A Word About Awards

THE CORRECTIONS by Jonathan Franzen Award: James Tait Black Winner 2002, National Book Winner 2001 Nominations: Dublin Finalist 2003, LA Times Finalist 2001, National Book Critics Circle Finalist 2001, NY Times Finalist 2001, Oprah Book Club 2001, PEN/Faulkner Finalist 2002, Pulitzer Finalist 2002 Dates Read: May 28, 2006 & February 17, 2020 The Corrections is a difficult read for me because Franzen so skillfully lays bare the brutal details of the human existence. I don't find much about the human experience to celebrate here. I am left to watch a very flawed family muddle through the intricacies of life, making poor decisions along the way and culminating in a disastrous Christmas reunion that collides each of these imperfect humans' needs. On the positive side, Franzen is a master narrator of the nuances of relationships, behavior and inner turmoil that just about anyone can relate to and simultaneously made me absolutely terrified of growing old. Well done,

TEN NORTH FREDERICK by John O'Hara Award: National Book Award 1956 Date Read: February 10, 2020 I had looked forward to this book on my list for quite some time because I love O'Hara's work. I'll be honest that this one took me a while to slog through. I found vast amounts of it boring, particularly the political machinations of a small town striver. In the end, though, I fell in love with Joe Chapin and the entire Chapin family. We know at the beginning that Joe has passed and the respect and reverence that Gibbsville society shows at his funeral reveals Joe was no trivial man and was highly regarded by nearly everyone in this community. Although Joe never made it as a politician, he made several allies, and a few enemies, along the way in his ambitions. His wife, Edith, and children, Joe Jr. and Ann, help to portray the humanity of Joe as a husband and father. His ultimate sacrifice becomes honoring these roles above his own changing happiness when he mee