Dewey Edition23
Reviews"Franzen is a master of rendering the broad sweep of humanity through the (extremely human) minutia of a family. In Crossroads , I felt a frustration and fondness for the Hildebrandts so deep it was almost familial. This is, perhaps, [Franzen's] greatest skill as a writer . . . What more could a reader ask for, really?" -- Jessie Gaynor, Lit Hub "A compelling examination of faith, privilege and ambition." -- Time "[Franzen] imbues his books with big ideas, in this case about responsibility to family, self, God, country, and one's fellow man, among other matters, all the while digging deep into his characters' emotions, experiences, desires, and doubts in a way that will please readers seeking to connect to books heart-first . . . Franzen's intensely absorbing novel is amusing, excruciating, and at times unexpectedly uplifting--in a word, exquisite."-- Kirkus Reviews (starred review) "Franzen returns with a sweeping and masterly examination of the shifting culture of early 1970s America, the first in a trilogy . . . Throughout, Franzen exhibits his remarkable ability to build suspense through fraught interpersonal dynamics. It's irresistible." -- Publishers Weekly (starred review) "[A] masterful, Tolstoian saga . . . Franzen adroitly portrays eternal generational conflicts . . . This masterpiece of social realism vividly captures each character's internal conflicts as a response to and a reflection of societal expectations, while Franzen expertly explores the fissions of domestic life, mining the rich mineral beneath the sediments of familial discord. In this first volume of a promised trilogy, Franzen is in rarified peak form." -- Booklist (starred review) "Franzen pens complex, densely layered characters . . . with America's heartland functioning as a stage upon which the tension between enduring values and societal change is enacted . . . Franzen is keenly aware that human struggle is defined by understanding and acceptance and that it is generational, ideas he admirably captures here." -- Library Journal (starred review) "Franzen, one of our best chroniclers of suburban family life ( The Corrections, Freedom ) does not disappoint with his terrific new novel . . . By turns funny and terrifying, Crossroads is promised to be the first novel in a planned trilogy. I can't wait to read what happens next." -- BookPage (starred review), "Franzen is a master of rendering the broad sweep of humanity through the (extremely human) minutia of a family. In Crossroads , I felt a frustration and fondness for the Hildebrandts so deep it was almost familial. This is, perhaps, [Franzen's] greatest skill as a writer . . . What more could a reader ask for, really?" -- Jessie Gaynor, Lit Hub "A compelling examination of faith, privilege and ambition." -- Time "[Franzen] imbues his books with big ideas, in this case about responsibility to family, self, God, country, and one's fellow man, among other matters, all the while digging deep into his characters' emotions, experiences, desires, and doubts in a way that will please readers seeking to connect to books heart-first . . . Franzen's intensely absorbing novel is amusing, excruciating, and at times unexpectedly uplifting--in a word, exquisite."-- Kirkus Reviews (starred review) "Franzen returns with a sweeping and masterly examination of the shifting culture of early 1970s America, the first in a trilogy . . . Throughout, Franzen exhibits his remarkable ability to build suspense through fraught interpersonal dynamics. It's irresistible." -- Publishers Weekly (starred review) "[A] masterful, Tolstoian saga . . . Franzen adroitly portrays eternal generational conflicts . . . This masterpiece of social realism vividly captures each character's internal conflicts as a response to and a reflection of societal expectations, while Franzen expertly explores the fissions of domestic life, mining the rich mineral beneath the sediments of familial discord. In this first volume of a promised trilogy, Franzen is in rarified peak form." -- Booklist (starred review) "Franzen pens complex, densely layered characters . . . with America's heartland functioning as a stage upon which the tension between enduring values and societal change is enacted . . . Franzen is keenly aware that human struggle is defined by understanding and acceptance and that it is generational, ideas he admirably captures here." -- Library Journal (starred review) "[Franzen] does not disappoint . . . [He writes] with penetrating insight delivered through incisive sentences . . . I can't wait to read what happens next." -- BookPage (starred review), "Franzen is a master of rendering the broad sweep of humanity through the (extremely human) minutia of a family. In Crossroads , I felt a frustration and fondness for the Hildebrandts so deep it was almost familial. This is, perhaps, [Franzen's] greatest skill as a writer . . . What more could a reader ask for, really?" -- Jessie Gaynor, Lit Hub "A compelling examination of faith, privilege and ambition." -- Time "[Franzen] imbues his books with big ideas, in this case about responsibility to family, self, God, country, and one's fellow man, among other matters, all the while digging deep into his characters' emotions, experiences, desires, and doubts in a way that will please readers seeking to connect to books heart-first . . . Franzen's intensely absorbing novel is amusing, excruciating, and at times unexpectedly uplifting--in a word, exquisite."