On so many levels Purity is a great book. I loved the structure, the way things come together. And as I’ve said, for me, Franzen truly knows how to craft a sentence. His vocabulary is astounding in a way that i really appreciate.
But there was so much about Purity that made me feel creepy. Franzen’s women are garbage. Not one really great female character. I get that sometimes characters have to be weak, flawed, needy, abused … you get the idea. But does that have to absolutely define all the female characters and none of the male? And let’s not forget his use of the word “pussy”. Too much. TOO MUCH.
Who would like this book? You pretty much already know if you’re going to read Purity or not, based on whether you’d read Franzen or not. I really liked The Corrections and loved Freedom, but Purity, while good, fell short for me. It definitely reads like Franzen and is easily identifiable as him, but either I’ve grown up or he’s become too Franzen-y. I’m left wondering whether or not I’ll pick up his next novel. Am I done with Franzen?
I’d like to thank Laura at Reading In Bed, the brains behind Franzen in February, Â for prompting me to read Purity. Finished just in time, and i knocked off another for #ReadMyOwnDamnBooks.
52 books or bust 
I’m undecided as to whether I’ll read this! I own it but was engrossed in something else (A Little Life, I think) when Purity was released, so didn’t get straight onto it. By the time my reading time was free, I’d read a number of ordinary reviews from some trusted bloggers. So, now I’m kind of thinking no….
If you already own it you have nothing to lose. My main complaint, aside from misogyny and sexism, was the length. Too long!
I tend to like Franzen way more than I probably should, but I’ve been iffy about picking this one up, mostly for the reasons you mentioned. The topic just seems like some waters I’m not sure I want to wade into.
I say stick with your gut on this one.
I read The Corrections a few years ago, but remember nothing about it. I only know that I read it, because i have it written in my notebook. So that’s not a good sign. It doesn’t mean I’ll never read him again (I think I might have Freedom on my shelves somewhere, too), but I’m not in a hurry to read more of his books. Too many other books to read! And, your review confirms my hesitation to pick this one up.
To be honest I don’t remember The Corrections either. But i know I read it.
I’ve tried to read Franzen several times and have never been able to get into him, I think he is a little too wordy for me. Purity does intrigue me though and this was a very nice review.
He is wordy – i think that’s why I like him. My gut tells me that if you want to read Franzen go for one of his earlier works.
I’ve only read a nonfiction book of Franzen’s (How to Be Alone) so I’m curious about Purity but it’s overly long, ha! Did it hold your attention?
Didn’t always hold my attention. Would you recommend his nonfiction?
Well I liked parts of How to Be Alone and didn’t like other parts. So not sure it fully held my attention.
I’ve read some posts about Franzen as a person, but I still didn’t really have a grasp on the problems people had with him. After reading your review, I think you can put me solidly in the won’t read Franzen camp. I’m so tired of terrible representations of women in pop culture. I’m not going to seek out a book where that problem is so prevalent.
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So many people seem to love his writing, and I’m so tempted to read one of his books…. but as a person he really annoys me. It’s one of those situations where I don’t think I can separate the author from his books, especially with what you’ve said here about his depiction of women.
I read because I kind of love to hate him.