Crossroads
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- Create Date：2021-08-18 04:41:06
- Update Date：2025-09-24
- Status：finish
- Author：Jonathan Franzen
- ISBN：B08TM23K6S
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Summary
Set in a historical moment of moral crisis， Crossroads – the first instalment of the trilogy A Key to All Mythologies – is the stunning foundation of a sweeping investigation of human mythologies， as the Hildebrandt family navigate the political and social crosscurrents of of the past fifty years
It’s December 23， 1971， and the Hildebrandt family is at a crossroads。 The patriarch， Russ， the associate pastor of a suburban Chicago church， is poised to break free of a marriage he finds joyless – unless his brilliant and unstable wife， Marion， breaks free of it first。 Their eldest child， Clem， is coming home from college afire with moral absolutism， having taken an action that will shatter his father。 Clem’s sister， Becky， long the social queen of her high school class， has veered into the era’s counterculture， while their younger brother Perry， fed up with selling pot to support his drug habit， has firmly resolved to be a better person。 Each of the Hildebrandts seeks a freedom that each of the others threatens to complicate。
By turns comic and harrowing， a tour de force of interwoven perspectives and sustained suspense which is complete in itself， Crossroads is the first volume of a trilogy that will span three generations and trace the inner life of our culture through the present day。 Jonathan Franzen’s gift for wedding depth and vividness of character with breadth of social vision has never been more dazzlingly evident。
It’s December 23， 1971， and the Hildebrandt family is at a crossroads。 The patriarch， Russ， the associate pastor of a suburban Chicago church， is poised to break free of a marriage he finds joyless – unless his brilliant and unstable wife， Marion， breaks free of it first。 Their eldest child， Clem， is coming home from college afire with moral absolutism， having taken an action that will shatter his father。 Clem’s sister， Becky， long the social queen of her high school class， has veered into the era’s counterculture， while their younger brother Perry， fed up with selling pot to support his drug habit， has firmly resolved to be a better person。 Each of the Hildebrandts seeks a freedom that each of the others threatens to complicate。
By turns comic and harrowing， a tour de force of interwoven perspectives and sustained suspense which is complete in itself， Crossroads is the first volume of a trilogy that will span three generations and trace the inner life of our culture through the present day。 Jonathan Franzen’s gift for wedding depth and vividness of character with breadth of social vision has never been more dazzlingly evident。
Reviews
Osman Junior
，
Damn， this looks ambitious。 Excited already。
Jonathan
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In George Eliot’s novel Middlemarch， the unlikable character Edward Casaubon sets out to write about the field of theology， a masterwork that he entitles “The Key to All Mythologies” yet Casaubon dies before it’s completed， leaving the unfinished work to his wife who considers it a “tomb” symbolizing the failures of unrealized ambition。 It’s almost comical that Franzen would name his trilogy the same thing， undertaking a task that already failed a fictitious character with lesser pretension。 Th In George Eliot’s novel Middlemarch， the unlikable character Edward Casaubon sets out to write about the field of theology， a masterwork that he entitles “The Key to All Mythologies” yet Casaubon dies before it’s completed， leaving the unfinished work to his wife who considers it a “tomb” symbolizing the failures of unrealized ambition。 It’s almost comical that Franzen would name his trilogy the same thing， undertaking a task that already failed a fictitious character with lesser pretension。 The irony is also not lost on the comparison of the ideologies of god and morality that Casaubon studies directly resonates with the themes of Crossroads， the first novel in Franzen’s trilogy。Franzen has outstandingly one upped himself with the creation of the Hildebrandt’s， an iconic and once in a decade type family that is coming apart at the seams and we don’t know whether to empathize with them or painfully root for their demise， each member of the stereotypical nuclear family living in the early 70’s is grappling with their own demons （or gods） in a small Illinois town that reeks of indifference。 Laughing on one page and cringing on the next， the existential range of emotions he touches upon is without a doubt the most Franzen-esque that Franzen has ever been， that sentences alone is almost a patronizing laughable remark but trust me， the way he writes about the middle-class middle-American family is almost like he single handily is saving the modern state of American literature， call it pompous but no one can contest his creativity and skill， and his inventive stories are only second to his craft of writing， that with Crossroads， he has perfected。Six family members pinball back and forth with alternating points of view over the period of two days during a majority of Crossroads， we see the varying vantage points and each event from all the angles， the backstories and character development that forges itself into each chapter is so finely tuned that we feel as if each one of these people has taken on a corporeal form。Russ the patriarch of the family is a pastor who is wrestling with his thoughts on god and his lackluster marriage， he is tempted by a younger woman which questions the moral fibers of his entire being， in lesser words， Russ is a complete schmuck and we want to hate everything about him。 He exemplifies the stereotypical white male father， cringeworthy at times and yet something about him makes you want to root for him。 Marion his wife， aging， unstable， and unhappy is one of Franzen’s greatest characters in my opinion， she is a multilayered woman whom we see come into her own， she has the most intriguing and unfortunate of backstories that only we as the reader get to witness。 