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A review by bittersweet_symphony
The Cider House Rules by John Irving
5.0
Another update*
Something new stands out every time I read The Cider House Rules, this time reminding me just how brutishly Melony's life is spent. I'm humored by how much I found a resonance with Homer Wells upon my earlier readings, now to have greater sympathies with Dr. Larch's temperament.
This time around I appreciated how much more Candy's blend of amiability and strength shined through.
As always, The Cider House Rules serves as a pragmatic corrective to romantic or idealists perspectives on the world.
Update*
My fourth time through this book and I find my views and temperament more akin to that of Dr. Larch than a younger Homer Wells. I still find the Melony character a rather unnecessary element of the novel—wisely omitted from the film screenplay—and still one of my least favorite characters in the John Irving universe.
Ultimately, it's just a joy to be in the deeply detailed world that Irving creates for his readers. Given that he's always revisiting the same ghosts and demons in each of his novels, I'm not sure it really matters whether one reads his newest novel or continues to revisit the older ones.
Nonetheless, still recommend The Cider House Rules to anyone after a dense, multi-generational epic that spares few details about the characters. Irving is heavy on the exposition and character examination. And I wouldn't have it any other way.
Something new stands out every time I read The Cider House Rules, this time reminding me just how brutishly Melony's life is spent. I'm humored by how much I found a resonance with Homer Wells upon my earlier readings, now to have greater sympathies with Dr. Larch's temperament.
This time around I appreciated how much more Candy's blend of amiability and strength shined through.
As always, The Cider House Rules serves as a pragmatic corrective to romantic or idealists perspectives on the world.
Update*
My fourth time through this book and I find my views and temperament more akin to that of Dr. Larch than a younger Homer Wells. I still find the Melony character a rather unnecessary element of the novel—wisely omitted from the film screenplay—and still one of my least favorite characters in the John Irving universe.
Ultimately, it's just a joy to be in the deeply detailed world that Irving creates for his readers. Given that he's always revisiting the same ghosts and demons in each of his novels, I'm not sure it really matters whether one reads his newest novel or continues to revisit the older ones.
Nonetheless, still recommend The Cider House Rules to anyone after a dense, multi-generational epic that spares few details about the characters. Irving is heavy on the exposition and character examination. And I wouldn't have it any other way.