The Corrections by Jonathan Franzen

Paperback: 672 pages
Publisher: HarperPerennial; New Ed edition (2 Sep 2002)
Language -English









"Framed by matriarch Enid Lambert's attempts to gather her three grown children back home for Christmas, The Corrections examines their lives: Enid's husband Alfred, sinking into dementia, her sons banker Gary and writer Chip (now in Lithuania) and daughter Denise, a chef, busily re-evaluating her sexual identity." (Amazon.co.uk)

Although I feared at some pages that I`m going to lose interest in finishing the book, it is a good novel about old age and family relationships. The writer has drawn a very realistic picture of the "games" played by members of a family,for example, the difficult situation when it comes to choose between paying attention to your old parents and making peace with the preferences of your wife. Jonathan Franzen has a good eye for everyday details and his characters are full of life.

The Birth of Venus by Sarah Dunant

The Birth of Venus
Sarah Dunant
Paperback: 448 pages
Publisher: Random House Trade; Reprint edition (30 Nov 2004)
Language- English


Historical novel about the clever girl Alessandra who have to find a place for her interest in art during the brief rise of Savonarola in Florence. She falls in love with the painter of her family chapel but is forced to accept a marriage with an older man in order to protect her independance. Her marriage starts with some unexpected and not quite pleasant surprises but it has good sides as well.

The book is light to read,and Alessandra will be found easy to like by most of the readers. The story is based on historical documents of everyday life in medieval Florence,so it represents an intriguing glimpse into Italian society at that time.For example,I didn`t know about the existence of monasteries with relaxed schedule,which served more as places for women independance than for religious seclusion.