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Jonathan Franzen

Jonathan Franzen, Freedom

February 2, 2011December 2, 2016 / Whispering Gums / 29 Comments

Hmm ... where to start? Half way through this book I was tiring. I wanted to say to Franzen "Enough already" (which, if you've read the book, has a certain appositeness). I also started to think of those song lines, so well-known to my generation: Freedom's just another word for nothing left to lose. In … Continue reading Jonathan Franzen, Freedom

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Latest comments

  1. Whispering Gums's avatar
    Whispering Gums on Monday musings on Australian literature: Tech noirJune 23, 2026

    I just have to read her, though, don't I!

  2. Whispering Gums's avatar
    Whispering Gums on Monday musings on Australian literature: Tech noirJune 23, 2026

    How did I miss this response, Brona? Ah, I was in Melbourne for our daughter's wedding! It was pretty full…

  3. Whispering Gums's avatar
    Whispering Gums on Monday musings on Australian literature: Tech noirJune 23, 2026

    I didn't reply to this before, sorry, but thanks for the explanation of grumpy sunshine. I came across it again…

  4. Whispering Gums's avatar
    Whispering Gums on Monday musings on Australian literature: Quarry noirJune 23, 2026

    Thanks George. At least some of these sound like they could be candidates, where they reflect or grapple with larger…

  5. kimbofo's avatar
    kimbofo on Monday musings on Australian literature: Tech noirJune 23, 2026

    I wasn’t convinced by it. Felt a bit YA.

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Australian Literary Awards for (mostly) Fiction, 2026


The Age Book of the Year: Moreno Giovannoni, The immigrants
ALS Gold Medal:
Australian Book Industry Award (Literary Fiction): Charlotte McConaghy, Wild dark shore
Barbara Jefferis Award:
Indie Book Awards (Fiction): Charlotte McConaghy, Wild dark shore
Miles Franklin Award:
NSW Premier's Literary Award (Christina Stead Prize): Moreno Giovannoni, The immigrants
Patrick White Award:
Prime Minister's Literary Award:
Queensland Literary (Fiction) Award:
South Australian Literary Awards:
Stella Prize: Lee Lai, Cannon
Victorian Premier's Literary (Fiction) Award: Omar Musa, Fierceland
Western Australian Premier's Book of the Year Award:

Acknowledgement of Country

I acknowledge Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples as the traditional custodians of the nation in which I live, of land that was never ceded. I honour and respect their cultural heritage, customs and beliefs, and am truly thankful for their ongoing care of this country.

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This work by Whispering Gums is licensed under CC BY-NC-SA 4.0 DEED Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareALike 4.0 International

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