Rating: 
Summary: Perfect Irving
Review: This is my favorite of Irving's novels, thought Owen Meany is a close second. I couldn't put it down when I read it. As for the movie, from what I've heard, it's probably a textbook example of the movie being nowhere near as good as the book.
Rating:
Summary: No words to express my feelings...
Review: May be because english is not my mother tongue... Anyway, I remember reading Cider House Rules 5 or 6 years ago during a couple of nights. Today I'm just amazed figuring out how deep in my mind CHR's characters are carved in. I don't know how to explain this, maybe simply because Irving's books convey pure LOVE, WISDOM and HUMOR. Would you have THE CHANCE not having read this book YET, just let me know how much I envy you to have the opportunity to experience such a heart/mind moving experience...
Rating:
Summary: All about choices
Review: This was the first John Irving novel I ever read, back in 1989. I quickly read everything he'd had published, and aside from A Prayer for Owen Meany, this was my favorite. When you read an author's entire catalog in one sitting, you notice their habits and literary devices, and John Irving, while one of my favorite writers, had a tendency to make use of the same images over and over again (dressmaker's dummies, old men with bears and old cars with rusted out floors, etc.). However, Cider House was refreshingly free of those repetitive images, and decidedly different. It skillfully looks at issues ranging from abortion to the conditions of migrant farm workers to fidelity, while all of them are tied together by the single theme of making choices. Every choice made by every character in this novel has repercussions, and it is a mark of the excellent writing that you never feel you're being beaten over the head by the outcomes. I've not seen the movie, so I can't compare it, but if you're looking for a good book, you'll find one here.
Rating:
Summary: Wonderful
Review: I recently went with a friend of mine to see this movie in the theatre. At the time I knew basically nothing about the movie but decided to tag along with her anyway. I really enjoyed the movie and when I found out that it was based on a book I purchased it immediately. This was my first case of seeing a movie and then reading the book. Normally I do this the other way around and feel dissapointed. This book had me mesmerized. I carried it with me everywhere in case there was a spare moment where I might be able to read just a little bit more. The movie's depiction of the character Candy didn't do her justice. I was irritated with her during the film but loved her in the book. Anyone who has seen this movie but not yet read the book must do so. The book is so exciting because having seen the movie, you think you know what will happen but you really dont! There are many wonderful surprises. I now almost wish I hadn't devoured the book so quickly because I miss it. Savor this one.
Rating: 
Summary: a delightful Irving novel, but not his best effort
Review: Plainly put, John Irving writes delightful fiction. His characters are interesting (and quirky), and invariably he finds something funny about everyday people, places and things. The Cider House Rules has all this. It also has a way of disarming the very contentious abortion/pro-life issue without taking itself too seriously. However for John Irving newbies I suggest proceeding directly to Owen Meany. That (later) work of Irving is much more moving, and is considered by many to be his masterpiece.
Rating:
Summary: First Irving experience
Review: This is my first Irving novel, and I'm not that much of a reader, so this review is coming from a different perspective than the others here. And no, I haven't watched the movie, either. In all, it was a wonderful read - keeping me up at nights to finish chapters. The characters are developed nicely and the tone is very lyrical, with the narration shifts giving us different, unique voices from which the plot unfolds. There are a great many poignant lines that stay with you long after the story is over. My complaints with the novel stems from the logical problems it has in the last 150 pages or so. Without giving away anything, certain timelines with respect to the character's lives do not seem all that believable. Finally, I find it unrealistic that only Homer Wells (and Melony) are the only orphans not adopted by their 15th birthday in the 50+ years of St. Cloud's Orphanage. Not only is this unfathomable, it undercuts Wilbur Larch's acceptance of the need to do "the Lord's work and the Devil's work."
Rating: 
Summary: This book bites!
Review: Don't get me wrong I'm a pretty big Irving fan. This story just doesn't develop meaningfuly the way Owen Meany or Hotel New Hapshire does. To be honest I have never been able to force myself to finish this book in spite of numerous efforts. I guess it says something about Hollywood when someone resorts to making a movie out of this loser.
Rating:
Summary: A Total Ether, St. Clouds' Experience!
Review: Society, like the cider house, has rules set by people, rules supposedly followed obediently, rules that are guidelines to one's behavior & decision making. But society, like the people living in St. Clouds' & in Oceanview, tend to make their own rules in their daily lives --- not necessarily in conformity with the society's norms but not necessarily wrong either. It only clearly shows that life is not entirely black or white, right or wrong. Somehow, somewhere, compromises are made to make things right for some lost souls.
Rating:
Summary: It's the not getting out
Review: Here's what it is about The Cider House Rules: it's not a story about abortion. It doesn't ask to further the cause of silly or victimized women who need to NOT have babies. It's not even particularly a love story. What drives this story is the inability to escape the world that others see as yours. The tragedy is not so much the relationship that transpires with Candy, Wally and Homer, nor is it that Homer accepts Candy's scraps for 15 years and doesn't tell Angel the truth. The tragedy is that Homer goes back to St. Cloud's where Nurse Angela says he belongs. An orphanage is no place for orphans, but clearly this orphan has no home. Hell, he doesn't even have a name! He's stripped of an identity as surely as if he were in a concentration camp. No name, no clothes, no ideals worthy of owning; no children, no lover--he takes on the life that Nurse Angela, Larch, and Candy ascribe to him. Homer is a hapless victim. It's the not getting out. You seek something far away from the world that's been yours and no matter how far you get, it's still your world waiting to claim you less like a receiving blanket than a body bag.
Rating:
Summary: Very Well Written!
Review: This book was very intriguing, and very well written. It dealt with how hard it can be for someone to love both the men and her life and to have to choose. It also deals with an older doctor who runs a orphan and an abortion clinic at the same time; he has a hard time expressing his love for a young man who eventually leaves, and also deals with an ether addiction he's had for most of his life. It is a great book and I'd recommend it to most people. Although I think it would better suit older teenagers and adults, just to understand the entire thing.
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