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4.03 AVERAGE
4.03 AVERAGE
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I read this book with high expectations. I have continually heard the name of this book as a classic that should be read. The first few chapters are fairly good, and quite humorous. However, it devolves into glib meaninglessness and preposterousness.
Perhaps this book was groundbreaking for its blatant depiction of sex, feminism and gender, but none of it seemed to say anything of meaning, and thus has not aged well. Besides the "both sides"-ism of most of the messages, none of the characters are particularly interesting. Each has their own flaws that are glossed over instead of explored and exposed (e.g. I found Garp to be a hypocritical ***, but the book doesn't really explore it well enough, imo). Likewise, the books within a book were all said to be very good, but none of them were particularly interesting or good either.
Overall, I would say it's an okay book, but been way too overhyped.
Perhaps this book was groundbreaking for its blatant depiction of sex, feminism and gender, but none of it seemed to say anything of meaning, and thus has not aged well. Besides the "both sides"-ism of most of the messages, none of the characters are particularly interesting. Each has their own flaws that are glossed over instead of explored and exposed (e.g. I found Garp to be a hypocritical ***, but the book doesn't really explore it well enough, imo). Likewise, the books within a book were all said to be very good, but none of them were particularly interesting or good either.
Overall, I would say it's an okay book, but been way too overhyped.
Despite a reader that sounded news-annoucer-y in the greatest Edward R. Murrow tradition, I just loved this, my long-overdue introduction to Irving. The happysad humor hit me in just the right spot, and although I know he's since been supplanted by other, more modern feminist men, I was moved by Irving's clearly sympathetic voice speaking from the year of my birth (oh so very long ago ;)).
dark
emotional
sad
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I'll give you a topic: John Irving, misogynist or feminist?
Started it then got annoyed with playing Irving Bingo and decided to move on.
Someone told me I should read this because it has wrestling in it. It reads FAST. Recommend it to all yr dude friends, it's a very dude book.
dark
funny
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
This is my first time reading this particular book. It is not my most favorite Irving by any means. I started out not thinking much of it, but the book and characters grew on me as it went along.
adventurous
challenging
reflective
sad
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I think this book has escaped the author's hands and fled too far for him to catch - it is not the story that he thinks it is.
It had a strong start, and I was excited for the perspective it began with regarding Jenny Fields. Though the writing enraptured me the whole way through the book, the plot was sometimes a slog to get through, and a lot of the main characters are, objectively, bad people. It meanders between different viewpoints and tries to posit certain ideals as the moral of the story, only to contradict it later, and further to deride it. Though Irving claims it to be a book about extremism according to a few things I researched midway through the book, it doesn't at all follow. Yes, the characters have extremist views, extreme reactions, and extreme issues. But to me it was a tale of morbid fascination, of "what will these fuckups do next", like seeing a car crash and watching the paramedics try and revive the corpse through acts of sexual assault. My reaction to a lot of the characters and situations in this book was "well, at least that wasn't me." Though engaging, The World According to Garp is really good at making you really uncomfortable - although I can tell from Irving's interviews that that wasn't quite the author's intent, the narrative itself calls for you to become uncomfortable with what it is. Like many people already said, I think this book wallows in sex in a way that reveals an unhealthy mindset regarding sex within the author, who himself admitted in later interviews that he was embarrassed by the book's obsession with it. It was also really, really obsessed with the parenthood topic - the majority of the book, I think, felt like it was about that, and maybe the reason the book didn't sit right with me was simply because I didn't expect nor do I particularly like those kinds of topics, not when it muses on them for so, so incredibly long.
It had a strong start, and I was excited for the perspective it began with regarding Jenny Fields. Though the writing enraptured me the whole way through the book, the plot was sometimes a slog to get through, and a lot of the main characters are, objectively, bad people. It meanders between different viewpoints and tries to posit certain ideals as the moral of the story, only to contradict it later, and further to deride it. Though Irving claims it to be a book about extremism according to a few things I researched midway through the book, it doesn't at all follow. Yes, the characters have extremist views, extreme reactions, and extreme issues. But to me it was a tale of morbid fascination, of "what will these fuckups do next", like seeing a car crash and watching the paramedics try and revive the corpse through acts of sexual assault. My reaction to a lot of the characters and situations in this book was "well, at least that wasn't me." Though engaging, The World According to Garp is really good at making you really uncomfortable - although I can tell from Irving's interviews that that wasn't quite the author's intent, the narrative itself calls for you to become uncomfortable with what it is. Like many people already said, I think this book wallows in sex in a way that reveals an unhealthy mindset regarding sex within the author, who himself admitted in later interviews that he was embarrassed by the book's obsession with it. It was also really, really obsessed with the parenthood topic - the majority of the book, I think, felt like it was about that, and maybe the reason the book didn't sit right with me was simply because I didn't expect nor do I particularly like those kinds of topics, not when it muses on them for so, so incredibly long.
It was an exhaustingly long book, but enjoyable enough if read as a long, long series of short stories regarding a really unfortunate group of people in absurdist situations. It could have been half the length and I'd have been happier - I kind of lost interest halfway through but pushed it anyway, and in the end I was left with a sense of bewilderment.
Nevertheless, the prose is genuinely good. I think if the author had changed several of his perspectives on life, sex, and morality, and given up on the cavalcade of edgy jokes and gallows humor, he could have written a better book.
There were still some points that were special to me. Jenny's whole thing about being a sexual suspect impacted me, and I was pleasantly surprised to see a book from the 1980's which had a slightly-less-derogatory view of transgender characters. Roberta was a treat, and the book didn't misgender her most of the time, except when referring to her past self. It also highlighted, in one scene, the issue with chasers, which gave it a few extra points in my head.
The story wallows in nihilism, though perhaps I would have enjoyed it at a different point in my life, either in my mid-emo-teens or in the future my depressed 30-40 year old state, possibly. I'm glad it's over. If you really want to read it, I would recommend getting it second-hand rather than buying it from somewhere full-price. Definitely not worth the money.
Nevertheless, the prose is genuinely good. I think if the author had changed several of his perspectives on life, sex, and morality, and given up on the cavalcade of edgy jokes and gallows humor, he could have written a better book.
There were still some points that were special to me. Jenny's whole thing about being a sexual suspect impacted me, and I was pleasantly surprised to see a book from the 1980's which had a slightly-less-derogatory view of transgender characters. Roberta was a treat, and the book didn't misgender her most of the time, except when referring to her past self. It also highlighted, in one scene, the issue with chasers, which gave it a few extra points in my head.
The story wallows in nihilism, though perhaps I would have enjoyed it at a different point in my life, either in my mid-emo-teens or in the future my depressed 30-40 year old state, possibly. I'm glad it's over. If you really want to read it, I would recommend getting it second-hand rather than buying it from somewhere full-price. Definitely not worth the money.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Gore, Pedophilia, Rape, Self harm, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Grief, Sexual harassment, Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Transphobia