We met last night for our book club to discuss “Freedom,” by Jonathan Franzen. We were missing half of our group, and sadly, none of us had time to finish this book before our meeting. It’s a bit lengthy, upward of 600 pages. I have to admit that I continued reading it today and am almost finished with it even though I can say it’s my least favorite so far since we started our group. Maybe, if Kristy had been there to help us discuss it, since she was the only one in our group that had finished it, we may have a different opinion.
I found myself looking for a reason of the title of the book. My impression was that ‘Freedom’ could have been named for a few reasons (as the author drops the word ‘freedom’ in quite a few places). One possibility: when you make poor decisions, you have to live with it. Put happiness aside. Put freedom aside. I had hoped to see Patty, the mother figure, reach her own ‘Freedom’. I’m not satisfied by the ending and sense that this will never occur. Another possibility is that Freedom is different for different people. Maybe Patty’s idea of Freedom (however skewed) is the only variety of freedom that she knows.
Either way, this book left me feeling a bit empty and sad. And while this may be very typical in today’s society of family life, this is not the book I would choose to read for pleasure.
You can’t be a fan of all books. Share with me your thoughts in the comment section below. Don’t forget to GRAB my FREE Manifesto Guide for everyday inspiration.
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