-- Kirkus Reviews (starred review) "Franzen returns with a sweeping and masterly examination of the shifting culture of early 1970s America, the first in a trilogy . . . Throughout, Franzen exhibits his remarkable ability to build suspense through fraught interpersonal dynamics. It's irresistible." -- Publishers Weekly (starred review) "[A] masterful, Tolstoian saga . . . Franzen adroitly portrays eternal generational conflicts . . . This masterpiece of social realism vividly captures each character's internal conflicts as a response to and a reflection of societal expectations, while Franzen expertly explores the fissions of domestic life, mining the rich mineral beneath the sediments of familial discord. In this first volume of a promised trilogy, Franzen is in rarified peak form." -- Booklist (starred review) "Franzen pens complex, densely layered characters . . . with America's heartland functioning as a stage upon which the tension between enduring values and societal change is enacted . . . Franzen is keenly aware that human struggle is defined by understanding and acceptance and that it is generational, ideas he admirably captures here." -- Library Journal (starred review), "Franzen is a master of rendering the broad sweep of humanity through the (extremely human) minutia of a family. In Crossroads , I felt a frustration and fondness for the Hildebrandts so deep it was almost familial. This is, perhaps, [Franzen's] greatest skill as a writer . . . What more could a reader ask for, really?" -- Jessie Gaynor, Lit Hub " The Corrections was a masterpiece, but Crossroads is [Franzen's] finest novel yet . . . He has arrived at last as an artist whose first language, faced with the society of greed, is not ideological but emotional, and whose emotions, fused with his characters, tend more toward sorrow and compassion than rage and self-contempt . . . Crossroads is Franzen's greatest and most perfect novel to date, but more importantly, it is his most promising: an inexhaustible resource for future novels..." -- Frank Guan, Bookforum "A compelling examination of faith, privilege and ambition." -- Time "[A] funny, sad, unputdownable tapestry of a pastor and his family in the midst of myriad crises--of conscience, religion, and otherwise." -- Vanity Fair "[Franzen] imbues his books with big ideas, in this case about responsibility to family, self, God, country, and one's fellow man, among other matters, all the while digging deep into his characters' emotions, experiences, desires, and doubts in a way that will please readers seeking to connect to books heart-first . . . Franzen's intensely absorbing novel is amusing, excruciating, and at times unexpectedly uplifting--in a word, exquisite."-- Kirkus Reviews (starred review) "Franzen returns with a sweeping and masterly examination of the shifting culture of early 1970s America, the first in a trilogy . . . Throughout, Franzen exhibits his remarkable ability to build suspense through fraught interpersonal dynamics. It's irresistible." -- Publishers Weekly (starred review) "[A] masterful, Tolstoian saga . . . Franzen adroitly portrays eternal generational conflicts . . . This masterpiece of social realism vividly captures each character's internal conflicts as a response to and a reflection of societal expectations, while Franzen expertly explores the fissions of domestic life, mining the rich mineral beneath the sediments of familial discord. In this first volume of a promised trilogy, Franzen is in rarified peak form." -- Booklist (starred review) "Franzen pens complex, densely layered characters . . . with America's heartland functioning as a stage upon which the tension between enduring values and societal change is enacted . . . Franzen is keenly aware that human struggle is defined by understanding and acceptance and that it is generational, ideas he admirably captures here." -- Library Journal (starred review) "[Franzen] does not disappoint . . . [He writes] with penetrating insight delivered through incisive sentences . . . I can't wait to read what happens next." -- BookPage (starred review), Named a most anticipated book of the fall by The New York Times, USA Today, Oprah Daily, Time, Entertainment Weekly, Vulture, the Los Angeles Times, the San Francisco Chronicle, Town & Country, The Guardian, Newsday, the Star Tribune, Lit Hub, Los Angeles magazine, Thrillist, The Week, and more... " The Corrections was a masterpiece, but Crossroads is [Franzen''s] finest novel yet . . . He has arrived at last as an artist whose first language, faced with the society of greed, is not