The comic relief she poses later on in the novel is beautiful to see， she really steals the show and runs with it。The eldest son Clem is a college student who we don’t get to hear from very often， he is wrestling with his feelings of love and intimacy and decides to drop out and enlist for Vietnam to spite his father whom he hates。 The next eldest Hildebrandt is Becky。 A popular social butterfly loved by everyone she encounters， she can never seem to do something wrong， as she nears adulthood she finds love， god， and the strange path that befalls her。 The second youngest is Perry， probably the most memorable of all the children as he struggles with drugs and addiction despite the fact that he’s the family genius。 Perry is complicated， watching him battle his problems is heartbreaking and a source of turmoil for the other five。 The youngest son doesn’t play much of a role in the dynamic that rips at each of the other members。 It was a privilege to watch as with each chapter another layer was revealed of each of them， humanizing everything， there was scarcely a dull moment along the 600 page journey。。Ultimately each person is at a “crossroads” in their life， not knowing which path to take。 Searching through god， mental illness， drugs， their past， and their futures， they take a labyrinthine trail that leads to an ending that has me eager to find what Franzen does next with them。 The trilogy is supposed to span three generations up until present day， and Im hoping he sticks with the Hildebrandts， so we can watch them as they either save themselves or fall to their own self inflicted demises。 。。。more
Greg Zimmerman
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The Franzen returns！ You know， for a writer who has such a reputation （warranted or not） for being an unpleasant curmudgeon， he sure understands and seems to like people。 And he sure knows how to tell their stories in such a way that even a 600-page novel seems to just fly by。A few months ago， I attended a Zoom interview with The Franzen， during which he mentioned he's of the （seemingly arbitrary） belief that writers only have six good novels in them， and then they should retire。 He said when he The Franzen returns！ You know， for a writer who has such a reputation （warranted or not） for being an unpleasant curmudgeon， he sure understands and seems to like people。 And he sure knows how to tell their stories in such a way that even a 600-page novel seems to just fly by。A few months ago， I attended a Zoom interview with The Franzen， during which he mentioned he's of the （seemingly arbitrary） belief that writers only have six good novels in them， and then they should retire。 He said when he started Crossroads， his sixth novel， he felt like it would be his last book -- but then he got so into it and the lives of this family， 600 pages later， we have what is the first volume in a trilogy。 Woo， and may I add， Hoo！ I for one am delighted about this - because I loved/hated/was absolutely fascinated by this family。 The story is about a family of six - the Hildebrandts - living in a suburb of Chicago in the early 1970s。 These people are quirky but also about as normal and everyday as people get。 The father is an assistant pastor at a local church， the mother is a stay-at-home mom， and the kids do kids-like things， fight with each other， go off to college， try drugs， sex， and rock and roll。 But as each character wrestles with their own problems （and their checkered pasts， in the parents' cases）， things， as is the case with all families who are miserable in their own way， get broken。 When you are so mad at someone you love， how to repair the damage of cruelty？ How do you overcome the feeling that you may not like， much less love， these people anymore？ The revolving character studies and how each of these characters relate to each other is interesting enough to keep us moving along quickly。 But what Franzen's really got going on here is a novel about the extremely fine lines between ostensible opposites: love and hate， respect and contempt， faithfulness and infidelity， faith and doubt， empathy and intentional cruelty， and self-righteousness and altruism。 I don't know if this is my favorite Franzen novel - but it's up there。 And I can't wait for the next one！ 。。。more
Jamckean
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CROSSROADS is one of those wholly immersive family sagas with characters who just sink into your pores。 Jonathan Franzen’s writing is both lyrical and cerebral。 His characters are beautifully flawed， each carrying burdens of unrealized expectations and lifelong regrets。 His honest questions regarding crises of faith - among a pastor， his wife and their children - were thought provoking and insightful。 I am looking forward to the next chapter in the lives of this fascinating family！
David
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I am told that Jonathan Franzen was more likely to have been referencing Edward Casaubon in Middlemarch than ITV’s long-running TV series when naming his new book Crossroads （Fourth Estate）。 His latest novel， out in October， is set in the Seventies in small town America and lays out the comings and goings of a dysfunctional family in a way that Franzen does so well。 The Hildebrandt family is made up of Russ and Marion and their four children and there’s midlife crises， drugs， school crushes， par I am told that Jonathan Franzen was more likely to have been referencing Edward Casaubon in Middlemarch than ITV’s long-running TV series when naming his new book Crossroads （Fourth Estate）。 His latest novel， out in October， is set in the Seventies in small town America and lays out the comings and goings of a dysfunctional family in a way that Franzen does so well。 The Hildebrandt family is made up of Russ and Marion and their four children and there’s midlife crises， drugs， school crushes， parental absurdities and coming of age struggles。 Their current flaws are interwoven with their interesting backstories and it’s often hilarious while in parts acutely cringe making。 I could not put this down and sailed through its 580 pages loving every minute。 It’s apparently the first of a trilogy which is great news and I look forward to finding out what’s next for the Hildebrandts。 。。。more
