Take a photo of a barcode or cover
4.03 AVERAGE
4.03 AVERAGE
Something about this book was too pretentious and unsettling. I think I may have enjoyed this in high school but not now.
I liked the prose quite a bit. I don't get to read a lot of third person omniscient and Irving has a nasty sense of humor that gelled with me. It's just that none of the characters in this book seem to really care about anything beyond their personal safety? For a book supposedly about feminism and political extremism there are very few direct references to any of that? The book is far more insightful about Writing and Parenthood than it is about any of the actually interesting themes. Garp (the character) worries about bad things happening to his loved ones, but really only freak accidents. Makes sense because that's all that ever seems to happen to these rich white folks, but no one (particularly not Irving) stops to consider why that is. Frustrating.
It's very strange reading the book you've been raised knowing is your father's all time favourite. Every now and again, something familiar would come up that he had sprinkled into conversation at some point when I was younger.
It's a very long and turbulent story, committing to the characters from conception to death. That brings something rich to each arc of the tale, you completely understand the ins and outs of each person and therefore the decisions they make. I did have a little sob at parts, and some of the messages flowing through had a lot of depth to them. I also did quite enjoy Garp's short story- I'm not used to referenced texts being quoted in full that way.
It's a very long and turbulent story, committing to the characters from conception to death. That brings something rich to each arc of the tale, you completely understand the ins and outs of each person and therefore the decisions they make. I did have a little sob at parts, and some of the messages flowing through had a lot of depth to them. I also did quite enjoy Garp's short story- I'm not used to referenced texts being quoted in full that way.
as i wrote my review for last night in twisted river, i realized that i never rated or reviewed a few other john irving novels. so, here you go...
this book is classic. i mean, classic john irving. from portions of other novel/stories interrupting the plot, to writing about a writer. it was the first novel i read of irvings and it introduced me to an amazing author...who would become one of my favorites
this book is classic. i mean, classic john irving. from portions of other novel/stories interrupting the plot, to writing about a writer. it was the first novel i read of irvings and it introduced me to an amazing author...who would become one of my favorites
challenging
funny
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
relaxing
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
"Garp" is a novel of stories. Each chapter, while adhering to the larger whole, could stand alone as well. Additionally, the novel about a novelist is filled with excerpts of his books and short stories. Through the violent and frightening lens of Garp's world view we must fiercely protect those we love. However, the grander message seems to be that the world is a scary place, and there's nothing we can do about it. Life won't wait for a convenient time; we all reach the same place eventually.
emotional
funny
reflective
medium-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
I should start this off by saying I love John Irving. He’s up there with my all time favourite authors ever. And I have read Garp before, years ago, and I loved it and was heartbroken by it and couldn’t really bring myself to read it again until now. I don’t think I enjoyed it as much this time around, which is a shame, but I still love the writing and the story for the most part.
So, the story of Garp. He’s born T. S. Garp after his mother, Jenny Fields (a nurse), sleeps with a patient known only as Technical Sergeant Garp. Jenny is strong willed and wants a child, but doesn’t want to conform to the day’s standards and marry to do so. The patient has shrapnel in his brain and can do little but say his own name and get constant erections. And thus, Garp is born.
His childhood is spent at an all boys’ school, and we follow his formative years there and encounters with girls leading eventually to Helen Holm, whom he marries. After Garp finishes school he and his mother go to Vienna, so Garp can focus on his writing, and it is during this time Jenny Fields writes her autobiography A Sexual Suspect, and she becomes a feminist icon. Garp is a successful writer in his own right, and he returns to the US and marries Helen, and they have two sons. As a father he is terrified of all the bad things that can happen to his children, and is often over protective.
Although he loves Helen, Garp does have affairs with other women, including babysitters and the wife of Helen’s friend. But it is Helen’s own affair that leads to one of the saddest parts of the book, an accident from which they will not all fully recover.
There’s so much more that goes on, especially in regards to Jenny Fields and her work with women, and a group called the Ellen Jamesians, but I’d be here all day. On this reading I found Garp to be a bit more of an asshole than I remembered him, even though he is basically a good guy. I guess he’s somewhat superior. And although I liked it last time, the extended epilogue which goes in to detail about everyone’s lives after the main story is finished felt a bit unnecessary to me now. I just didn’t need to know it all and would have been happy to imagine it for myself. But that’s a small quibble. I still got sad at the sad bits and laughed at the more twisted, humorous parts. And I fear the Under Toad.
So, the story of Garp. He’s born T. S. Garp after his mother, Jenny Fields (a nurse), sleeps with a patient known only as Technical Sergeant Garp. Jenny is strong willed and wants a child, but doesn’t want to conform to the day’s standards and marry to do so. The patient has shrapnel in his brain and can do little but say his own name and get constant erections. And thus, Garp is born.
His childhood is spent at an all boys’ school, and we follow his formative years there and encounters with girls leading eventually to Helen Holm, whom he marries. After Garp finishes school he and his mother go to Vienna, so Garp can focus on his writing, and it is during this time Jenny Fields writes her autobiography A Sexual Suspect, and she becomes a feminist icon. Garp is a successful writer in his own right, and he returns to the US and marries Helen, and they have two sons. As a father he is terrified of all the bad things that can happen to his children, and is often over protective.
Although he loves Helen, Garp does have affairs with other women, including babysitters and the wife of Helen’s friend. But it is Helen’s own affair that leads to one of the saddest parts of the book, an accident from which they will not all fully recover.
There’s so much more that goes on, especially in regards to Jenny Fields and her work with women, and a group called the Ellen Jamesians, but I’d be here all day. On this reading I found Garp to be a bit more of an asshole than I remembered him, even though he is basically a good guy. I guess he’s somewhat superior. And although I liked it last time, the extended epilogue which goes in to detail about everyone’s lives after the main story is finished felt a bit unnecessary to me now. I just didn’t need to know it all and would have been happy to imagine it for myself. But that’s a small quibble. I still got sad at the sad bits and laughed at the more twisted, humorous parts. And I fear the Under Toad.