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Summary: Cider house rules rules
Review: I have read before this, also by John Irving, "The world according to Garp".In both books, Irving's style of narrative is very similar: intense, emotive, easy to read, flowing like a river, kind of "neverending". John Irving is master in writing wonderful stories about almost nothing at all. I mean, unlike other authors, like, say, Crichton or Clancy, there is no PLOT, so to speak. Irving takes a central character, a simple, ordinary one, and develops his personality and his life in an amazing and most complete way. The rest is consequence: other characters, situations, etc. In "Cider house rules", Irving writes about the St. Cloud's Orphanage, an institution that also serves as a nondisclosed abortion hospital. Wilbur Larch is the resident doctor in charge of the orphanage. Homer Wells is the orphan whose life we follow during the story. After years in the orphanage, Homer sees an oportunity to leave the only home he knows, and he follows Candy and Wally (who "visited" the orphanage to get an abortion) to Wally's residence by the ocean, where his family, as Mr. Rose would say, is in "the apple business". This is just a simple outline of the story. You have to read the entire book to know the complete story, and I think anyone interested in good "popular" and "current" literature will not regret reading this book. Supporting characters, though not as well developed as Homer Wells, are all interesting and they pass to the reader the impression that Irving imagined very well all of his characters, even though some of them don't appear to often. Wilbur Larch, the previously mentioned Mr. Rose, Melony, Candy and Wally, every and each one of them deserves special attention from the reader, because, together, they make "Cider house rules" a very good book. Better than "Garp". Read and enjoy
Grade 9.2/10
Rating:
Summary: Simply Brilliant
Review: This book transformed my way of thinking. I have always thought of John Irving as one of the most fascinating writers of our time. He simply describes everything! I truly enjoyed the "Cider House Rules" everything about it kept me pining for more. The character Homer Wells as well as the Doctor who saved his life was the most interesting. Homer's simple desire to feel love and wanted transcends everything around him. He chooses early on to not allow this to become a catalyst in his life. But finds minute ways to offer a minimal existence in the arms of the woman that he loves. In all good novels it is a pity when the story fails to end in the way in which you would expect. However, when I ask myself the question as to whether this was one of Irving's best works I would still have to give a resounding YES! Just like in his other novel "The World According to Garp" . . . Irving leaves his readers just craving for more.
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Summary: This is a must read novel
Review: I'm a senior in high school and had to read a book of my choice for an independent reading project. I picked up The Cider House Rules knowing there was a movie about it but having never seen it. I knew part of the basic plot line but once I got into the novel, WOW! This is definitely one of those books where you feel like you personally know the characters and are a part of their everyday lives. John Irving is a wonderful author who knows how to write a captivating novel, I didn't want to put it down. I highly recommend this to anyone in need of a good read!
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Summary: THE BEST STORY
Review: This is probably the best story told to me in years. The doctor took my heart.
Rating:
Summary: Cider House Rules
Review: Cider House Rules by John Irving is a marvelous read. Charming, witty and heart-gripping can be used to describe this novel about people caught up in making choices, whether their own choice or chosen by others, people living their lives, and father/son relationships. This book covers life's trials, successes, failures, loves, hopes, fears and courage all coming to life as you read the characters leap off the page and work on your imagination. This book is very thought-provoking, free-spirited, and bringing colorful characterizations to the reader all with an underlying yearning about the wonders of living life. The author is a master storyteller working the story with tragedy, some violence but remaining true to the story about how people can survive with help from other oor on their own. How those choices affect them later in life. The main character in this novel is Homer Wells an orphan and how his life affects others around him as he strives to make a life of his own. Helping out is the father figure in the book Dr. John Larch working directly and vicariously to make Homer his protege. Leaving his lasting impression, not only on Homer, but the reader as well. There are themes of life running throughout the book, so be forewarned, abortion and pregnancy are two of the main themes, but they are there to add depth to the book as is the adoption of the orphans, or the failure of adoption, as the book's timeframe is 1920 to 1950. The book is set in Maine countryside making the book fit. You will be kept interested in the book till the end and have no doubt, you'll be wanting more when finished.
