Reviews - A Widow for One Year

248 reviews for:

What a terrible book. This book has nearly ruined John Irving for me. When you commit to read 500 pages, you hope you can trust the author to actually take you somewhere. This was one rambling side story after another, mostly thinly veiled journal entries about the role of personal experience in writing fiction. An actual book about writing would have been much more engaging. There is tragedy and sexual deviance and sprawling intergenerational tales set in New England just like usual with Irving, but they're all a mess, they don't fit together at all. I've only read about half of Irving's books, but I'm afraid I've already covered all the good ones.

bkmaedel's review against another edition

3.0

Like other reviews I read, I was more fond of the first half than the second. I felt especially that the end was a bit too "neat" and sewn up for what the characters had been through. Having said that, the thing that I continue to love about Irving's books is how intimately you come to know his characters. This book was no exception. Irving portrays even the less sympathetic characters, like Ted, as people that we've probably all met/know and can indentify with on some level, even as we disapprove of their actions or methods. That skill, to me, is enough to make up for at least some of the less inventive writing in the latter portions of this book.

laureness's review against another edition

3.0

Overall, I guess I liked this book. I didn't really care for any of the scenes in Amsterdam and truthfully skimmed through a lot after Rooie's murder. After already plowing through over 400 pages, I had little interest in learning about and investing in two new characters (Rooie and Harry). Also, as other reviewers mentioned, the obsession with breasts in the last 200 pages or so became grating. However, I very much enjoyed the first two parts of the novel. Perhaps I'm not a big enough fan of John Irving to indulge his sidetracks?

2.5/5

bibliofowl's review against another edition

5.0

Such a good book. Re read it twice.

kbratten's review against another edition

3.0

Writers love writing about writers, writing about writers. I enjoyed the development of Ruth's character as an adult-her take on relationships and squash and suppose it needed some of the strangeness of her childhood. I don't understand why there was so much time spent developing Eddie when the second two thirds of the book he has little function. I also didnt care for the excessive behind-the-scenes writer talk nor Ruth's unlikely best friendship with the selfish and vulgar Hannah and Ruth's unlikely reactions to her father (no reaction) , Amsterdam (she just LEFT?), and even Scott Saunders (why did you LET him if it was gonna make you go crazy violent?). A whole book be written about Ted and his destructive womanizing, I could really picture Marion's character and loved step into being a writer, and wish her conclusion as not so delayed and anti-climactic.

I read the whole thing, but I almost stopped several times.

saraelm's review against another edition

4.0

I don't recall much about this, other than it was my favorite Irving book. It's the story of a 40-something woman who has an affair with a teenage boy -- an easy read.

lola425's review against another edition

4.0

There's something that I realized about reading john Irving after finishing this book: you need to be able to suspend your disbelief and accept huge coincidences in order to let go and truly enjoy his books. I have accepted this and I do. I was angry at Ruth for what happened to Rooie, felt like she got off too easy, that she let herself off the hook too easily. I'm torn about Marion. On the one hand she lived just a fraction of a life. On the other hand, it was a life of her own making.