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Summary: The Fourth Hand is a bizarre, but intriguing tale....
Review: John Irving writes about quirky people with flawed personalities and lives filled with challenges and sometimes even tragedy. I find his characters totally believable and compelling. He has the ability to create stories that are so strange , yet realistic that I can't put down the book.....if you want something that will make you think....read The Fourth Hand.I don't think I will ever take my hands for granted again.
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Summary: "Worst Book I Ever Read"
Review: This book has to be the worst book I ever read. I am still struggling to find a plot to the book.
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Summary: The 141-Pound Novel
Review: In one of Irving's early, Pre-Garp novels, the character Severin Winter has a somewhat tedious habit of categorizing everything into wrestling weight classes. From this strange habit comes the title of this earlier book, "The 158-Pound Marriage." From Garp on, Irving's novels have consistently resided in modern literature's upper weight classes. Until now. The Fourth Hand is John Irving's 141-pound novel. Many fans (and critics) have expressed disappointment that The Fourth Hand didn't weigh in as, say, a 197 pounder, or even a heavyweight. Because of this, The Fourth Hand clearly suffers from expectations not met. First of all, I believe that Irving clearly chose to write a 141-pound novel. In an interview conducted--if my memory serves correctly--after the publication of A Son of the Circus, Irving spoke of the increasing difficulty, as he ages, of mentally keeping track of a large, complex storyline during the writing process. I also have to believe that the experience of paring down Cider House Rules into a much tighter, cleaner screenplay has probably had some lasting effect towards how Irving views his craft. How much easier it will be to convert this smaller, simpler story into a film than it was with some of his earlier works which were brought kicking and screaming to the big screen. My point is that while The Fourth Hand may only be a 141-pound novel, it is one of the better 141-pound novels written in the past decade. Patrick Wallingford, initially a somewhat unsympathetic main character, drives the reader effortlessly through the plotline while becoming, in the end, a better man. The characters in the book, both major and minor, are written in a loving, humorous way. More importantly, Irving seems to have finally, in his last couple of novels, found a convincing voice for his female characters--something clearly missing from his earlier work. I honestly believe that John Irving fans would have probably liked this book a bit more if only it had been written by someone else. I, on the other hand, believe the author has largely succeeded in his effort to reinvent his writing. Nevertheless, I'll bet it was tough for him not to include an epilogue; I know how much he likes to "wrap things up." Bravo, John!
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Summary: PRELUDE TO A MOVIE!
Review: A shallow, egotistical, superficial, handsome TV journalist loses his hand in a freak accident while at the Circus, covering a story. This event, a major turning point, opens the door for emotional growth, a change for the better, not only in the journalist but also in the people who come into his life as a result. Author John Irving infuses some light touches of comedy into this dramatic poignant tale of redemption. The book seems to have been written as a prelude to a possible movie. Not a surprise, since some of Mr Irving's previous books, "The Cider House Rules", and "The World According To Garp", were transformed into highly acclaimed successful films. He received an Academy Award in 1999, for the best adapted screenplay of his "Cider House Rules". "The Fourth Hand" capably demonstrates that people who seem incapable of change ---- can indeed change. Now that's something to write about; the indomitable human spirit.
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Summary: This book broke my heart...
Review: but not because of John Irving's usually powerful writing and storytelling. It broke my heart because I waited anxiously for months to read it, and it's just...plain...boring. It's disjointed; there are large sections of this book that have no discernible relationship to the rest of the story...or to anything at all, for that matter. The parts that ARE related are contrived. It's not well-written and the story isn't even remotely interesting. I don't understand or care about his characters...in the end, the average TV sitcom is more interesting and emotionally challenging than The Fourth Hand. And I hate television. I have read and reread all of John Irving's work, and he has incredible talent for writing and storytelling. He's challenging but accessible even to people who don't read much. He's emotional but not gratuitous, clever but not arrogant, opiniated but not insulting, imaginative but very real. So it's enormously disappointing that The Fourth Hand is such a failure; it's hard to believe that this is from the same guy who brought us Owen Meany. Wishing him better luck next time...
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Summary: Best Left in Other's Hand
Review: Wait a minute...is this a John Irving novel or a lame Kurt Vonnegut novel? That's the question you'll more than likely be asking yourself after reading the first few chapters of this book. Nice try John, but no one can create that type of quirky novel full of comically surreal characters and sardonically satirical story lines the way Vonnegut does. Best stick to what you know. Still, Irving's ability to captivate the reader is unwavering, and he does manage to slip back into the familiar Irving style towards the last third of the book - when the much beleaguered protagonist, Patrick Wallingford, is fully revealed to be nothing more than an incredibly submissive poltroon. In Vonnegut's hands, (or should I say hand), the premise of a transplanted body part that retains the soul of its original owner would very likely have resulted in a masterpiece. As it is, this novel ends up a curious, but not altogether disappointing, addition to the collected works of one of America's most readable raconteurs.
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Summary: Expect something unique from Irving!
Review: I don't quite understand the less than favorable reviews for The Fourth Hand! John Irving is a gifted author who continues to evolve. This book is in a category all its own and should not be compared with any of his previous works. It entertains with an improbable story and unforgettable characters.
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Summary: Read it in a day ...
Review: couldn't put the book down. Ignored the husband, dog and housework and spent the day laughing my a** off. It's a delightful, funny and thoughtful book that's meant to be enjoyed and not taken as seriously as some other reviewers would like. Sometimes a book is just meant to entertain -- as this one does -- not change our lives. Take it for what it is and enjoy!
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Summary: Laugh Out Loud Funny
Review: A Prayer for Owen Meany is my favorite book of all times...a 4x read. This new novel provided laughter worthy of Hester the Molester. I'm sorry that the critiques are giving this novel a bum rap...perhaps they just don't "get" John Irving's unique view of the world. His writing is painterly...I saw each scene clearly. While not 5 stars, I'll read this one again and probably laugh out loud just as hard
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Summary: bad news for Irving fans
Review: I usually like John Irving's work. When he's on, he is funny, surprising and at times can turn a pretty impressive phrase. But this book is an uncooked turkey and as the reviewer in the NY Times pointed out, shows off all of this author's worst qualities tenfold. Great comic writing makes its joke (point) and moves on. The bad stuff makes the point again and again until you're not only *not* laughing, but irritated by the repetition. In his recent novels Irving has the annoying tendency of extending a purportedly comic scene until there is nothing funny about it and you just want him to move on to something else. Also in these recent books there has been a growing and unattractive tendency to pontificate about what Irving sees as the pros and cons of today's society. Unfortunately these pontifications go on way too long and often leave you with a "so what else is new?" reaction. For example, way too much of this book is made up of repeated examples of why the press is sadistic/parasitic in this age of CNN 24/7 news coverage. But we already KNOW that and for Irving to go on and on about it is like listening to a bore in the bar go on about... well, you get the point.What's worse in this novel is the characters are so undeveloped and one dimensional that I kept thinking Irving would have done himself a service to spare the preach and use the words building both credible characters and a story that didn't pinball between a not very good attempt at magical realism and the kind of story Irving is known for. Avoid this one and read GARP instead.
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