Rating: 
Summary: The quick and the dead are identical in this book.
Review: With the exception of Dr. John Larch, Homer Wells, and Melony, all of the characters in this book are as thin as the paper they are printed on. It is a novel, so things happen, but nothing really matters or has any effect on anyone's life. Not so that you care about it. One couple arrives to take in Homer, and you know that they are going to die at the first hint of danger. They do. Once again Homer hitchhikes back to the orphanage. These three are all attached to the orphanage by some kind of umbilical cord. The nurses and the other orphans barely exists since their character developement is so poor. This book and its author have joined my list of books/authors that I will never read another word of. There are far too many adequate books to read to bother with this book. ...
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Summary: Excellent Book -- Much Better than the Movie!
Review: While the movie was good, it leaves out many aspects of the book. In fact, the movie completely changed key elements of the story. Therefore, the book delves much deeper into each character's personality and mind. Although the book is rather long, it is never dull. Naturally, when a long book is made into a movie, several story elements must be changed or eliminated in the interest of time. I won't give away anything to spoil the book or movie for you. Therefore, I will simply say the book explains why the character of the Doctor has a particular habit -this reason is never mentioned in the movie and therefore gives you a very different impression of the Doctor. Also, the movie greatly simplifies the character of Homer. Homer is much more interesting and complex in the book. In the movie, he is somewhat one-dimensional. While I wouldn't recommend this to someone who becomes very disturbed when reading about the topic of abortion, this an excellent book that anyone who is pro-choice or on-the-fence regarding abortion would find interesting. The characters are beautifully drawn and you care about them very much. The multi-layered plot and epic nature of this book would have become very confusing in the hands of a writer not as skilled as John Irving. It's not that the book is complex the way a spy thriller contains numerous twists and double-crosses. Merely, the book covers a time span of many years and contains a number of characters (the characters are all very unique so you have no trouble keeping them straight). Also, those who find the field of medicine fascinating will enjoy the medical detail in this book. It gives a good feel for what it would be like to be a Doctor in a rural orphanage in the 1920's through 1950's. Those who enjoy the medical realism of the TV show ER will find the medical aspect of this book intriguing.
Rating: 
Summary: Weak for Irving
Review: After reading a handful of Irving's other books, I was expecting much more from The Cider House Rules. Irving is THE best writer, and Cider House did not feel up to par with his usual convincing characters. I found myself continually questioning some of the main characters, as they were weak in development. It just seemed unimaginable on occasion. The lack of character and story line ruined the flow of reading for me. I also didn't "believe" the ending of the book: the course and resolve within relationships and even the choices made. Rather a disappointment.
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Summary: A new favorite.....
Review: The Cider House Rules is my first foray into the world of John Irving's writing, and I assure you it won't be my last. This has to be one of the most touching, tender, poignant, witty, and socially mindful books that I've read in a very long time, and it will stay with me indefinitely. The engrossing tale of Homer Wells begins when he's just an infant in the St. Cloud's orphanage. Four failed adoptions later Homer is a seemingly permanent fixture and medical protégé to the orphanage founder, Dr. Larch. A wonderful father/son relationship grows between the two, but just as Dr. Larch and the orphanage staff think all is right with the world their beloved Homer sets out into the great wide open on the road to love, discovery, and the loss of innocence. In a nutshell, he's about to encounter the real world. And that's just the beginning... Irving tackles some tough issues in this book, namely abortion, racism, and the free will and individual choices with which we all struggle throughout our lives...and most importantly, it doesn't sound preachy!!! The writing is superb. Some might be turned off by the depth of detail, but in this case it serves to immerse the reader fully in the lives of Irving's rich characters. It'll make you laugh, cry, and cheer. It's so worth the time.
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Summary: A review of cider house rules
Review: I found Cider House Rules to be wonderful piece of literature. Irving tackled the issues of abortion and added some humor to the whole story. The book is about rules, about the rules people are given to themselves. Irving obviously has done alot of research to give a full description of the story. He gives knowledge about how to pick an apple to how to deliver a baby. I reccomend this book.
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