Freedom
Jonathan Franzen
Franzen doing what he does — a big, dysfunctional American family novel. Not everyone loves him but I got completely absorbed.
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Crossroads
Jonathan Franzen
Franzen at his most humane — a Midwestern pastor's family quietly coming apart in the early '70s. Dense and totally absorbing.
★ 5The Correspondent
Virginia Evans
The protagonist of this beautiful novel is a 73-year-old woman processing her life — and regrets — through letters. It’s poignant but not saccharine, specific but universally appealing. I dare you not to cry.
Tom Lake
Ann Patchett
An older woman tells her daughters about the summer she spent performing alongside — and falling in love with — a now-famous actor. My friend Anna said her husband adored this book just as much as she did — impressive, considering he typically reads business non-fiction.