The Cider House Rules

Rating:
Summary: If this is John Irving's best book, I'll eat my hat
Review: I have never read any of John Irving's books before and I really tried to read this one, but just couldn't get past page 100. I would read a few pages a day, put it down for a week, then return to it only to put it down. The cycle repeats itself constantly till I gave up on the book. I have never once in my life not finish a book till this one.

What's wrong with it? Nothing major that you can pinpoint. The characters are depressing. Then Irving goes on and on about the realities of life in the 1800s. He also carried on about abortion ~~ giving too many graphic details. For someone who is pro-choice, all that information is just too much. Even the sex scenes were depressing. So I gave up on the book ~~ I reached a quarter of the way and decided it wasn't worth reading. I guess I do read to be informed, but not like that.

This is the first book I refused to finish and I am not about to read any of Irving's other books. I know that others rave about this book, but I just couldn't find anything positive about it!

Thumbs down, is my final review.

Rating:
Summary: Wonderful book with "greyish" characters
Review: This book impressed me from early on. The vivid language, setting descriptions and various pieces of action in the story are easily played out in the mind. Even through the dreary, seemingly colorless town of St. Clouds you get the sense that the character's worlds are on the verge of alteration. Their particular positions in life at St. Clouds leave you wondering what on Earth that change could be. The base of the book's story, abortion, is expressed in a manner that shows an attention to the sensitivities of both sides. The "pro" side is shown as nearly horrific, unrewarding, and downright ugly but not because the character Dr. Larch sees it as such. It is almost shown as a duty. The "life" side, from the eyes of Homer, himself an orphan, is slightly less dramatic. It deals more with his deep rooted emotions about the subject. The main character, Homer, in the end makes a rather "judicial" choice based not on what he believes personally, but based on what must be done. The ending, however, left me feeling a little cut-off. The character's personal, inner revelations seemed to be missing for the most part. Most of what was told were the actions and not the reasons or emotions behind them. I did find the book wholy enjoyable though, and definitely recommend it. It's a great example of how people enter our daily lives, fix the "cloudy water" and either by necessity or duty, return to whatever place they may have come from.

Rating:
Summary: Not a million words could describe the beauty of this novel
Review: How can anyone not like this marvelous novel. Admittingly, "The Cider House Rules" did not take me by storm from the first, let us say, 50 pages. While I was still trying to recapture what this novel was going to be about, something awkward happened in the depths of my brain. From that moment on, I loved every single word, every single page, every single chapter. I was literally blown away. I learnt loving Homer, and Candy, and Wally, and their son, even the strange Dr Larch grew close to my heart, though I still believe him to be weird. This masterpiece by John Irving became and still is one of my favorite novels. I cannot bear to think that I could have missed this brilliant, heart-breaking, breath-demanding, heart-stopping novel, had it not been for a film I still have not seen to this day, but hope to do so soon, and a good friend of mine, who was kind enough to give this book as a present to me. The reason, well, our shared love for films, and our belief that one should read the literature before seeing its film version. If you like good literature, thus a brilliant style, a wonderful story, and great characters, you can hardly miss "The Cider House rules".

Rating:
Summary: Here in St. Clouds...
Review: Of the Irving books that I have read(The World According to Garp, A Prayer for Owen Meany, Widow for One Year, and The Cider House Rules), I feel that this is the greatest and most touching work that he has written. The novel is about more than just abortion (Irving takes the pro-choice stance). It is a novel about the struggles of the residents of St. Clouds, and their coping with society once they leave. I would recommend this novel to anyone interested in a compelling story. It is full of stories of love(with Larch and Candy), hardships(St. Clouds, and Homer and Candy), and controversy(abortions). It is an entertaining story that will leave you wondering what twist will happen next.

Rating:
Summary: If only the nurses could name this review...
Review: I began reading this novel on the recommendation of one of my education professors, which I find rather ironic, considering the main character of this book received very little formal education. This book has many strengths, the first being its approach to the issue of abortion. John Irving presents a character against abortion (Homer Wells), who also happens to be an orphan.

Over the course of Homer Wells' life, he never changes his mind about whether abortion is right or wrong. In fact, Homer dislikes it very much. He believes that the fetus has a soul. But the issue, of course, is not about whether it is right or wrong; the issue is about the lack of choice desperate women are left to face on their own. The worst, and most heart-wrenching of these desperate women, is Irving's character Rose. She is pregnant, and the baby is her father's. It is difficult for anyone to believe that this young, destitute girl should be denied an abortion. Earlier in the novel, we see the other end of the spectrum, when Dr. Larch is invited to a wealthy family's house. There, after dinner, he is asked to give one of the girls an abortion. Everything is prepared for him-- right down to the chloroform. It is clear that the rich have the choice, and the poor are the most sharply impacted by anti-abortion laws. In the end, Homer Wells decides that he must return to St. Cloud's, the orphanage where he grew up, and that he must make safe abortions available to women as long as women's choices are so severely limited. Irving presents Dr. Larch's and Homer's encounters with pregnant women who seek dangerous abortions several times throughout the novel. Some make it to St. Cloud's, or the hospital, and can be saved. Others cannot. Throughout the book, women are severely manhandled by the people who offer dangerous, expensive abortions. Like the Roe vs. Wade decision, I think that Homer Wells makes his final choice based on the evidence of the dangerous lengths women will go to in order to terminate a pregnancy.

