeks to shed light on this mystery.
While the novel is organized around the attempt to make a few corrections to the memory of this rather ordinary Midwestern life, Brad Leithauser makes more than a few fascinating connections, extending to the extraordinary. Some connections work as metaphor. Of Wesley's sister, the babbling Adelle, he writes, "Her monologue is a wandering creek of so gentle a propulsion, you have to take on faith the notion that you'll eventually get out of the woods and into open waterways." The connections work at the larger structural level of the novel, which will have the careful reader returning to the beginning of chapters and earlier parts of the book to confirm the revelations. For fans of Brad Leithauser, there are even connections to his other works of fiction and poetry. I'm anxious to see where this novel will connect to his future work.
The novel is filled with humorous vignettes and is beautifully written. (It's better when you read it aloud.) Though Wesley Sultan is elusive, the narrator reaches small epiphanies with those who aid him in his quest. Leithauser treats his characters with great warmth and understanding. He also effectively evokes an earlier and lost time. A Few Corrections is fast-paced: it's a good read. At the same time, its richness makes it a good re-read, too.
Well written, but ultimately tedious.......2001-05-17
Leithauser sure can write; this book is loaded with well-crafted sentences and paragraphs. And lots of fine observations . . . what you'd expect from a poet. Yet the novel is flat, bereft of narrative energy, its characters nuanced but uncompelling. I've read all Leithauser's novels, and my favorite is his quasi-autobiographical book about young Americans in Japan, "Equal Distance." Ever since that book, it seems to me that he's been searching for themes and characters worthy of his talent. Alas, what's missing here, despite his best efforts, is a good story. Instead of being a pleasure, "A Few Corrections" ends up being a chore to finish.
A refreshing change of pce; totally original and refreshing.......2001-04-30
Former Manhattan investment advisor Luke Cross reads the Restoration Oracle obituary for his recently deceased father, Wesley Cross Sultan. He cannot believe that the three paragraphs in the Michigan paper contain a dozen errors. Luke notices that even Wesley's age is wrong and if he, who hardly knew his dad, can see obvious mistakes how many more are not so blatant.
Luke begins to edit the obit, making corrections. He also decides to learn more about his father. He visits living relatives and ex-wives to learn the truth about Wesley. Luke quickly concludes that his father was a great womanizer and even greater liar. In other words, the father he does not know more and more looks like a charming rogue who one either adored or loathed.
A FEW CORRECTIONS is an intriguing look at the freedoms and controls society places on an individual to conform even one with wide latitude. The story line is amusing and melancholy sometimes at the same time. Some of the relatives are strong characters with three dimension personalities, but key players Luke and Wesley invoke nothing for the audience as they seem flat in comparison. Still, Brad Leithauser has written a different type of tale as this character study focuses on a person through the final statement about their life: the obituary.
Harriet Klausner
Amazon.com
Would you like to convert someone who says romances aren't "real" novels? This book is the one that will do it! Flowers from the Storm is one of the best books in the genre. Christian Langland, Duke of Jerveaux is the ultimate hero. A brilliant mathematician and a complete rake, Christian is a man of contradictions. When a stroke leaves him permanently unable to speak, his family believes him to be mad and relegates him to a sanitarium. Fortunately, Maddy, a righteous Quaker and do- gooder, recognizes that Christian is not insane--he just can't talk! Maddy may not be the most likable heroine you'll encounter, but she has depth and character, and is probably one of the few people you could imagine who would have the patience and understanding to accept and live with Christian's intense anger and frustration. This is a book that defines the word "keeper."
Book Description
The Duke of Jervaulx was brilliant and dangerous. Considered dissolute, reckless, and extravagant, he was transparently referred to as the 'D of J' in scandal sheets, where he and his various exploits featured with frequency. But sometimes the most womanising rake can be irresistible, and even his most casual attentions fascinated the sheltered Maddy Timms, quiet daughter of a simple mathematician.
Customer Reviews:
A unique experience.......2007-09-23
This novel makes me believe in the power of love.
At the end of the day, to me, that's the mark of a great Romance story.
One of my favorite books of all time.......2007-09-19
I read this book about 15 years ago and still count it as one of my all-time favorite, if not THE favorite, books. I loved the story, the characters of Maddy and Christian and the writing. It was a little difficult to read at first but you do get used to it and it is definitely worth the read. The characters and their romance touch your heart, make you laugh and cry and cheer for them. Their story was very believable for the times and the circumstances. The characters have stayed with me for so long and I have reread the book several times. One of the best romance novels of all time!
Tops The Best Ever List.......2007-09-18
I read this book years ago,and was looking for it, forgetting the title. When I accidentaly came across it, I just reread it and came to the same conclusion- this is nr. 1 on my "Best Ever" list! While I will say it is for serious readers only - this is not a light romance, it is such a well written, and beautiful story, so different than most historical romances. There were times when I cried over some scenes, its very moving. Never mind the "thees and thous" some complain about - you really do not notice it and it does not detract from the flow of the story. I love this book, and intend on keeping it to read again.
Wonderful!!.......2007-09-10
Readers,
Do you want a book that you can feel the emotion through the page? Do you want a book that you are so engrossed you cannot think of anything else? Do you want a book where you are still thinking of the characters after the read? THIS IS THE BOOK!
