Rating: 
Summary: A great way to get into Irving's writing
Review: THE FOURTH HAND, which is so short that it is a rarity among Irving's work, is a greta way to take the plunge into his writing. Although it does not have the power of THE CIDER HOUSE RULES or A PRAYER FOR OWEN MEANY, THE FOURTH HAND is very entertainingly funny. From the means by which the main character's hand is removed to the way he and Mrs. Clausen resolve their relationship in the end.The striking part of this book for me was by far how bizarre it was but was, at the same time, understandable to the reader. I must agree, however, that THE FOURTH HAND tends to jump all over the place. Initially, this was not bothersome, but as I grew more attached to the characters I began to wish their storylines were more cohesive--Dr. Zarjac's, in particular. I felt like I missed out on a lot of his storyline especially when, in the break between two "Zarjac chapters", he is all the sudden married and his life is drastically different. I would have liked to see more of a transition than dodging back and forth between what was going on individually with Zarjac and Patrick.
Rating: 
Summary: Very Disappointing
Review: I had heard such good things about John Irving that I bought this book in spite of the odd description on the back. Bad move. "The Fourth Hand" combines an unlikely storyline with characters you couldn't care less about to deliver a truly forgetable book. While at times it had interesting things to say about broadcast journalism, the main characters were bizarre, self-centered, and one-dimensional. At the end of the book, I still didn't care what happened to any of them. A couple of supporting characters (Vlad and Angie) showed promise, but were tossed aside once they served their purpose with regard to the protagonist. With nothing to relate to and no characters to care about, I found this book truly disappointing.
Rating:
Summary: The Right Hand Doesn't Know...
Review: Having listened to A Widow for One Year, and seen The World According to Garp and the Cider House Rules, when I popped in the first cassette of the Fourth Hand Audio Book I was prepared to be entertained by one of the finest of contemporary authors. I was sorely disappointed from the very beginning and will not finish this trite commentary on the world of television reporting and the mental and physical sexual encounters thrust upon the handless reporter. The redeeming quality is probably that the novel is less a tome than his previous works.
Please, John, give us more of your old self.
Rating:
Summary: Give That Man A Hand--NOT!
Review: This book clinches it -- John Irving is very overrated. This book was mildly entertaining at first but quickly became tedious, irritating, and a waste of time to read. I ended the book with an overwhelming feeling of "so what?" Don't waste your time!
Rating: 
Summary: Disappointing!
Review: Patrick Wallingford loses his left hand to a lion's bite while working as a reporter on a news story in India. Dr. Sajac, a world famous neurosurgeon receives an offer from Doris Clausen to replace Patrick's lost hand with that of her husband Otto. The repercussions of this arrangement are somewhat surprising. What begins as a very interesting story with a typical John rving odd assortment of characters slowly deteriorates into the more mundane story of Patrick's sexual proclivities versus his desire to win Doris Clausen. It simply loses the threads of the lives of the other characters which make more lively reading. Although the novel induces the reader to want to reach the conclusion, the latter part of the story is far less engaging than the first half.
Rating:
Summary: How bizarre, how bizarre!
Review: The main element in the book is bizarre as it usually is with John Irving's books. I thought it made very pleasant reading and got through it a lot easier as "Son of the Circus" for instance. As far as I'm concerned John is one of the best story tellers around. Don't pick this though if you are easily offended! Strange and bizarre elements but a marvelous story.
Rating:
Summary: Pointless and forgettable
Review: I've enjoyed John Irving before (Owen Meany, Water-Method Man), but this is the book that finally alters my classification of him from important author to hack popular novelist. This is a dull, meandering story with no believable characters or interesting ideas. The prose style is equally unmemorable. I just don't know why he wrote this.
Rating: 
Summary: As always a great story!
Review: Irving does it again! What a wonderful story, being from Wisconsin I especially enjoyed the Green Bay Packers role in the book. Irving has a wonderful sense of humor and a great talent for spinning a yarn.
Rating: 
Summary: Extremely Weak.
Review: This book could certainly win the 'Write a Tom Hanks/Meg Ryan romantic comedy in the style of a John Irving novel.' competition, but other than that couldn't win anything. Three stars, because even at his worst John Irving is better than most of what's being published today.
Rating:
Summary: Don't Waste Your Time
Review: Author John Irving is a literary icon, having won many awards. And because he has a great reputation he can get junk like this published. It is supposed to be amusing and/or droll, but it reads like a complete waste of time. It may be possible that there is some great message or point to be made here and I am just too stupid to see it. But, failing that, someone would have to point out to me what value there is in this rambling tale of sexual misadventures and attempts to transplant a hand. There is nothing more sad than an attempted joke that falls flat and that's all there is here.
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