I really hate this. The characters in it are so whiny and completely unsympathetic.

It's truly frustrating to read about such unlikable individuals.

If there was an option to give it less than 1 star, I would毫不犹豫地 do so.

I still can't believe that I actually managed to finish this thing.

The whole experience was just a waste of my time.

I expected so much more from it, but it failed to deliver on every front.

The story lacked depth and the characters had no redeeming qualities.

I would not recommend this to anyone.

It's one of the worst things I've ever read.

I really, really loved this book, and that might just be an understatement. For the first time in a while, a writer who is verging on genius has managed to hold my attention and interest for longer than just 5 - 10 minutes. This novel was written in 1992, before his first blockbuster novel The Corrections. Interestingly, I haven't read The Corrections yet, and I'm kind of glad. I think I was so engaged because in 1992, I was 23 - 24 years old myself, just like Louis. So, of course, I related to him in many ways, even though we don't share the same gender.

Frantzen manages to be political in his own way, without being overly forceful or preachy with his ideas. This, to me, is the best way to get your point across and not detract from the very story one is trying to write. I also really appreciated his incredible characterization and the intricacies within the relationships between the characters. He shows us through a beautiful and engaging story that men and women are inherently the same once we can look beyond our biology. In the end, the reader is left with the feeling that life is never simple, no matter what we encounter along the way, but we have the power to simplify things within ourselves.

I would say my favorite aspect of this book is Frantzen's ability to engage us. I've had trouble lately staying interested and passionate about writing in my jaded, post-English degree state, but Strong Motion allowed me to forget all that and remember that there is such a thing as really good writing.

I'm definitely looking forward to reading The Corrections because from what I've heard, it's even better!

How bad would the beginning of a novel have to be for you to stop reading it, especially when you've been eagerly anticipating this particular novel, fully expecting to like if not love it, considering the author's previous track record? And what if the issue wasn't with the writing but with the characters?

These are the questions that popped into my mind about a third of the way through Strong Motion. In fact, it was really just one character who was to blame, and unfortunately, he was the main character: Louis Holland. I quickly got the sense that we were supposed to dislike him, seeing him for the immature misanthrope that he clearly was. He's not a villain or even an anti-hero, but rather a self-centered "nice guy" before we knew to label them as such. By empathizing with an asshole, both we and the author are intended to be reminded of the power of fiction: to help us do something other than simply sneer at people we don't like.

I'm glad I persevered. Just like Franzen's later novels, this book changes perspective and focus several times, and thus we are relieved of the burden of spending excessive time in Louis's mind and in his company. Once the book makes room for less intolerable characters, you're reminded of what makes his writing so excellent: the elaborate descriptions of forgotten corners of urban and suburban environments, the dissection of motives and emotions that lie beneath the surface of every interaction, and the willingness to take the inhabitants of our unserious, ironic era seriously.

A plot, not dissimilar to the plots of Franzen's more fully developed works, kicks in, involving benefactors and corporations, polluters and whistle-blowers. In a simpler, more straightforwardly satirical version of the story, we would have been able to look down on Louis and his privileged parents. And there are characters in the book - like Louis's Harvard-MBA sister and a group of anti-abortion religious zealots - who can't escape the kind of obvious satirizing that Franzen largely avoids. But this is compensated for in the side-stories involving minor characters. I always find these tangents in Franzen's novels more enjoyable than the core stories - less burdened with suffering and self-consciousness.

Stylistically, it sometimes veers towards Don DeLillo territory. Automobiles and brand names are described in a cataloging, anthropological manner, presumably intended to expose the hollowness of late capitalism. Like DeLillo, he's preoccupied with catastrophe and the meaning of America in the late 20th century. At its worst, Strong Motion feels like wish fulfillment for the young male anti-capitalist misanthrope who is perfectly okay with you hating him as long as you hate everyone else too. But the writing is just too darn good to be dragged down by this. There is a heartbreaking vignette involving the interior life of a raccoon that makes the hours of angst it takes to get there worthwhile. I can't imagine anyone picking up this book who hasn't already read The Corrections, Freedom, and Purity (all of which are far superior), but if you're seeking more of what made those books worth reading, there's some of it here.

I have already read some good books by Franzen before, but this one didn't really touch me.

It's a pity. Franzen is known for his powerful and thought-provoking writing, and I had high expectations for this particular book. However, as I was reading, I just couldn't seem to connect with the story or the characters on a deeper level.

Maybe it was the pacing, or perhaps the themes didn't resonate with me as much as I had hoped. Nevertheless, I still appreciate Franzen's talent as a writer and will continue to explore his other works in the future.

