Take a photo of a barcode or cover
3.86 AVERAGE
3.86 AVERAGE
This is the first book of John Irving I‘ve read - after a colleague of mine recommended it to me when I told him I‘ve been struggling for years to properly get back into reading. „Read this and you‘ll get back into it right away“, he said. And while there were some other factors at play as well I actually did properly get back into reading with the help of The Hotel New Hampshire. And not only that, I also decided I wanted to read more from this genre when finishing this book.
While it contained topics I wasn’t entirely comfortable with I recognised that those topics had a place in this book, especially to show how each of the characters grew around and from them.
Now that I‘ve finished it I seriously can‘t decide who my favourite character was because they‘ve all had their moments that made me love and that made me get annoyed by them. But in short: these were some of the most interesting and well established characters I‘ve read in… probably ever.
I loved Irvings writing, though I must admit, I thought it seemed rather simple to me in the beginning. But eventually I noticed a remarkable profoundness in the simplicity, and in the end, it didn‘t seem simple to me at all.
I loved that you always knew that something terrible was about to happen, that Irving told you so throughout the whole book and didn‘t try to be shy with „spoilers“ for what‘s coming next. And I think that made the whole story even more tragic. You knew what was waiting around the corner and you knew it wouldn‘t be nice, you also knew there was nothing anyone could do to stop it.
The reason this isn‘t getting 5 stars is that I felt like some developments at the end could‘ve been fleshed out a little more, not that they were bad or anything, I just felt like they could‘ve used a few more pages to really blossom into their full potential.
While it contained topics I wasn’t entirely comfortable with I recognised that those topics had a place in this book, especially to show how each of the characters grew around and from them.
Now that I‘ve finished it I seriously can‘t decide who my favourite character was because they‘ve all had their moments that made me love and that made me get annoyed by them. But in short: these were some of the most interesting and well established characters I‘ve read in… probably ever.
I loved Irvings writing, though I must admit, I thought it seemed rather simple to me in the beginning. But eventually I noticed a remarkable profoundness in the simplicity, and in the end, it didn‘t seem simple to me at all.
I loved that you always knew that something terrible was about to happen, that Irving told you so throughout the whole book and didn‘t try to be shy with „spoilers“ for what‘s coming next. And I think that made the whole story even more tragic. You knew what was waiting around the corner and you knew it wouldn‘t be nice, you also knew there was nothing anyone could do to stop it.
The reason this isn‘t getting 5 stars is that I felt like some developments at the end could‘ve been fleshed out a little more, not that they were bad or anything, I just felt like they could‘ve used a few more pages to really blossom into their full potential.
I did not read all of John Irving's books, but the five I read, I absolutely loved. This may not be my favorite, but what I love about his writing is the characters that are just so unique, so well developed, it is so engaging, albeit weird.
The story is told by John, one of the five siblings of family running the hotel in New Hampshire, but after a series of tragic and bizarre events, they move to Vienna to manage a rundown hotel filled with unusual characters, including radicals and prostitutes. There is a lot of topics, but the most prevailing one is of family, loss, sexual awakening, and the following your dreams.
The story is told by John, one of the five siblings of family running the hotel in New Hampshire, but after a series of tragic and bizarre events, they move to Vienna to manage a rundown hotel filled with unusual characters, including radicals and prostitutes. There is a lot of topics, but the most prevailing one is of family, loss, sexual awakening, and the following your dreams.
This book did not interest me as much as the other [a:John Irving|3075|John Irving|http://d.gr-assets.com/authors/1257375547p2/3075.jpg] book which I have read, [b:The World According to Garp|781817|The World According to Garp|John Irving|http://d.gr-assets.com/books/1343225111s/781817.jpg|1028204]. It was interesting how with both these books the subjects of bears, hotels, and Vienna, Austria all pop up in both. I am curious as to what in the life of Irving has fostered these fascinations.
