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4.03 AVERAGE
4.03 AVERAGE
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
One of Irving’s best books.
This is probably Irving's best, though Owen is always tops in my heart. Can anyone get through Garp without feeling much better about their own life? There's nothing like tragedy with a hint of bitten off penis to make you wonder if your tears are sad or laughing.
This novel was a struggle for me to get finished. The plot just never seemed to go anywhere. And the characters were somewhat lackluster.
- found that the novels within the novel to be unnecessary. The Pension Grillparzer was essentially The Hotel New Hampshire. Which I had already read.
- so many elements from other novels in here.
Just plain uninteresting.
- found that the novels within the novel to be unnecessary. The Pension Grillparzer was essentially The Hotel New Hampshire. Which I had already read.
- so many elements from other novels in here.
Just plain uninteresting.
The story is very pointedly and its really funny to read.
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I read this for a book challenge to read a book written the year I was born (1978). This is one of those prolific novels I'd heard of, but never read, so figured this was a good prompt to read it. This is a strange novel, with some books-within-the-book. I especially liked The Pension Grillparzer. TS Garp is a strange guy. But somehow throughout the book you come to like him, though not as much as his practical, feminist icon mother Jenny Fields, the loyal and complex transgender friend Roberta Muldoon, and his smart, patient wife Helen Holm. The women shine in this novel, and Irving tackles some issues that are still relevant today, including women's rights, access to women's health, bodily autonomy, transgender acceptance, and more. It also has some heavy subject matter including rape, murder, serious injury and disability, and accidental death. Though with all that seriousness, it manages to stay upbeat and humorous. A complex novel for sure.
challenging
dark
emotional
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
"...his real irritation was a writer's irritation: he knows that wherever the TV glows, there sits someone who isn't reading."
Press-ganged into reading this and thankfully so. The voice in this has got the depth of Donna Tartt and the richness of James Agee, and it is a book about writers. It fires on the cylinders I work off of.
I could not wait to finish reading this book and move on to something better. (Which is pretty much most things, by the way.) A poorly told, meandering story about an author who also writes poorly written drivel. "Garp was convinced that the mainstream of his fans consisted of waifs, lonely children, retarded grownups, cranks, and only occasional members of the citizenry who were not afflicted with perverted taste." This quote accurately describes the appropriate audience for this particular novel, as well. Probably a warning better placed closer to page 1 than page 275.