ideological but emotional, and whose emotions, fused with his characters, tend more toward sorrow and compassion than rage and self-contempt . . . Crossroads is Franzen''s greatest and most perfect novel to date, but more importantly, it is his most promising: an inexhaustible resource for future novels..." -- Frank Guan, Bookforum "Franzen is a master of rendering the broad sweep of humanity through the (extremely human) minutia of a family. In Crossroads , I felt a frustration and fondness for the Hildebrandts so deep it was almost familial. This is, perhaps, [Franzen''s] greatest skill as a writer . . . What more could a reader ask for, really?" -- Jessie Gaynor, Lit Hub "[A] pleasure bomb of a novel . . . New prospects are what keep [ Crossroads ] so engrossing, each section expanding on and deepening the poignancy of what has come before . . . . Few [writers] can take human contradiction and make it half as entertaining and intimate as Franzen does . . . A magnificent portrait of an American family on the brink of implosion . . . Crossroads is Act I of what''s bound to be an American classic." -- Lauren Mechling, Vogue "A compelling examination of faith, privilege and ambition." -- Time "[A] funny, sad, unputdownable tapestry of a pastor and his family in the midst of myriad crises--of conscience, religion, and otherwise." -- Vanity Fair "A damn good novel . . . Franzen demonstrates sheer dexterity in terms of both craft and style, empathy and compassion."-- The Sewanee Review "[Franzen] imbues his books with big ideas, in this case about responsibility to family, self, God, country, and one''s fellow man, among other matters, all the while digging deep into his characters'' emotions, experiences, desires, and doubts in a way that will please readers seeking to connect to books heart-first . . . Franzen''s intensely absorbing novel is amusing, excruciating, and at times unexpectedly uplifting--in a word, exquisite."-- Kirkus Reviews (starred review) "Franzen returns with a sweeping and masterly examination of the shifting culture of early 1970s America, the first in a trilogy . . . Throughout, Franzen exhibits his remarkable ability to build suspense through fraught interpersonal dynamics. It''s irresistible." -- Publishers Weekly (starred review) "[A] masterful, Tolstoian saga . . . Franzen adroitly portrays eternal generational conflicts . . . This masterpiece of social realism vividly captures each character''s internal conflicts as a response to and a reflection of societal expectations, while Franzen expertly explores the fissions of domestic life, mining the rich mineral beneath the sediments of familial discord. In this first volume of a promised trilogy, Franzen is in rarified peak form." -- Booklist (starred review) "Franzen pens complex, densely layered characters . . . with America''s heartland functioning as a stage upon which the tension between enduring values and societal change is enacted . . . Franzen is keenly aware that human struggle is defined by understanding and acceptance and that it is generational, ideas he admirably captures here." -- Library Journal (starred review) "[Franzen] does not disappoint . . . [He writes] with penetrating insight delivered through incisive sentences . . . I can''t wait to read what happens next." -- BookPage (starred review), " [Franzen] imbues his books with big ideas, in this case about responsibility to family, self, God, country, and one's fellow man, among other matters, all the while digging deep into his characters' emotions, experiences, desires, and doubts in a way that will please readers seeking to connect to books heart-first . . . Franzen's intensely absorbing novel is amusing, excruciating, and at times unexpectedly uplifting--in a word, exquisite."-- Kirkus Reviews (starred review) "Franzen returns with a sweeping and masterly examination of the shifting culture of early 1970s America, the first in a trilogy . . . Throughout, Franzen exhibits his remarkable ability to build suspense through fraught interpersonal dynamics. It's irresistible." -- Publishers Weekly (starred review), "Franzen is a master of rendering the broad sweep of humanity through the (extremely human) minutia of a family. In Crossroads , I felt a frustration and fondness for the Hildebrandts so deep it was almost familial. This is, perhaps, [Franzen's] greatest skill as a writer . . . What more could a reader ask for, really?" -- Jessie Gaynor, Lit Hub " The Corrections was a masterpiece, but Crossroads is [Franzen's] finest novel yet . . . He has arrived at last as an artist whose first language, faced with the society of greed, is not ideological but emotional, and whose emotions, fused with his characters, tend more toward sorrow and compassion than rage and self-contempt . . . Crossroads is Franzen's greatest and most perfect novel to date, but more importantly, it is his most promising: an inexhaustible resource for future novels..." -- Frank Guan, Bookforum "A compelling examination of faith, privilege and ambition." -- Time "[Franzen] imbues his books with big ideas, in this case about responsibility to family, self, God, country, and one's fellow man, among other matters, all the while digging deep into his characters' emotions, experiences, desires, and doubts in a way that will please readers seeking to connect to books heart-first . . . Franzen's intensely absorbing novel is amusing, excruciating, and at times unexpectedly uplifting--in a word, exquisite."