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3.86 AVERAGE
3.86 AVERAGE
sorrow floats.
i also wrote a song called "SMART BEAR".
this is one of Irving's best, i think (i've read almost all of 'em, too).
i also wrote a song called "SMART BEAR".
this is one of Irving's best, i think (i've read almost all of 'em, too).
Good, solid book with more tragedy than comedy. Great depiction of an eccentric family.
adventurous
emotional
funny
hopeful
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
emotional
reflective
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I remember the day I finished reading this book--I was moving to Massachusetts with my college boyfriend sometime toward the end of summer. He was driving the u-haul. I finished the book and a wave of homesickness washed over me because I missed the characters so badly. I had grown so attached to them they seemed like family. That's what I love about Irving. He draws some truly wonderful characters--filled with oddities and quirks, but so memorable and lovable.
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
reflective
sad
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
This book is super slow. The author has a style of writing that is hard to keep up with at times. Lots of digression…even within the same sentence that can easily be confusing.
The themes in here are hard to read, to be quite honest, and it gave me a lot to grapple with. It’s definitely different than I’m used to!
The themes in here are hard to read, to be quite honest, and it gave me a lot to grapple with. It’s definitely different than I’m used to!
Out of the John Irving books I've read it was definitely not one of my favorites. It was a lot more uncomfortable and dark in what felt like almost unnecessary ways, and felt almost breezy and blase in response. Maybe it was good and it was just my expectations that were off, because normally I find his books relatively lighter and pleasurable reading, and this one was almost too dark to feel like it could be pleasurable reading in some places.
A big cast of zany characters. This is among my favorites by Irving.
dark
emotional
funny
sad
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
While I enjoyed reading this book, and wanted to know what happened to the characters, I found myself disappointed with the ending, which felt a bit like a cop-out. Heteros must couple up and all that. But all in all, it's good.