Jonathan Franzen - Farther Away

Economist“A multifaceted and revealing collection...” As with the best of essayists, Mr Franzen uses personal thoughts or anecdotes as a springboard to explore wider themes. Mr Franzen is on slightly less firm ground with his book reviews, which seldom get to the heart of the matter...

The Telegraph“It’s a mostly thrilling journey...” There is also gentle humour, and the odd laugh-out-loud moment - notably the short, salutary tale in which he recalls using petrol to rid a friend’s house of hornets...

The Independent“A fine standalone tome...” The world of literature, besieged as he believes it is, needs authors who care. And Franzen really cares. His attitude might be aggressively highbrow, but his underlying concerns are simple and humane: family, age, grief, love...

The A.V. Club“A fascinating read for Franzen fans...” The texts are both a testament to and an illustration of what attracts people to books - a delicate play between writer, text, character, and reader that prompts excellent questions and provides surprising answers...

The New York Times“Not nearly as strong as his novels, still has its attractions...” The struggle to be a good human being, against the pulls of solipsism and narcissism, can be glimpsed in every page of these essays, which if nothing else offer a telling battle report from within the consciousness of one of our major novelists...

The Observer“There's a subtler synergy...” These essays are exemplary instances of reader-friendly criticism in that they can be studied profitably even by people unfamiliar with the works in question...