Of course, there is much more to this book than the abortion issue. The characters are interesting, but I can honestly say that I despised most of them. Dr. Larch has a bit more substance than most, and Homer's son, Angel, is easy to love. Few reviews have focused on Melony, a particularly desolate character, who readers mourn practically from the day she is born. A more accurate look at an orphan can probably be witnessed through her description. She is thoroughly angry, and why shouldn't she be? She is violent, abused, and almost completely unloved. Her character, I thought, was the most interesting to watch unfold. This book is an excellent read for people interested in the abortion issue, particularly men. At times, I admit, the book is a little tedious, but something surprising always happens and recaptures the reader's interest. Whatever you do, don't see the movie! It barely followed the book, and it wasn't exactly what I would describe as an Oscar caliber performance.

Rating:
Summary: Complex characters
Review: Irving forces the reader to acknowledge that it is difficult to be self-righteous about a controversial issue as abortion once you attach a face to the tragedy.

Rating:
Summary: its nothing like the movie
Review: I want to stress to everyone that I saw the movie before i read the Cider House Rules. Everyone i talked to asked me how i could read a book knowing what happened, but the book is nothing like the movie. There are similarities, but many characters and actions were left out of the movie that i personally think should have been added in.

John Irving is truely gifted when it comes to character developement and storytelling. If i had to compare his form of writing to anyone, it would be the author of Snow Falling on Cedars. The Cider House rules reminded me of Snow Falling on Cedars because of where each story takes place. The place which each novel takes place was the backbone for each story. John Irving writes with a passion for his characters that is almost unheard of. Each character is well develeoped and heavily described.

The reason for I only gave this novel 4 stars is because i found some choices the characters made were unbelievable and too far fetched to ever happen. I wanted the story to go a certain way and not only did the characters not chose what i wanted, they did a complete 180. I found it to be a let down and overall soured the superb novel up until that point.

I was happy with the ending eventhough i knew it was coming. It was what i wanted to happen but i wished it had happened a little different.

Overall: I would recommend this book to anyone who loves a wonderful story. I plan on reading more and if not all of John Irvings work because I love the gift he has. He is the reason I love reading. Any author that can make me feel like I am part of the novel and has me missing the characters when I'm done reading deserves to have my support. I highly recommend any of John Irving's novels as well as this one.

Rating:
Summary: Beautifully crafted, but too gruesome
Review: I usually only review books I believe to be outstanding. But, every now and then I come across a book I feel I have to warn people about. I bought this book having heard about the Academy Award winning movie. It was supposed to be a coming of age story, which I usually enjoy. But, what I found was a superbly written platform about the right to abortion. I must confess that I did not finish the book. So, all the Martian Chronicles references can start here. But, the reason I couldn't finish it was that it was too much for me. Graphic scenes involving the death of mothers and babies and the evils of back alley abortions overcame any amount of affection I had for the main character and his journey.

It is obvious to me why Irving is one of the most respected writers working in America today. But frankly, I thought the book was 50% political statement, 50% literature. Now, I don't mean to make it sound like if you believe abortion should be legal you will like this book. On the contrary, I think that no matter what you believe, you may not want to read some of these scenes. I have read dozens of war novels and nothing in them even comes close to this. Perhaps due to my love for children or the fact that I hold the birth of a child as one of the most beautiful events in life, I have to tell people to stay away from this book. War is terrifying and horrific by its very nature. The birth of a child shouldn't be.

Some may say that Irving is simply showing us a reality that exists and by sharing these scenes, he is educating us, showing us the very thing that would happen if abortion were again illegal. I don't want to comment on Roe v. Wade. My reasons for writing this have nothing to do with the politics of abortion. I only want to say that if you want to invest your time reading words that portray the business of abortion as a horrible thing, legal or not, read this book. For those of you who want to read a coming of age story, read The Power of One by Bryce Courtenay. It is not quite as literary as Irving's writing, but it is uplifting and educates the reader on South African culture.

Rating:
Summary: A pleasant novel
Review: By the time I had gotten halfway through the novel, I had fallen in love with the eloquent yet frustrated characters John Irving created in "The Cider House Rules." Dr. Larch, Homer Wells and Melony, the most interesting of all, brought out the beauty of the story until the very end, which despite it's predictability, was still satisfactory.

Rating:
Summary: A Wonderful Read
Review: Upon Completion of The Cider House Rules, I would have to say that I enjoyed it very much and for a variety of reasons. To begin with, the characters are all very complex and yet, the stories of thier lives and the struggles that they encounter all seem to intertwine despite the individual situation or experience itself. Aside from character development, I really liked the way that Irving handles the abortion issue which can be very controversial. Which brings me to my next point; the form and style with which this text is written is outstanding. Irving writes two seperate story lines that eventually intertwine. This method provides non stop interest in the novel. However, perhaps what I liked the very most was the story itself. I honestly couldn't put it down at times and not because it was so suspenseful, but because it was so well written and so packed full of the reality of the human experience. Irving is definitely an author whose other work I will be reading.