Freedom, by Jonathan Franzen

The hype around this book has been absolutely frenzied. They've just moved native son Frazen's appearance in the St. Louis area to Christ Church Cathedral to accommodate the mob they expect. Is it "The Great American Novel?" Well, at least a great novelistic overview of the past few decades of American cultural life and history. Since it has been almost a decade since his last novel, The Corrections, was published, I felt he must have literally written this novel, at least the more contemporary parts in the last 150 pages or so, just as real events were unfolding. It does give the work freshness. The opening chapter is great, the end was a surprise to me and I liked it. In between the book is a rich stew of memorable characters, social history, meditations on modern marriage and family life, and environmental politics. Is freedom just another word for nothing left to lose? A significant part of the book is set about ten miles from our cabin in northern Minnesota, which was a little eerie. Now I want to see a cerulean warbler. 562 pp.