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Title: Messy
Review: There are snippets here of the writer Franzen was to become with The Corrections, but ultimately, this is a mess. Ambitious, sweeping, blah blah blah. Also, too packed with minor characters that have no bearing on the plot -- and have too little effect on the main characters to be worth the effort. I'm willing to do a little work when I read a book, especially something that aspires in the way this one does, but rein it in a bit, man. Reminiscent in reach of Zadie Smith's White Teeth -- another rambler that at least had some likable characters.
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