-- Kirkus Reviews (starred review) "Franzen returns with a sweeping and masterly examination of the shifting culture of early 1970s America, the first in a trilogy . . . Throughout, Franzen exhibits his remarkable ability to build suspense through fraught interpersonal dynamics. It's irresistible." -- Publishers Weekly (starred review) "[A] masterful, Tolstoian saga . . . Franzen adroitly portrays eternal generational conflicts . . . This masterpiece of social realism vividly captures each character's internal conflicts as a response to and a reflection of societal expectations, while Franzen expertly explores the fissions of domestic life, mining the rich mineral beneath the sediments of familial discord. In this first volume of a promised trilogy, Franzen is in rarified peak form." -- Booklist (starred review) "Franzen pens complex, densely layered characters . . . with America's heartland functioning as a stage upon which the tension between enduring values and societal change is enacted . . . Franzen is keenly aware that human struggle is defined by understanding and acceptance and that it is generational, ideas he admirably captures here." -- Library Journal (starred review) "[Franzen] does not disappoint . . . [He writes] with penetrating insight delivered through incisive sentences . . . I can't wait to read what happens next." -- BookPage (starred review), " [Franzen] imbues his books with big ideas, in this case about responsibility to family, self, God, country, and one's fellow man, among other matters, all the while digging deep into his characters' emotions, experiences, desires, and doubts in a way that will please readers seeking to connect to books heart-first . . . Franzen's intensely absorbing novel is amusing, excruciating, and at times unexpectedly uplifting--in a word, exquisite."-- Kirkus Reviews (starred review) "Franzen returns with a sweeping and masterly examination of the shifting culture of early 1970s America, the first in a trilogy . . . Throughout, Franzen exhibits his remarkable ability to build suspense through fraught interpersonal dynamics. It's irresistible." -- Publishers Weekly (starred review) "[A] masterful, Tolstoian saga . . . Franzen adroitly portrays eternal generational conflicts . . . This masterpiece of social realism vividly captures each character's internal conflicts as a response to and a reflection of societal expectations, while Franzen expertly explores the fissions of domestic life, mining the rich mineral beneath the sediments of familial discord. In this first volume of a promised trilogy, Franzen is in rarified peak form." -- Booklist (starred review) "Franzen pens complex, densely layered characters . . . with America's heartland functioning as a stage upon which the tension between enduring values and societal change is enacted . . . Franzen is keenly aware that human struggle is defined by understanding and acceptance and that it is generational, ideas he admirably captures here." -- Library Journal (starred review), " [Franzen] imbues his books with big ideas, in this case about responsibility to family, self, God, country, and one's fellow man, among other matters, all the while digging deep into his characters' emotions, experiences, desires, and doubts in a way that will please readers seeking to connect to books heart-first . . . Franzen's intensely absorbing novel is amusing, excruciating, and at times unexpectedly uplifting--in a word, exquisite."-- Kirkus Reviews (starred review) "Franzen returns with a sweeping and masterly examination of the shifting culture of early 1970s America, the first in a trilogy . . . Throughout, Franzen exhibits his remarkable ability to build suspense through fraught interpersonal dynamics. It's irresistible." -- Publishers Weekly (starred review) "[A] masterful, Tolstoian saga . . . Franzen adroitly portrays eternal generational conflicts . . . This masterpiece of social realism vividly captures each character's internal conflicts as a response to and a reflection of societal expectations, while Franzen expertly explores the fissions of domestic life, mining the rich mineral beneath the sediments of familial discord. In this first volume of a promised trilogy, Franzen is in rarified peak form." -- Booklist (starred review), "Franzen returns with a sweeping and masterly examination of the shifting culture of early 1970s America, the first in a trilogy . . . Throughout, Franzen exhibits his remarkable ability to build suspense through fraught interpersonal dynamics. It's irresistible." -- Publishers Weekly (Starred Review)