There are many fascinating characters in this novel and the plot has a more edge-of-your-seat feeling than other Franzen novels. But the intricacies of the constant psychological battles the characters have with each other can feel never ending sometimes. And the three female leads — Pip, Anabel, and Katya — are too closely cut from the same cloth.

Loved it. It just got me through a week of being “sheltered in place” during the Covid 19 pandemic. It was Iike a movie I couldn’t wait to get back to. I was raised in the SF East Bay and have lived in Santa Cruz for many years so I enjoyed all the local references. Absorbing and distracting which is just what I needed. Mr. Franzen continues to be one of my favorite writers.

Can't download it to my iPad (latest IOS).

Two years later: same problem. No help from Apple Tech Support.

Sigh.

Psychologically and emotionally dense, true, and profound. The title suggests its theme is morality, but for me it was more about the power of data--be it information or secrets--and how people choose to use it.

Ugh... what a slog. No one is ever going to talk about this book past this year. Don't bother.

Possibly the best book I've ever read.

I usually love Franzen’s writing, and this one started out okay, but less than midway through it became such a slog …first to endure the overwrought tedious description of one character’s first marriage, then to endure page after page of another character’s dogma and explanation for it….on and on….it’s all i can do to get to the end. not something i’d recommend

Purity is a modern literary big novel. Jonathan Franzen is a talented wordsmith who is burdened with penetrating insight into the complexities of human beings. The novel is set within the issues of Internet leaks, corporate greed and nuclear arms. As typical of a Franzen novel the story is character driven and it delves deeply into motives and flaws. Once you start with this book it is hard to stop reading. I found this novel completely engaging and very rewarding to read. Five stars and highly recommended.

I'm a big fan of Franzen but I just could not get engrossed in this book. It went no where, fast. I gave it almost 300 pages but I really couldn't give a crap about any of the characters. Don't waste your $.

This book did not hold my interest at all. Too long and boring.

Franzen is a masterful author and he tells an engrossing story with many layers and surprises. At times I thought that the plot became subordinate to the various themes - clearly that was his desire, and as I entered the last 100 pages, I came to accept and embrace his narrative on his terms.

I thought the ending was satisfying and it left me hopeful for the central characters - I hate it when a really good, long read ends with a "poof" - this book did not disappoint.

You'll finish this book because you feel like you have to just to put these depressing characters to rest. Secret billionaires, misidentified parental figures, shadowy tech CEOs, and other predictably 2010 trite figures make this feel more like bad chick lit than real fiction. The whole book felt underdeveloped and in need of an editor.

Never thought it would end and when it did it feels like that was when the story should have begun. Way too much useless detail about character's lives I didn't care about. A lot of German angst in each character that begs one to say, "just get over it." Too long, too obsessively detailed and a useless slap in the face ending!

The many different characters were interesting. The sexual exploits were TMI and rather raw. Much of the story was really sad, so many people with inability to forgive themselves and others. There was a lot of German and Russian history woven into the story that was beyond my comprehension, not that knowledgeable of world history but could see that living in a communistic country could severely dampen the spirit of many characters and affect generations to come. Pip was a kind hearted, sensible young woman in the story and a delightful character. May there be many Pips about, and many less wolfs. If it weren't for Tom, Annabell, and Pip, I probably wouldn't have read the whole book due to the rather raw sides of it. But I had to find out how things ended for the "good guys".