I had been hearing rave reviews about Freedom for a while now. It had been recommended to me by a few bloggers (and ok, also Oprah), so I decided to give it a read. I honestly can't say I have ever read another book like this one. When I was reading it, it was hard to put down. However, once I put it down, it was hard to pick back up. It was not what I would consider light reading, but the story was really good.
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Freedom moves back and forth through time, starting in the 1970's and ending around 2008. The story is not told chronologically. It begins with an account of the Berglund family from the point of view of their neighbors. Then the book goes back in time, and in the form and an autobiography tells the story of matriarch Patty Berglund. It then shifts to the points of view of patriarch Walter, their son Joey, and Walter's best friend Richard, and back to Patty (in no particular order). Though they looked perfect from the outside, their lives were full of heartaches and disappointments, and the story goes into this in great detail.
Overall, I would give this book 3 out of 5 stars. It is an interesting story, but sometimes it got a little heavy. The story was well-written, and the characters fully developed. I think I just really enjoy fluffier books.
Next up, Waiting to be Heard: A Memoir, which is the story of Amanda Knox's murder trail. So far, it is a fascinating read.
2 comments:
This is one of my fave books, Erin. Franzen did an amazing job. I haven't read The Corrections yet, but am looking forward to it just coz he wrote it:) The book did get to be a bit heavy on some stuff though....
Have you read any Jeffrey Eugenides stuff? He's another great author, too.
hmmm another one to add to my list!
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