Who knows, maybe the next book of his will be the one that truly moves me.

Louis Holland is my spirit animal!

He is truly one of my favorite characters. I can vividly remember the first time I was introduced to him. His charm, his personality, and his every move just captured my heart.

I have this feeling deep within me that I will probably never forget him. He has made such a profound impact on me.

Every time I think about him, a smile spreads across my face. I just enjoyed the shit outta this one! His story, his adventures, and all the emotions he evokes in me are simply amazing.

I can't wait to see more of him in the future and continue to be inspired by his character.

Franzen was recommended to me by an American mate, so I decided to start with this particular work of his.

I have to admit that I'm not overly impressed. Far from standing out as a contemporary writer on par with the best of American writers, it seems to me like yet another East Coast wannabe, burdened with all the trappings of American pseudo-intellectualism.

Rarely do I feel let down by a book, but this one did just that (similarly to "Pharmakon, or the Story of a Happy Family" by Dirk Wittenborn). I wonder if it's because both writers are venturing outside of their areas of knowledge.

Anyway, those with a geological inclination might get a bit more out of the book, as it's more about the relationship that develops between the two main characters. However, it just never really reaches the level of excitement or intensity that you expect it to. As I've said, I was left with a sense of disappointment, feeling short changed.

Perhaps I was expecting too much, but based on the recommendations, I had high hopes. Unfortunately, this book didn't quite live up to them.

First, a caveat: Strong Motion is not The Corrections. It does not possess the scintillating prose, caustic wit, and epic scope of Franzen's later National Book Award winning novel. Instead, it's an eccentric and lengthy work that, for better or worse, assumes a variety of identities. It combines elements of suspense, romance, family melodrama, didactic political novel, bildungsroman, and perhaps more. There are subplots and meanderings galore, but Franzen manages to tie them all into the relationship between Louis Holland and Renee Seitchek. Renee, a Harvard seismologist, is examining earthquakes that have recently shaken the Boston area. Unwittingly, she becomes embroiled in abortion protests, adding yet another layer to Franzen's complex plot.

The various subplots of the novel could have been handled deftly, but there are simply too many coincidences that seem too convenient for the story. However, Strong Motion does exhibit flashes of brilliance, particularly in the characterization of Renee Seitchek. A 30-year-old self-conscious seismologist, she falls in love with the 23-year-old protagonist, Louis Holland. Franzen's attention to the nuances of Renee's struggle for identity is masterful, as she ruminates on everything from egotistical and insular women who join "the sorority of child bearers" to being a "boring scientist who lives in a computer room but considers herself less boring than others like her because ten years ago she went to Clash concerts." Franzen truly highlights the finer points of the spectrum of femininity.

It is with Louis, Franzen's austere protagonist, that the problems first begin. I simply cannot bring myself to like him. At all. He's a spineless, masochistic ham radio buff fluent in French. While he's smart and occasionally witty, and has a hipster's palate for music, he simply doesn't hold the novel together. He seems to float through the story, being pulled along by Franzen's well-thought-out plot diagram.

There are other issues as well. This isn't exactly experimental, avant-garde fiction, and yet the omniscient narrator decides to delve into the life of a raccoon for much of chapter 11. Admittedly, sometimes the narrator's digressions are humorous, but in chapter 13, readers are treated to a brief history of the founding of America, complete with John Winthrop and archaic Elizabethan spellings. It appears that Franzen is attempting to add a more epic dimension to the novel, as well as a playful and pedantic use of English before the days of standardization.

The novel is not an epic, though it tries. Clearly, Franzen has a story with immediacy and scope that spans the range of American lives, particularly in the late 80s and early 90s. He explores the dawn of abortion clinic bombings, the reawakening and strengthening of Christian fundamentalism, and the emergence of a more outspoken environmentalism coupled with questions of corporate responsibility. Franzen includes a cast of characters from Broadway who we can follow for a few chapters, but ultimately, the characterization of these peripheral figures is rather stock. (Korean immigrant, vacuous Harvard MBAs, lecherous old man, Marxist professor, southern antiabortion minister) Franzen quickly wraps up their stories with a sentence here and there in the chaotic final few pages.

I'm usually a huge fan of Franzen. His works have always intrigued me with their depth and complexity. However, this particular book was a disappointment. I managed to stick with it until three-quarters of the way through, but the plot was just so boring!

I tried to hold on for a while longer because I know Franzen is renowned for his excellent character development. But in this case, it just wasn't enough to salvage the experience. I found myself losing interest and eventually decided that it wasn't worth finishing the book. I no longer cared what happened at the end. It's a shame because I had such high expectations, but sometimes even the most talented authors can have an off day.

