A review by kbratten
A Widow for One Year by John Irving

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.