&sq=Envato&lang=en&file=File:Jonathan-franzen-freedom.jpg) First edition cover | |
| Author | Jonathan Franzen |
|---|---|
| Language | English |
| Publisher | Farrar, Straus and Giroux |
Publication date | August 31, 2010 |
| Publication place | United States |
| Media type | Print (hardback) |
| Pages | 576 |
| ISBN | 0-374-15846-0 |
| 813.54 | |
| LC Class | PS3556.R352 |
| Preceded by | The Corrections |
| Followed by | Purity |
Freedom is a 2010 novel by American author Jonathan Franzen. It was published by Farrar, Straus and Giroux. Freedom received general acclaim from book critics, was ranked one of the best books of 2010 by several publications,[1][2] and called by some critics the "Great American Novel".[3] In 2022, it was announced that Freedom would be adapted for television.[4]
The novel follows the lives of the Berglund family, particularly the parents Patty and Walter, as their lives develop and their happiness eventually falls apart. Important to their story is a college friend of Walter's and successful rock musician, Richard Katz, who has an affair with Patty. Walter and Patty's son, Joey, also goes through his own coming-of-age challenges.
Franzen began working on the novel in 2001, following his successful novel The Corrections. The title of the novel was an artifact of his book proposal, where he wanted to write a novel that freed him from the constraints of his previous work. The cover of many editions of the novel includes a cerulean warbler, a songbird, for which Walter works to create an environmental preserve.
- ^ "The 10 Best Books of 2010". The New York Times. December 2010. Retrieved November 11, 2015.
- ^ Various (November 14, 2010). "Best books of the year: 2010 | feature". The Guardian. Retrieved August 18, 2018.
- ^ Cite error: The named reference
Alsupwas invoked but never defined (see the help page). - ^ Schaub, Michael (July 14, 2022). "Jonathan Franzen's 'Freedom' To Be Adapted for TV". Kirkus Reviews. Retrieved July 16, 2022.