Reviews

Last Night in Twisted River by John Irving

melanie1022's review

adventurous emotional reflective sad tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

dalefu's review

4.0

This book bounced back and forth between 3 and 4 stars for me.

I'd known for some time that Irving's novels share a lot of patterns, but this only being my third, I'm only starting to see them now. Some of them are welcome little touches, like wrestling, bears, etc. But some of the more plot based patterns I found removed me from the story. My first Irving novel was The World According to Garp, which I loved. Reading Last Night in Twisted River, there were several instances where what would have been a moving plot point, instead felt like treading old ground. Sometimes it was all too easy to replace the characters of this book with characters from Garp. In the end there was enough unique moments and characters to merit that fourth star, but if Irving sticks too closely to his trademarks in all his novels, I fear my next Irving novel won't fare so well.

aesw's review against another edition

adventurous emotional reflective sad slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot

4.0

eletricjb's review

4.0

I mean, John Irving is always good, but this book was just SO META. I think my brain exploded seven times.

mschrock8's review

4.0

My second attempt at this book, and it was very good.

I appreciated the nod to Kurt Vonnegut.

My hope was a longer book would slow me down, and maybe it did.

charliek_1970's review against another edition

challenging dark sad medium-paced

2.75

pirxthepilot's review

5.0

There can be only two possible ratings for this book. Some people will find it unbearable, difficult to read, boring, and too long. These are most likely people who don't know Irving's novels, or have read only a couple of them. The other group, seasoned Irving readers who know each novel that he published, will love it. Why? For it's "meta-novel" approach. A book about writing books. A book that refers to so many common themes in his stories. A book with a bit of auto-irony, and plenty of human touch.

Don't start your Irving adventure here. Read it only after you've finished Hotel New Hampshire, The World According to Garp, Widow for One Year, The Fourth Hand, 158-pound Marriage, ...

trisha_clay's review against another edition

dark emotional slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

3.75

the_enobee's review

5.0

Do you ever pick up a book and it turns out you are in the absolute perfect mood to read that exact type of book? I first read Last Night in Twisted River when it came out in 2009/10, and I thought it was so-so. The other day I was scrolling through a list of available titles in Overdrive, noticed this book, and snagged it on a whim. Turns out I was a perfect match for a John Irving tome, and I loved every minute of Last Night in Twisted River. There were some areas that could have been shortened, but I absolutely loved each and every character, their stories, and the resiliency of life inherent in the book. I also enjoyed all the food, logging, and authoring information, which all added zest to the story. The idea of working from the last to first sentence is beautiful and really shines in this novel. What a nice, happy coincidence that I ended up rereading this book.

ddurling's review

2.0

Meh. It was just okay for me. I liked certain parts, but couldn't really get into the characters and barely cared when some of them died. I liked the whole writing process parallel, but the end seemed cliche to me. I found myself skimming through some of the pages just to get through it faster. Definitely a let down for me.