Freedom

This novel by Jonathan Franzen was the talk of the blogs at the end of 2010.  It received alot of mention that it was a favorite read and their choice for best of the year, and I think Oprah even mentioned it.  I finally got a chance to sit down and give it a try.

It started out very well, the characters developing in to someone I would want to know about, but the story line was a little confusing for me.  It was about a young woman growing up, with her voice mainly being heard.  The problem is I am done with the book and it is returned to the library, and I can't remember her name.  Maybe I hated her so much I don't want to remember her at all.  She was whiny and needy, but not in a diva kind of way.  I'm not sure if she was supposed to have a mental problem, but it does bring up the fact that she goes through a depression through some point in her life.

We do get to follow other characters:  her husband Walter and his best friend, Richard, are two main ones, and I remember their names, so they must have been easier to like.  Walter's love for his wife is unconditional, even before she realizes he feels that way about her, and she only wants Richard. 

The main character and Walter have 2 children, and we really only follow the son the most, simply because the mother is smothering him as he's growing up.  The middle of the book took me a very long time but when I finally got to the last chapters things moved quicker.  I felt that it was too full of complaints about their pitiful lives that the characters created for themselves to be an enjoyable read.  I follow alot of different blogs to get the chance to experience new types of stories, but this time I feel it lead me in the wrong direction.