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jbliv's review against another edition
5.0
The Last Chairlift is the best John Irving novel in a VERY LONG time, at least since A Widow for One Year, and maybe even further back. Here we have his classic mix: sex, humor, tragedy, pathos, sprawling family saga, wrestling, and movies. I went in with trepidation but emerged joyous. Well worth the ride.
ibbeldibbelleest's review against another edition
Veel te langdradig, teveel herhalingen, geen echt verhaal
remuslibrary's review against another edition
funny
reflective
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
3.25
farbeach's review against another edition
emotional
funny
mysterious
reflective
relaxing
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Loveable characters? Yes
4.0
eggbeater's review against another edition
emotional
funny
reflective
sad
slow-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
5.0
This is a 900 page book. That, in itself, makes it not for everyone, but it is perfect for me because the characters are so endearingly strange. Sometimes the plot is slow and resembles historical political commentary--definitely left leaning. Sometimes it's riveting drama, and people start dropping like Game of Thrones. The story is quite poignant and reflective, but everyone's sexual foibles had me laughing out loud like a loon. There are common John Irving themes: a straight, cisgender man and everyone he loves is part of the LGBTQ community, there's wresting, of course, and writing. And then there are the addition of the quirky ghosts and his girlfriends' reactions to them. The screenplay episodes took a minute for me to get used to, but they make sense when I realize Adam has to remain detached when recounting certain parts of his life. If you like John Irving's other books, this one won't let you down.
booknerdyyc's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
hopeful
reflective
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
3.5
As with all John Irving literature, this book is beautifully written and the prose is indulgent and often quite satirical. The beauty of the collection of diverse and at times dysfunctional individuals pulling together to form a tight, functional and loving community was moving.
The biggest challenge I had with this book was what I would describe as the need for a serious edit. It felt longer than necessary, with some antidotes repeating themselves and some of the chapters feeling unnecessary. The character development is deep but there reaches a point where I already felt I understood the character and really just wanted the story to move quicker. As an outdoor enthusiast, and skier, I loved the way that the characters passions (sking, snowshoeing, patrolling etc) at intrinsic to the core of each person. Overall, I enjoyed this and found the ending moving but would have loved a slightly condensed version.
The biggest challenge I had with this book was what I would describe as the need for a serious edit. It felt longer than necessary, with some antidotes repeating themselves and some of the chapters feeling unnecessary. The character development is deep but there reaches a point where I already felt I understood the character and really just wanted the story to move quicker. As an outdoor enthusiast, and skier, I loved the way that the characters passions (sking, snowshoeing, patrolling etc) at intrinsic to the core of each person. Overall, I enjoyed this and found the ending moving but would have loved a slightly condensed version.
hall1991's review against another edition
The story moved very very slow. Life is too short and there are so many books so if the book is not engaging and going no where I try and end it.
lilly_haferkamp's review against another edition
funny
hopeful
informative
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
zarahzoe's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
reflective
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
I haven't read a John Irving novel in over a decade, and I was curious to see if I still liked them. I do.
The relationships, and the love between the characters, their unconventional family. The recurring motifs from his other books.
I liked the things that sound off-putting, even - the rambling storytelling, the circular timeliness, the repetitions of phrases, sentences, paragraphs, dialogues, the futility of everything. The chapters that were written as screenplays took a bit of getting used to, but I still liked them.
It seems unsufficient the say so little about a book soa massive, bur here I am. I liked it.
The relationships, and the love between the characters, their unconventional family. The recurring motifs from his other books.
I liked the things that sound off-putting, even - the rambling storytelling, the circular timeliness, the repetitions of phrases, sentences, paragraphs, dialogues, the futility of everything. The chapters that were written as screenplays took a bit of getting used to, but I still liked them.
It seems unsufficient the say so little about a book soa massive, bur here I am. I liked it.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Homophobia, Gun violence, Transphobia, Deadnaming, Murder, and Suicide
Moderate: Religious bigotry, Pandemic/Epidemic, Adult/minor relationship, Dysphoria, Lesbophobia, Cancer, Sexual content, Hate crime, War, and Grief
ginsetten's review against another edition
emotional
inspiring
mysterious
reflective
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
5.0