Rating: 
Summary: Boring
Review: I usually love John Irving's novels but in this one he managed to make a one-handed, good-looking, hard-luck, philandering news reporter boring. I didn't care about Patrick Wallingford. Someone in another review stated that he became "emotionally involved with the characters." I couldn't disagree more.
Rating: 
Summary: LOVED IT
Review: As good as it gets. You weeniees go reread Garp again. This was one of those books that I only let myself read a chapter at a time cause I didn't wan't it to end. I got another Hotel NH and then pigged it right down.
Rating: 
Summary: This review will save you money
Review: Guys, I am truly sorry to say it, but I hated this book. That should mean something to you if you understand that I REALLY want to love everything Irving writes. I LOVED "Owen Meany", and I liked "Garp" and "Son of the Circus". But I'm sorry to say that Irving fans will not be hurt by waiting until this is in paperback. Or, even better, just don't ever read it. That way you can maintain your hopes for the next book.The main character (Wallingford)is so incredibly tedious that you'll try to convince yourself that he'll show a redeeming trait or characteristic prior to the end of the story. And then suddenly you're finished, and you still don't care about the character, much less for the cardboard cutouts that surround him at intervals throughout the book. John Irving is one of the best writers out there today, but if he continues with books like this and "Widow" then we're better off sticking to his older works. (I know many people will argue about my opinion of "Widow", but if I gave that work a "C", then "The Fourth Hand" is the lowest "F" that I can give. For the record, "Owen Meany" was an A+++++ for me). DON'T buy this book if you like characters that you believe in, or if you want a story that will impact your life and that will cause you to think about it for days or weeks on end. You won't find them here.
Rating:
Summary: Rambling and disappointing
Review: I did not like this book. I probably wouldn't have finished it, but it was a gift from someone who knows that I love "A Prayer for Owen Meaney" and "The World According to Garp", which are magnificent books. Alas, this is not. It rambles, it has poor characterisation, and what's worse, I didn't care about any of the characters. It is actually quite a dull book. John Irving is a very talented author, but this is a great disappointment.
Rating:
Summary: Four Hands- No Feet
Review: This was the most disappointing work(?) by John Irving. The charachters were as uneventful as the supposedly symbolic fourth hand. By the end I cared not whether Mr. wallingford or Mrs. Clausen sunk or swam in their cold water retreat. Her final answer could have been neoned in Lambeau Field's scoreboard but I doubt anyone would have noticed.
Rating: 
Summary: Intimate Irving
Review: Many years ago I was fortunate enough to attend a book reading by Mr. Irving. During the Q & A section, Mr. Irving commented that he was hoping to begin writing smaller books with fewer characters with more contained circumstances. With The Fourth Hand, Mr. Irving has finally published such a book. The style of the book may be troubling to the fans of John Irving. The pace, language, and characterizations lacks that unique Irvingesque feel to it. This is not to undermine the excellence of the work, but if you are looking for the further hilarious adventures of another Owen Meany or Homer Wells, you won't find it within these pages. What you do find is a tightly-written and very intimate work, which is really the hallmark of John Irving's writings. The lead protagonist, Patrick Wallingford, is vintage Irving: flawed, a victim of circumstances, yet sensitive to his own inner workings. And, as with all of Irvings characters, looking for some higher meaning in life and finding it in the most unlikely of places. The Fourth Hand is a wonderful, touching, and emotional book; very reminiscent of one of Mr. Irvings earliest novels, The Water-Method Man. Ignore the "disappointed fans" who bemoan that the book is not another Owen Meany or Cider House Rules. Instead, settle down for a comfortable read and enjoy a world that only John Irving knows how best to create.
Rating: 
Summary: A Fustrating Read
Review: While reading The Fourth Hand, I could not help but make notations on how the book could have been better. First of all, third person narration prevented me from feeling emotionally attached to Patrick Wallingford. After finishing the novel, I feel the third person narration was specifically used by Irving to illustrate the objective way of communicating personal stories on the news. This aspect does make the novel a bit more interesting because it raises questions such as: what is the news story behind the headline? Who is the person behind the individual we see everyday? However, some of the plot lines fall short by seeming incomplete. Incomplete plotlines did not keep the story round with intrigue.
Rating:
Summary: boring
Review: I did not enjoy reading about a selfish man who did not interest me at all. The book was strange. I read only a third. I could not read anymore. I kept puting it aside to do other things.
Rating:
Summary: Not his best......
Review: Quite an interesting plot, but somehow the author seems to have lost interest in his own story after the first few chapters. The last chapters were rather lame and unnecessarily predictable. However, John Irving is a great storyteller, creator of interesting and unforgettable characters and the book is rather worth the quite a few hours it takes to read it. If this by any chance is the first book by John Irving youÂ've read, please go to his other and better books, like Hotel New Hampshire or A Prayer for Owen Meany.
Rating:
Summary: Not as Good as "Widow," But a Good Read
Review: I've read a few of Irving's books and I think his fans will love The Fourth Hand. I liked it very much, as there were some strange twists and turns that make his books so much fun. I didn't this it was as good as "Widow for One Year" or "Owen Meaney" because the story wasn't as grand and it didn't get into the characters' heads as much. Still very much worth the time.
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