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4.03 AVERAGE
4.03 AVERAGE
this book swallowed me whole. i didn't move a damn muscle in the space between the beginning and the end (except to turn pages and blink and, y'know, breathe and stuff). i loved the film-y "where are they now?" ending and the way each character was really, truly fascinating to observe.
i've got owen meany on the way. hopefully it goes as well as this one did.
i've got owen meany on the way. hopefully it goes as well as this one did.
emotional
lighthearted
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
dark
emotional
funny
reflective
medium-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
challenging
dark
funny
sad
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Oh Mr. Irving. Against all odds, I finished and even enjoyed the saga of T. S. Garp. This was my third Irving, and I absolutely loved the first two - so much so that I’ve decided to read one every year. But this one tested me. I almost threw in the towel halfway through, but I see now on the other side that that would’ve been a massive mistake. As Irving always does, the threads of the story lead somewhere I never imagined at the start. While I still think some aspects of it were questionable and the overall construction of the novel was not to the caliber of Cider House and Owen Meany, it was still very much worth the read. Additionally, the audio was a great. Irving’s readers are always exceptional. Against all odds, I recommend.
challenging
emotional
reflective
relaxing
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Typisch Irving; Bären, Ringer, Autoren, Lust & Verlangen. Das alles gehüllt in eine unkonventionelle Familiengeschichte, die zwischen Tragischem, Frivolem, Groteskem und Verstörendem mit Lektionen fürs Leben aufwartet. Dazu die vielen – für Irving-Leser allzubekannten – feministischen Blickwinkel; grotesk und in aller Deutlichkeit werden unter anderem die männlichen Gelüste und Besitzansprüche dargestellt, sowie der harte, unfaire, oft mit Rückschlägen verbundene Kampf von Frauen und Transmenschen um Gleichberechtigung in der Gesellschaft.
Stellenweise mag das Buch irritierend oder sogar verstörend wirken – inhaltlich finde ich „Der letzte Sessellift“ besser gelungen, aber das mag persönlicher Geschmack sein. Ähnlich sind sich die Werke jedenfalls.
Stellenweise mag das Buch irritierend oder sogar verstörend wirken – inhaltlich finde ich „Der letzte Sessellift“ besser gelungen, aber das mag persönlicher Geschmack sein. Ähnlich sind sich die Werke jedenfalls.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Cancer, Child abuse, Child death, Death, Gun violence, Hate crime, Homophobia, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Rape, Self harm, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Transphobia, Violence, Blood, Kidnapping, Medical trauma, Car accident, Death of parent, Murder, Lesbophobia, Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Cancer, Sexism, Suicidal thoughts, Terminal illness
emotional
slow-paced
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
sad
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Disliking Garp (and his writing) as much as I did made it hard to enjoy spending so many pages with him
When a co-worker at my job handed me this book I wasn't thrilled to read it, I never heard of John Irving let alone read any of his books. So I began reading the book because I knew my co worker would ask me what i thought of it so I couldn't NOT read it. And this is my life story with books I think I'm going to hate something but when I begin reading it I can't put it down. This book was hilarious from the beginning till end. And no that does not mean that this book is a comedy because there is tragedy here, there is infidelity and so much more. Garp was the son of a women who was considered a feminist but who didn't care so much for the term herself. This story is the life through his eyes but it begins showing us the world according to Garps mother first who was named Jenny Feilds. At the beginning of the novel I thought Jenny smothered Garp to much and she is the reason why he grew up to be the way he was. Garp is not your typical main character, I even kind of hated him at some parts because he was so arrogant and pretentious and had himself on a pedestal that someone needed to knock him off of. I got so mad the way he reacted when he found out Helen was having an affair with one of her students when he cheated on her not once BUT TWO times with TWO different baby sitters, he had no right. Garp and Helens marriage was very unconventional and I loved that especially the part where they did that foursome with there friends Alice and Harrison (well more of a switch between spouses) that was just to hilarious. This book is very original and that was very refreshing. The characters were people we all know in real life. The ending wasn't so much of a shocker because the way the story goes you kind of figured that Garp was going to get killed in the end especially because he was such an assholes at times lol. Despite his flaws I loved Garp and sympathized with him.
This book has ALOT of sex, Garp was full of lust and I thought that was so ironic because thats what one thing his feminist mother despised above all. Throughout the book Irving showed us Garps story but I was really upset that we never got to see a little more of his mothers auto biography because that would have been awesome. Irving should totally publish that as another novel "The Sexual Suspect" how awesome would that be?.
This book has ALOT of sex, Garp was full of lust and I thought that was so ironic because thats what one thing his feminist mother despised above all. Throughout the book Irving showed us Garps story but I was really upset that we never got to see a little more of his mothers auto biography because that would have been awesome. Irving should totally publish that as another novel "The Sexual Suspect" how awesome would that be?.