Yelena Gitlin Nesbit
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What a fantastic family saga—Franzen whisks you across decades and landscapes and each character is so richly drawn and has such a compelling story line。 Those with both functional and dysfunctional families will find something to relate to。 Don’t be daunted by the page count—you will wish there were 300 more pages by the time you get to the end。 I love that this is part of a trilogy can’t wait for the next two books。
Matthew Ted
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75th book of 2021。4。5。 This is Franzen's new novel， which will be published on October 5th '21。 I'll write a short review for this soon but as I read a proof copy， I am not allowed to quote from it yet。 Maybe when October rolls around I will return and write a full review as I want to。 But for now: Franzen has somehow managed to write a family saga filled with the same old problems but nail it。 This was a pleasure to read， a 600-pager that barely falters。 Wonderful characters， wonderful dialogue 75th book of 2021。4。5。 This is Franzen's new novel， which will be published on October 5th '21。 I'll write a short review for this soon but as I read a proof copy， I am not allowed to quote from it yet。 Maybe when October rolls around I will return and write a full review as I want to。 But for now: Franzen has somehow managed to write a family saga filled with the same old problems but nail it。 This was a pleasure to read， a 600-pager that barely falters。 Wonderful characters， wonderful dialogue， wonderful ideas: drugs and God and identity and most of all， family。 。。。more
Joe Meyers
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A great first installment in a new trilogy of novels from one of our finest writers。（Egalley provided by Edelweiss）
Jessica Jeffers
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I might be sick of Franzen at this point but I'm keeping this on my radar I might be sick of Franzen at this point but I'm keeping this on my radar 。。。more
Jenn
，
Can we just talk about how ridiculous it is that Jonathan Franzen refers to himself as being "universally recognized as the leading novelist of his generation" on his cover flap？ Just。。。wow。 Can we just talk about how ridiculous it is that Jonathan Franzen refers to himself as being "universally recognized as the leading novelist of his generation" on his cover flap？ Just。。。wow。 。。。more
Tammy
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Review tk
Jaclyn
，
Crossroads is a book about all the ways we don’t understand each other or ourselves。 We truly are complete mysteries。 And we’re so fundamentally flawed。 But we’re also complete cliches。 And we’re just all adrift and confused and sad and lonely and nobody writes about it like Franzen。 This is very much The Corrections territory and it’s such a pleasure to return to it after all these years with Franzen so confidently at the helm。 I love how Franzen grapples with our morality and saviour complexes Crossroads is a book about all the ways we don’t understand each other or ourselves。 We truly are complete mysteries。 And we’re so fundamentally flawed。 But we’re also complete cliches。 And we’re just all adrift and confused and sad and lonely and nobody writes about it like Franzen。 This is very much The Corrections territory and it’s such a pleasure to return to it after all these years with Franzen so confidently at the helm。 I love how Franzen grapples with our morality and saviour complexes here。 In typical style all of the characters are vividly drawn but Marion may just be one of Franzen’s best。 She is deeply， truly fascinating and complex and we are given access to her in ways denied in most books。 In case it’s unclear， I loved every damn word of this very long and very sad book though the final section felt weirdly rushed。 I am so ready for book two。 。。。more
Leilani W
，
Beautifully written， completely immersive， and a gorgeous start to a family saga。 The voices of each of the characters is clear and distinct， with their motivations and personalities at turns consistent and surprising in a wonderfully authentic way。 The way the story unfolds to give history and past experiences for the characters makes it impossible to put down。 I'm already looking forward to re-reading， to have gained that familiarity with each person and view everything with the benefit of hin Beautifully written， completely immersive， and a gorgeous start to a family saga。 The voices of each of the characters is clear and distinct， with their motivations and personalities at turns consistent and surprising in a wonderfully authentic way。 The way the story unfolds to give history and past experiences for the characters makes it impossible to put down。 I'm already looking forward to re-reading， to have gained that familiarity with each person and view everything with the benefit of hindsight （or foresight， I suppose）。 I have always found Jonathan Franzen's books captivating， and this one is no exception。 。。。more
Adam Dalva
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Really loved it， and was surprised by it， and am excited to hear what people think of it。 It has its strange moments， and some regressive ones， but also incredible sequences， and the Marion character， specifically， fascinated me。 Franzen has a knack for intertwined family novels， and this one， while not up to the level of THE CORRECTIONS， is great。 Excited for part 2！
Thomas
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An absolutely stunning novel。 Franzen makes the American novel great again！
Reference
google book https://www.google.com/search?tbm=bks&q=Crossroads
hathitrust digital library https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/ls?q1=Crossroads&field1=ocr&a=srchls&ft=ft&lmt=ft
The British Library https://bll01.primo.exlibrisgroup.com/discovery/search?query=any,contains,Crossroads&tab=LibraryCatalog&search_scope=Not_BL_Suppress&vid=44BL_INST:BLL01&lang=en&offset=0