Maybe I'll give Franzen another chance with his next book, but for now, I'm left feeling rather let down by this one.

This story didn't have the same impact on me as The Corrections did. However, I'm a big fan of any narrative that prompts me to think in a different or more profound way about a particular topic. This is merely the second novel by Franzen that I've read, so I relished uncovering those aspects of his writing style that weren't evident from just one book.

What I truly love is the way he skillfully weaves together various topics such as family, religion, abortion, and consumerism. It's remarkable how he manages to create a complex and interconnected web of ideas that forces the reader to consider the relationships and implications between these seemingly disparate elements.

Although this story may not have resonated with me on the same level as his other work, it still offered valuable insights and made me reflect on different aspects of life. Franzen's ability to explore and dissect these themes in a thought-provoking manner is what makes him such an engaging and talented writer.

I look forward to reading more of his novels and seeing how he continues to develop and expand his unique writing style.

A Long Hard Slog

Life often presents us with challenges that require a long hard slog. It's not always easy to persevere through the difficult times, but it's those who do that are able to achieve great things.

Whether it's in our personal or professional lives, there will be obstacles to overcome. We may have to work long hours, face setbacks, and deal with criticism. But it's important to remember that these challenges are opportunities for growth and learning.

During a long hard slog, it's essential to stay motivated and focused on our goals. We can do this by breaking the task into smaller, more manageable steps and celebrating our progress along the way. It's also important to take care of ourselves and make time for rest and relaxation.

In conclusion, a long hard slog may be difficult, but it's also rewarding. By persevering through the challenges, we can become stronger, more resilient, and achieve our dreams.

Jonathan Franzen is my favorite author.

I had already read "Freedom" and "The Corrections" and thought they were both truly amazing works.

This earlier book, while perhaps not quite as astonishing as the others, is still very good.

At first, it may seem rather dull, but as the story progresses, it really picks up pace towards the end and is not difficult to read at all.

Although Franzen creates his characters with many flaws, they are still highly endearing.

I particularly liked Louis and Renee, the main characters in this book.

I felt that there could have been more development for some of the characters.

For instance, Louis Holland was initially portrayed as a loner and a bit of a strange person, but as the story unfolds, he seems quite normal.

I'm not sure if it's just my perception, or if he should have remained weirder.

There was an excessive amount of background provided for one of the secondary characters, which I didn't think was necessary as the book only presents his perspective for maybe a chapter.

In my opinion, either there should have been more from his point of view or there shouldn't have been so much background information.

However, the entire book is beautifully written, just like everything Franzen writes. He is truly a genius.

But be warned: this book is very political.

If you're not pro-choice, an atheist, an environmentalist, a feminist, and anti-capitalist, and you're easily offended, or if politics simply make you uncomfortable, then this book may not be for you.

The characters' political views are pervasive throughout the book, even more so than in Franzen's other works.

Just a heads up! Nevertheless, I still loved it and would highly recommend it.

My husband purchased this book for me. The reason being that he has a great liking for Jonathan Franzen and also because I am the kind of person who will read just about anything. The only other Franzen novel that I have read is “Freedom”. Although I don't recall a great deal about it, I do remember that it was better than this one. I approached this book with no prior knowledge about it. So, I had no idea that it was written in Franzen’s early years. In fact, in the beginning, I didn't even realize that it took place in the early 90s. Interestingly, so much of it is still relevant and could be believable in the present day! I firmly believe that he has definitely matured as a writer.

I didn't have an intense hatred for the book, but there were several aspects that prevented me from truly relishing it. Firstly, the characters are all truly contemptible. Most of them lack any redeeming qualities. At times, I found the extremist Southern pastor to be the most likable character in the entire book. I don't necessarily have to love the characters to love a book, but I found myself completely unable to relate to any of these individuals. Moreover, I couldn't fathom why they were doing the things they did. I felt that Franzen was really keen on focusing on showing rather than telling, which is a great approach. However, it seemed like there were numerous moments that weren't shown in sufficient detail. As a result, I was left wondering why these people were the way they were.

The other aspect that I didn't enjoy is that the book meanders along to a great extent. I put this book aside to read other books on several occasions simply because it was progressing so slowly that I really didn't care about what was going to happen. For me, it only became interesting in the last 100 pages. Everything that occurred prior to that could have been condensed significantly.

Overall, it wasn't a horribly bad book, but I don't think I would necessarily go around recommending it either.