Freedom

A Novel

De: Jonathan Franzen

Narrado por: David LeDoux

From the National Book Award-winning author of The Corrections, a darkly comedic novel about family.

Patty and Walter Berglund were the new pioneers of old St. Paul - the gentrifiers, the hands-on parents, the avant-garde of the Whole Foods generation. Patty was the ideal sort of neighbor, who could tell you where to recycle your batteries and how to get the local cops to actually do their job. She was an enviably perfect mother and the wife of Walter's dreams. Together with Walter - environmental lawyer, commuter cyclist, total family man - she was doing her small part to build a better world. But now, in the new millennium, the Berglunds have become a mystery. Why has their teenage son moved in with the aggressively Republican family next door? Why has Walter taken a job working with Big Coal? What exactly is Richard Katz - outré rocker and Walter's college best friend and rival - still doing in the picture? Most of all, what has happened to Patty? Why has the bright star of Barrier Street become “a very different kind of neighbor,” an implacable Fury coming unhinged before the street's attentive eyes?

In his first novel since The Corrections, Jonathan Franzen has given us an epic of contemporary love and marriage. Freedom comically and tragically captures the temptations and burdens of liberty: the thrills of teenage lust, the shaken compromises of middle age, the wages of suburban sprawl, the heavy weight of empire. In charting the mistakes and joys of Freedom's intensely realized characters as they struggle to learn how to live in an ever more confusing world, Franzen has produced an indelible and deeply moving portrait of our time.

©2010 Jonathan Franzen (P)2010 Macmillan Audio

Reseñas de la Crítica

"The Great American Novel." ( Esquire)

"It’s refreshing to see a novelist who wants to engage the questions of our time in the tradition of 20th-century greats like John Steinbeck and Sinclair Lewis . . . [This] is a book you’ll still be thinking about long after you’ve finished reading it." (Patrick Condon, Associated Press)

“Writing in prose that is at once visceral and lapidary, Mr. Franzen shows us how his characters strive to navigate a world of technological gadgetry and ever-shifting mores, how they struggle to balance the equation between their expectations of life and dull reality, their political ideals and mercenary personal urges. He proves himself as adept at adolescent comedy as he is at grown-up tragedy; as skilled at holding a mirror to the world his people inhabit day by dreary day as he is at limning their messy inner lives . . . Mr. Franzen has written his most deeply felt novel yet—a novel that turns out to be both a compelling biography of a dysfunctional family and an indelible portrait of our times." (Michiko Kakutani, The New York Times)

Amazing

I just can't get over what a great writer Jonathan Franzen is. Although I found my mind drifting in a few of the more 'boring' spots, overall I thought both the narration of the book and the book itself was amazing.

Engrossing

An intriguing fabric of the personal and political forces shaping our lives in the 21st century. At times blunt and usually on target. Loved the narration. I couldn't stop listening!

Good but longer than it needed to be

I generally like Franzen's writing and believe he creates really interesting characters that you want to follow. While I wanted to know more about Patty, Walter, Richard, and most of the others, I was dissatisfied with the ending. What happened to their son? So much time was spent on his relationship throughout the book, and then they were just kind of dropped toward the end. And I found Franzen's fascination with birds to creep into Walter's nature work, leading to sections that went on a little too long for me. All in all, I'm glad I listed to the book, but on the whole, I don't believe it lived up to all the hype. I was expecting outstanding; it was just very good.

Narrator ruined the female roles for me

What made the experience of listening to Freedom the most enjoyable?

The most enjoyable part of listening to Freedom was the story itself. It is an expansive look into the lives of a family and by the end I did not want to give these characters up.

Who was your favorite character and why?

I liked Walter, because he has a high moral compass and I felt like he was the most round character. Many of the other characters seemed a little flat to me.

Who would you have cast as narrator instead of David LeDoux?

George Clooney. Robert Downey Jr, Greg Kinnear. Anyone who can read a female voice. His narration of Patty, Jenna, and Connie was super ingratiating!!! I found myself CRINGING when any one of the females laughed. As a woman, I was actually offended by his rendition Patty's

Was there a moment in the book that particularly moved you?

When Connie showed up at Richard's house and said she was

Any additional comments?

N/a

Interesting Story

Would you say that listening to this book was time well-spent? Why or why not?

Yes

Do you think Freedom needs a follow-up book? Why or why not?

No. I thought the ending almost ruined the book. I have no desire to read more.

Just OK

Don't know what all the hubbub is about this book, I found it enjoyable but just average.

Slow start, but I fell in love with this book

It took me a few hours to get hooked on this book, but once I did, I couldn't stop listening. Franzen is a keen, on-point observer of American culture and politics, but also of the intangible, illogical, and overpowering things that make up relationships of all types. I especially found the ending powerful and moving.

I also loved this narrator. I thought he hit the voices and cadences just right, even the Indian girl.

I liked it but.....

Overall I enjoyed this book. The happy ending did make me forget some of the more dull, odd, tangents (endangered bird, mining mountail tops) the author went down thoughtout the book.

Such Great Fun

A tour de force of quirky characters and odd situations. I could not turn it off and only sheer exhaustion allowed me to fall asleep with the earphones. I caught a lot of stares for laughing out loud in public while listening. This is a great followup to The Corrections. Well worth the time and the credit.
Highly recommended

Unnecessary Epic

2.5 out of 5 Stars

When I think about Freedom the first word that comes to mind is epic. Freedom is a very long book, over 24 hours in audible listening time, that spans decades in the lives of one family and the people surrounding them. It is expansive and impressive in its scope of storytelling, but if there is one thing that Freedom proves it is that not all epics are worthy of the time.

This was my second time listening to this book and I did come out of it with a slightly better view of it then I did the first time, but it still was not a great experience. While thinking about this review I have had a tough time fully forming my thoughts, I don't fall into either of the two main camps of "Oprah is always right, this book is amazing" or "I can't believe so many people love this trash." Looking at my feelings overall I think I fall closer to the "trash" team than the "amazing" team, but I think I am still somewhere in the middle.

I do not like a single character in this book, the only one I come close to liking is Jessica but I am pretty sure that is because we know basically nothing about her. For whom I hate the most it is a really close match between Joey and Lalitha. We get a large amount of Joey narration throughout the book and he does improve towards the end but Lalitha is just viscerally terrible every time she is mentioned or speaks. Part of the reason I found her so odious is likely due to the just awful voice put on by the otherwise wonderful David LeDoux.

Other than the lack of likable characters the other main complaint I see is the directionless, rambling plot. While I would agree the plot is both those things I rarely got out and out bored while listening. Throughout I kept imagining this story in miniseries form, something that really improved it in my mind. I hope this does eventually become a miniseries (ala Years and Years), I believe a story of this scope would translate to that medium than the written word.