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ivanssister's review against another edition
4.0
There is a lot going on in this book. I swear, by the time I reached page 125 or so, I reached a point where the book could have ended. But then it went on and took an entirely different turn.
kimberly_b's review against another edition
5.0
This is hilarious and entertaining. It's my favorite Irving book. The characters are ridiculous (in a good, funny way) and incredibly memorable.
kbratten's review
3.0
Writers love writing about writers, writing about writers. I enjoyed the development of Ruth's character as an adult-her take on relationships and squash and suppose it needed some of the strangeness of her childhood. I don't understand why there was so much time spent developing Eddie when the second two thirds of the book he has little function. I also didnt care for the excessive behind-the-scenes writer talk nor Ruth's unlikely best friendship with the selfish and vulgar Hannah and Ruth's unlikely reactions to her father (no reaction) , Amsterdam (she just LEFT?), and even Scott Saunders (why did you LET him if it was gonna make you go crazy violent?). A whole book be written about Ted and his destructive womanizing, I could really picture Marion's character and loved step into being a writer, and wish her conclusion as not so delayed and anti-climactic.
I read the whole thing, but I almost stopped several times.
I read the whole thing, but I almost stopped several times.
spridlewv's review
2.0
Its always disappointing to be reminded that authors of unbelievably good books also lay eggs. Didn’t even finish this one.
abrswf's review against another edition
4.0
I loved this long book and was sorry when it ended. It is risible, sexy, heartbreaking and heart warming. In other words a John Irving.
owenjetton's review
emotional
funny
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.25
akbhatia's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.0
I’m so mad at this book; it made John Irving one of my favorite rants. The first 2-300 pages are really good, there’s a clear story, the writing is so vivid, it’s like a movie playing in your head. And then he veers wildly off path. And I hung in there for 400 pages more thinking he’d get somewhere. But I don’t think he did. If you like John Irving, odds are you’ll love this book, too - but I don’t get it. It would have been a 4 if he had found some way to end it after 300 pages.
edinareads's review against another edition
Dense, hard to read, read an overview of the plot, decided I didn’t care.
mdelguercio's review against another edition
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.0