GUY RAZ, Host: Jonathan Franzen's new novel, "Freedom," is being called a masterpiece of American fiction. He was recently on the cover of Time magazine, the first living novelist on its cover in more than a decade. And next weekend, Franzen will join us on this program to talk about "Freedom," the story of a contemporary American family in St. Paul, Minnesota.</s>GUY RAZ, Host: Here's an excerpt describing the mom, Patty Berglund.</s>JONATHAN FRANZEN: (Reading) From her first day in the neighborhood, she was helplessly conspicuous - tall, ponytailed, absurdly young, pushing a stroller past stripped cars and broken beer bottles and barfed-upon old snow. She might have been carrying all the hours of her day in the stringed bags that hung from her stroller. Behind her, you could see the baby encumbered preparations for a morning of baby encumbered errands. Ahead of her, an afternoon of public radio, the Silver Pallet Cookbook, cloth diapers, drywall compound and latex paint, and then "Good Night, Moon," then zinfandel.</s>GUY RAZ, Host: That's a reading from Jonathan Franzen's new novel, "Freedom." Join us next weekend when Franzen stops by to talk about the book.
Jonathan Franzen's new novel, Freedom, is being called a "masterpiece of American fiction." He was recently on the cover of Time magazine — the first living author on its cover in more than a decade. Next weekend, Franzen will join us to talk about Freedom, the story of a contemporary American family in St. Paul, Minn.