The book had a dreamy quality for me. Part of this is that the children of the Berry family talk in a precocious manner. There is no difference in how the kids talk at age 10 or age 40. The writing style was pleasant enough, and some parts had a strong comedic sense. Certainly not a life-changing book, but pleasant enough.
Oddly enough, as I was finishing this book, I started reading [b:Counter-Clock World|12198737|Counter-Clock World|Philip K. Dick|http://d.gr-assets.com/books/1344672998s/12198737.jpg|1915739] by [a:Philip K. Dick|4764|Philip K. Dick|http://d.gr-assets.com/authors/1264613853p2/4764.jpg]. Both of these books have characters named Arbuthnot. A fun coincidence
The book had a dreamy quality for me. Part of this is that the children of the Berry family talk in a precocious manner. There is no difference in how the kids talk at age 10 or age 40. The writing style was pleasant enough, and some parts had a strong comedic sense. Certainly not a life-changing book, but pleasant enough.
Oddly enough, as I was finishing this book, I started reading [b:Counter-Clock World|12198737|Counter-Clock World|Philip K. Dick|http://d.gr-assets.com/books/1344672998s/12198737.jpg|1915739] by [a:Philip K. Dick|4764|Philip K. Dick|http://d.gr-assets.com/authors/1264613853p2/4764.jpg]. Both of these books have characters named Arbuthnot. A fun coincidence
2.5 stars
I'm not sure I "got" this one. I didn't really enjoy this quirky family. I didn't feel much of anything toward any of the characters. I didn't get the pet bear, the taxidermy dog, or the incest.
I did like when revenge was sought.
I'm not sure I "got" this one. I didn't really enjoy this quirky family. I didn't feel much of anything toward any of the characters. I didn't get the pet bear, the taxidermy dog, or the incest.
I did like when revenge was sought.
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
hopeful
informative
inspiring
sad
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
It’s been awhile since I read this book. On several levels I found it disturbing, though I remember I think it is well-written and held my interest. The elements of rape and incest were what I remember mostly from the book, plus the cycle-riding State of Maine.
I would not choose to read this again, but I’d give Irving another chance.
I would not choose to read this again, but I’d give Irving another chance.
Perhaps it was my own personal state of mind, but this book did not quite gel into a four-star for me. The book is about mom, dad, and kids. Mom and dad meet at a hotel job in New Hampshire, acquire a bear, and get married. Once the bear dies, they end up starting into the hotel business in an obscure town that is home to a second rate private boys school (Exeter wanna be). Dad is always restless; mom is always calm. Kids have varying mental to physical oddities. Throw in a rather kooky grandpa and a blind old man to round out the main cast of characters. When dad gets the chance to hop the ocean and take over a hotel in Austria, off the family goes. Here's the one big spoiler alert--the relationship between the oldest daughter and the middle son pushes the normal boundaries, and this is what I have struggled with. There was something about this book that made me think of Geek Love, which did the job better. The best part of the book is the darn family dog, who manages to pop up at dramatic moments long after it breathes its last.
Still, it was a good read; I plowed right through it!
Still, it was a good read; I plowed right through it!
Re-reading this book for the umpteenth time, and it is just as good as ever. Even if you are not an Irving fan, this crazy, character ridden story is very entertaining and touching.
I have to admit that I didn't understand this book very well. Maybe I am old enough now to read John Irving and get it on the second reading.
Check out time: funny what the passing years do to books acclaimed as masterpieces in their day. It’s easy to make judgmental snorts to oneself reading this 40 years on with a post #MeToo sensibility and a polytechnic social sciences degree level “understanding” of rape, but I doubt I’m alone in feeling queasy at the treatment of a survivor’s processing of it, let alone the cold dish of revenge denouement, or the incest subplot. I love Owen Meany and Cider House, and this, like them, is a sprawling narrative about families, secrets and compromises, but its treatment of sexual politics dates it horribly. A bit like turning off the motorway to find there’s a Trusthouse Fortë inexplicably still operating at the services.