I think this may be one of the best books I have read in a very long time. The hero in this book, I loved so much. The herione I loved too because she would not turn her back on him when he needed her.
You could just feel the love they had for one another.
A MUST READ!!! YOU WILL NOT REGRET PURCHASING AND READING THIS BOOK. Make sure you have nothing else to do.
Best Romance Ever!.......2007-09-05
I can only say that until I read this book I really had not read a great romance. Now I have. While there are many other books that I have truly enjoyed in this genre this one rises above them all. Mrs. Kinsale is an amazing talent but if she never writes another novel I think while sad I would also be grateful just to have this one gem from her. To borrow a phrase "Read it and weep"! It's wonderful.
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Flowers from the Storm
Manufacturer: Avon Books
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
ASIN: B000E22EBC |
Product Description
1992 Avon Books BCE, 471 pages. ISBN 0-380-76132-7. From her first sizzling best seller, Seize the Fire, to her award winning The Prince of Midnight, "Laura Kinsale delivers powerful, unique romance laced with passion, danger and compelling characters" (Amanda Quick). Now, the renowned author brings her legions of fans this spectacular new novel--a poignant, sensual and unforgettable love story. Christian Langland, the Duke of Jervaulx, is London's most notorious rake--a charming, irresistible seducer with a brilliant mind and reckless passions. Then, in the wake of a shocking tragedy, he is condemned to a world of shadows...and madness. Maddy Timms is a simple Quaker beauty who once feared the dashing nobleman. But when Christian becomes an inmate in her cousin's asylum, she is drawn to him, sensing that he is not insane at all but physically ill. Now she has come to free him from his solitary torment--never dreaming that her warm, healing touch will bind them together in need and desire...or that greedy and jealous enemies will try to destroy their love.
Customer Reviews:
What a cover!.......2006-05-26
First, I have to tell you, the cover of this book cracks me up. It's sort of a romance novel cover cliche to have Fabio on the cover with his shirt somehow unbuttoned and tucked in at the same time, and usually, it has nothing to do with the content of the book. What makes me laugh is that in this case, there actually IS a scene in the book where the hero is wandering around outside in his shirt, unbuttoned and tucked in, clutching a bouquet of wildflowers. So, aside from his stupid grin, the cover is actually pretty accurate. Whodathunk?
I read this book on the recommendation of some people in a writing group I'm in who said they loved it but it was on their never-read-again list because it was just so intense. It was definitely intense. It had a lot to do with religion, and, I think, even more to do with the choice between your background and family and the man you love. I think that theme strikes home with a lot of people, especially women, because it's something a lot of us have had to deal with: Marry the man your family wants you to marry, or marry the man you love. Even in modern times, it's a powerful question.
I really enjoyed the story and the characterizations, and might even be convinced to read it again someday. I also liked the symbolism. There were several great symbolic moments, the "flowers from the storm" scene being one. I love it when authors, particularly romance authors, do that sort of thing. It means they trust me (the reader) enough to include it, and not spell everything out. Good stuff.
Very enjoyable read!
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Flores En La Tormenta/ Flowers From the Storm
Laura Kinsale
Manufacturer: Plaza & Janes Editories Sa
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
United States | Short Stories | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books
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ASIN: 8401379423 |
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Ready for the storm. (Next!).: An article from: Physician Executive
Joe Flower , and
Patrice Guillaume
Manufacturer: American College of Physician Executives
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Digital
General | Business & Investing | Subjects | Books
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ASIN: B0008JD9OW
Release Date: 2005-07-28 |
Book Description
This digital document is an article from Physician Executive, published by American College of Physician Executives on May 1, 2000. The length of the article is 1049 words. The page length shown above is based on a typical 300-word page. The article is delivered in HTML format and is available in your Amazon.com Digital Locker immediately after purchase. You can view it with any web browser.
From the author: The coming decade is likely to be more turbulent than any we have faced. In fact, the basic structures and roles of health care may begin to shift and dissolve in ways that we cannot begin to predict. In turbulent times, long-term plans are vulnerable to fundamental shifts in the environment. Planning recedes in importance compared to preparing--nurturing the institutional and individual capacity for change. Rigid planning is about power and control. Preparing is about unleashing the strengths of each person on the crew. Self-development is largely a matter of recognizing what your strengths are, learning to live in those strengths, while nurturing the abilities that do not come naturally. Leadership is largely a matter of creating an environment that helps your crew work from their strengths and supports them in their weaker areas.
Citation Details
Title: Ready for the storm. (Next!).
Author: Joe Flower
Publication:
Physician Executive (Refereed)
Date: May 1, 2000
Publisher: American College of Physician Executives
Volume: 26
Issue: 3
Page: 60(3)
Distributed by Thomson Gale
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Flowers from the Storm
Manufacturer: Avon Books
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Mass Market Paperback
ASIN: B000GSJIUY |
Books:
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- The God of Small Things
- The Haunting of Hip Hop: A Novel
- The Human Stain: A Novel
- The Ice Harvest: A Novel
- The Inheritance of Loss
- The Last Time They Met: A Novel
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