'Freedom' Jonathan Franzen

Another one to add to the read again list. Enjoyed it very much although throughout the whole book I had an underlying feeling like there was something missing. Or that I wasn't getting the whole point to the book. There was a lot of politics and discussions surrounding the politics that maybe me wonder if there was a double meaning to it.
However obvious the title was to the rest of the book it was still a good and intersting point to make. Noone is free. There are always other obligations that will keep us going a certain directon and even those who have tto much freedom will make the wrong choices.
Patty has too much freedom-she has a free amount of space, time, money, contacts.
As the book developed I enjoyed the characters more and more. At first I didn't get a conection from them. As they were being described when younger I understood them, but I never really felt Patty's development from star athelete to alcholic, suburban housewife and mother. When did that happen? For me she was a completely different person.
Also throughout the book, but especially in the beginning it felt like there was a speaker voice like in the American series Desperate Housewives-almost this sarcastic tone of voice telling us what was going on.
As a description of our time though I think it was very good. Politically, environmentally, relationships, socially and so much more. I think it has hit the nail on the head. There are tv series feeling this void as well as documentaries and movies and non-fiction books. But as far as I know this is the first fiction novel that has spoken so openly about this period in time and described this kind up middle/upper class people in America.
The sections with Walter speaking were at times a bit long winded but i still believe that this type of writing is needed to portray the characters correctly. Although of course one might see the chracter of Walter as being the one most like Franzen himself. This novel is very clearly the authors own way of getting his point of view across.
I lacked images in this novel. There were no descriptions-not even many of the characters. There is little feeling about what is going on. It's all tell and no show. The reader gets no opportunity to think for themselves-Franzen tells us what we should think.
But also that is relevant for our society today. But an open mind never hurt anyone.