It took me 10 days. I didn’t want to put them down. I didn’t want to stop reading them. I didn’t want them to end. I wanted to hear the characters speak, interact and bask in the natural dialogue that gave them life, richness and solidity. The reality in which they lived their lives was nothing short of sad, pathetic, self-destructive, misunderstood, disgusting, but with a sense of hope that things could get better, should get better, or maybe even would get better. It was this that made me want to continue reading.

When I think of the “Great American Novel,” I think of “The Corrections” and “Freedom” as the purest definition of that title. A title that have, to many other authors, been a bane, a rarely achievable achievement, yet something that nearly all aspire to produce. Then you have Jonathan Franzen, who, in the course of 16 years penned two novels that live up to that title. Thinking about it further, it’s possible they even exceed it. Calling masterpieces of American Literature merely great would be like saying Norman Rockwell’s depictions of American life are good.

This is surprising to me. American literature isn’t a genre that I’m comfortable reading, nor have I ever expressed interest in. The lives of people, of family and their troubles are unexciting. I like books where things happen, mysteries need to be solved or young wizards defeat those whose names must never be uttered. I don’t know what made me pick these books up, maybe the buzz “Freedom” was generating, the interviews with Jonathan Franzen, or my peripheral knowledge that “The Corrections” even existed. Regardless, I’m glad I did.

I could have easily written individual reviews for these novels, but so much of what I wrote in one would be repeated in the other. First, the novels center around family and friends and their challenges to live up to expectations, overcome personal adversity, live, love and survive. There is never a moment where you don’t feel something for a character, whether it’s love, hate, disgust or pity. It’s the magic of the writing.

Jonathan Franzen is a master of the written word. He is wordy, sometimes going on and on about a particular expression, feeling or object. However, it’s done with a poetry that paints a vivid picture that brings the world and the characters to life. It’s this style, attention to detail and unabashed honesty that will help these novels stand the test of time.