This past wednesday night was the meeting for the Mama's Book Club where we discussed the end of 2010 pick, Freedom by Jonathan Franzen...
Even though I had given a couple of months notice for this particular book club pick, I found myself scrambling to read this book whenever I could! Last Tuesday night, I was speed reading through pages here + there, skipped directly to reading the last chapter...then finally, I googled a Cliff's Notes synopsis to make sure that I had grasped all of the basic story line. 
No, it wasn't a requirement to have read the entire book before the meeting, however, I did all of this reading, scrambling + searching because I wanted to know what happened in the story. I read the first 1/3 rd of the book, but hit a wall where I didn't have much interest in finishing it. I found that I really couldn't identify with the female character, Patty. Maybe she reminded me of people I have known; a sporty type with "white collar problems", meets a nice guy in college {who she later marries}, but eternally carries a flame for her husband's "bad boy" musician friend... continually gravitating toward friends + love interests who are "not good for her". You know the type, a self-saboteur.***************
Perhaps there is a bit of a Patty in all of us...maybe a part we don't really like? Or a part of ourselves that we have been lucky enough to outgrow and leave behind? In any event, the book Freedom was well written, that is for sure. It is clearly a big old call out; about life...lives in general. And while the story line {in my opinion} wasn't all that gripping, it was a truthful depiction of just how complicated life can be. The idea that we are all made up of layer after layer of thought, emotion + experience, all of which contributes to what makes us think, feel and act the way we do.
Reading a book ans discussing among freinds is most certainly always a good thing.
Thanks for reading + for sharing your thoughts!!
xo.
so you did get something out of the book - that is what we really want, isn't it? whether it is to ponder, to laugh, to be entertained or to learn... your picture with your son reminds me of how i got through some harry potters - you know, when you literally couldn't put it down? i would sit at the side of the tub during baths and read... they were happy in water and playing - i was there - all was good! hope your next book grips you...
ReplyDelete@mairedodd
ReplyDeleteLOL, so true about that wonderful time reading with the babes...don;t thinkless of me, but I TORE throught eh twilight series right after I delivered the little man...total mind vacation...
Although there were some who liked this book, I was not a big fan. When I am hooked on a book, I literally devour it, but this was work. I'm hoping someone might have read it and might convince me otherwise :) Maybe I'll try to pick it up at another time.
The next book by David Sedaris looks intriguing though!!
a.
confession - i tore through them too - you are right, they were a mind vacation... i read all of them, em stopped after a while (how seriously embarrassing is that? she and i both cringe a bit about it)... i was missing harry potter and had reread tolkien already... and i hadn't yet been introduced to lisbeth... have you read 'reading lolita in tehran'?
ReplyDeletewas wanting to work in my studio space tonight - but there are too many peeps in the house for me to get centered...
@mairedodd
ReplyDeleteSometimes a friday night just needs to be a friday night when there is all kinds of buzzin about :)
I have one more lisbeth to read...saving that for the winter break. I've not read Lolita, but will look into it for sure!
a.
I have read Reading Lolita in Tehran and loved it. Such an interesting window into that world. Actually I was thinking about suggesting it to my book club...I want to reread it.
ReplyDelete