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enutzman's review against another edition
3.0
I'm listening to this as an audiobook. It's 24 hours long!
lola425's review against another edition
4.0
There's something that I realized about reading john Irving after finishing this book: you need to be able to suspend your disbelief and accept huge coincidences in order to let go and truly enjoy his books. I have accepted this and I do. I was angry at Ruth for what happened to Rooie, felt like she got off too easy, that she let herself off the hook too easily. I'm torn about Marion. On the one hand she lived just a fraction of a life. On the other hand, it was a life of her own making.
thrifty_librarian's review against another edition
4.0
I finished this one today. It was long, but I really enjoyed the uniqueness of it. So much goes on through the course of the book, and each character experiences a ton. I like that it's all action-based; despite how long it is, there's not a lot of summary.
I didn't really LIKE any of the characters, except Eduardo, who only had a bit part. And the first section is so dramatic and real, then afterwards everyone turns two-dimensional and just sort of drifts along.
I thought it was cool that Irving showed "samples" of the characters' writing, though I was bored by the long descriptions of it.
More than anything, I appreciate the sheer imagination behind this. I'd definitely read more by Irving.
I didn't really LIKE any of the characters, except Eduardo, who only had a bit part. And the first section is so dramatic and real, then afterwards everyone turns two-dimensional and just sort of drifts along.
I thought it was cool that Irving showed "samples" of the characters' writing, though I was bored by the long descriptions of it.
More than anything, I appreciate the sheer imagination behind this. I'd definitely read more by Irving.
nferre's review against another edition
3.0
I always feel like I'm supposed to like John Irving more than I actually do. This book was interesting and I'm glad I read it, but maybe just not my style.
onehtl1ama's review against another edition
3.0
I thought the supporting characters were a lot more interesting than Ruth.
sgallant89's review against another edition
4.0
John Irving once again showcases his talent for storytelling and building memorable and exceedingly quirky characters. I enjoyed the intricacy of this storyline and how Irving effortlessly interwove stories within stories and tackled themes from sexual-promiscuity to how we cope (or don't cope) with grief.
mlopez0922's review against another edition
2.0
This book and had it's up and downs.
1. I felt that PART 1 of this book was just more of a sad theme, which to me dragged when I read this.
And it made me "feel" sad in Part 2 of the book.
2. Part 2 had its moments on and off. There were times where I wanted to stop reading this book, but then something good happened so I kept reading. And again something boring, etc.
3. Part 3 was where all the good stuff happened which caused me to read this book fast cause I wanted to know what happened.
Overall, I left that the Author put chapters in here that seemed unnecessary to me, which cause the book to drag. I felt like the author could of been more short with all the information, but instead they were chapters. But the story line was good!
1. I felt that PART 1 of this book was just more of a sad theme, which to me dragged when I read this.
And it made me "feel" sad in Part 2 of the book.
2. Part 2 had its moments on and off. There were times where I wanted to stop reading this book, but then something good happened so I kept reading. And again something boring, etc.
3. Part 3 was where all the good stuff happened which caused me to read this book fast cause I wanted to know what happened.
Overall, I left that the Author put chapters in here that seemed unnecessary to me, which cause the book to drag. I felt like the author could of been more short with all the information, but instead they were chapters. But the story line was good!
aneides's review against another edition
3.0
The first Irving book I've actually read, although I did see the movies of Garp and Cider House Rules. It was more engrossing than I expected, although it was really too long for its content. I keep trying to find excuses to like it less than I did because I don't like to think of myself as a reader of this sort of fiction. I admit to a degree of snobbery. A lot of the story's events seemed rather predictable and although this may have been completely intentional, it was a little disappointing. I also felt there was something slightly foreign about the way the characters thought and the way the protagonist, Ruth, was written sounded like a female character written by a male author.