Minutes July book: Freedom

Freedom

by Jonathan Franzen

(chosen by LC)

  

Ed note: thanks to Domestic Goddess for taking notes for the minutes this month.

LC chose book after reading The Corrections, because she enjoyed it and thought this was going to be as interesting.

About the author:
Jonathan Franzen was born in 1959, and grew up in St. Louis. After graduating from Swarthmore College in 1981, he studied at the Freie Universität in Berlin as a Fulbright scholar and later worked in a seismology lab at Harvard University's Department of Earth and Planetary Sciences. He has been named one of "Twenty Writers for the 21st Century" by The New Yorker and one of the "Best Young American Novelists" by Granta.

He has written three previous novels: The Corrections; The Twenty-Seventh City; and Strong Motion. He is also the author of two works of nonfiction, How to Be Alone and The Discomfort Zone. Jonathan he lives in New York City and Santa Cruz, California.

(general biographical details from the Oprah bookclub website)

What the publisher says about the book:

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 Walter and Patty Berglund 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.

What we discussed about the book:

• Between The Corrections and Freedom there is a 9 year gap which seems unusually long? Is this the length for the creative process to kick in for a second book?
• Size of the book – this one is long…and feels even longer when you are reading it – could the same message have been provided to the reader in a shorter/tighter framework?
• Original publication (Freedom) was recalled due to minor typos – would anyone but the author have known? Parents of the author sound a bit like Patty and Walter – were these characters based on the author’s own family?
• Environmental issues – were they explored well via the character of Walter?
• Political speeches – did they really make an impression?
• Is the book the author’s personal adventure into the frightening or unknown? What did we think was frightening or unknown about the book?
• It seemed intentional that all the characters were a bit “dark” – did this work for the reader?
• 28 characters in total (Gypsy had a spreadsheet and printed out the list) – was this too many people? Or the right amount? Was the purpose to show the trans-generational nature of society?
• Did author want the book to be a slice of the past decade? Typical family with lots of choices – did he achieve this?
• Author has been called one of the great American novelists – was on front cover of TIME magazine. Is this work worthy of that title?
• Did the huge PR machine behind the publication detract from, or enhance our reading of the book?
• Do Australians read this book differently from Americans?
• What was the purpose of the 'Disney' ending..Patty goes back to Walter and we all play “happy family”. What was the author's intention?
• Humour – publicity says that the book is sprinkled with it – could we find examples?

Then we were sidetracked into:

• The Corrections was based on author's own family – author says that Freedom is not, yet so many things run parallel with his life – is author able to divorce his own life from his writing? Is any author?
• Author has a very specific regime re writing – do most authors adopt a regime to survive the rigorous of writing
• The Oprah incident – author was put on Oprah’s booklist – he said this was a bit “cringy” so Oprah cancelled the interview – was this part of the PR strategy or did the author have good reason for his comments?
• Choices that we have in Western Society – how they sabotage ones freedom.
• Technology – ties you down but does not give you freedom.
• Should writers be revered like rock stars?
• Political link – photos of Obama with the book – especially important as book was critical of Bush administration. What role did this play in the promotion of the book?

In other news, we discussed:

• Diabetes – hard to keep blood sugar between 4 – 7. Can now test for the gene for diabetes.
• WorkSafe – now give advice re diabetes based on your waist measurement – lots of employees are in for a shock!
• Behaviour of children at the recent Art of the Brick (LEGO) exhibition – most touched the sculptures and would NOT listen to their frazzled parents….
• Behaviour of adults at penguin viewing spot at Phillip Island – when it says NO PHOTOS and someone is taking them what do you do? Do you pipe up and tell them to stop?
• Behaviour of adults in a store – what if they try on clothes and then go to pay for some of them and clearly have the rest on UNDER their clothes but tags are hanging out – do you say something? One No.1 Lady did...Go Elster! Did this classify as an embarrassing moment? NO

Ratings
Range: 4 to 6
Average: 5.28

Next book: Rocks in the Belly by Jon Bauer (chosen by Domestic Goddess)